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We want to take you behind the scenes, to give you insider information you won't find anywhere else. This is where we pull Bloomington's hip happenings together with recommendations from our team, first-hand accounts from project producers, and guest blogs by local gurus.  The Backstage Blog helps you stay in front of it all.

Friday, September 8, 2023

Halloween Happenings in Bloomington

Categories: Family Fun, Events, General

Fowler Pumpkin Patch

Date: Opening for the fall season on Saturday, September 23
Time: Tuesday through Thursday, 4:00-7:00 pm / Friday through Sunday, 10:00 am-7:00 pm
Location: Fowler Pumpkin Patch
Admission: Free

Enjoy quintessential fall fun at Fowler Pumpkin Patch, complete with a corn maze, petting zoo, hayrides, u-pick pumpkin patch, and more.

Howl at the Moon

Date: Friday, October 6
Time:  7:30-8:30 pm
Location: Switchyard Park
Admission: Free

All dog owners and animal lovers are invited to a glow-in-the-dark walk in Switchyard Park! Walk about 1 1/2 miles on a paved loop through the park. The first 50 dogs receive a glow stick for their collars! All well-behaved dogs are welcome. Dogs must remain leashed and attached to their humans during the walk, and must be current with all vaccinations. 

Trick or Treat Trail

Date: Saturday, October 7
Time:  1:00-4:00 pm
Location: RCA Park
Admission: $5.00 ages 1-10 years old, $2 adult with paid child

The paved trail through the woods comes to life with everyone's favorite movie, storybook, and fairy-tale characters!

Starlite Drive-In Trunk or Treat Double Feature

Date: Thursday, October 12
Time:  4:00 pm
Location: Starlite Drive-In
Admission: Free

Double feature Hotel Transylvania and Addams Family. There will also be a trunk or treat before the films start. 

Bloomington Pumpkin Launch

Date: Saturday, October 21
Time: Gates open 11:00 am, Launching at Noon
Location: Monroe County Fairgrounds
Admission: $10.00 per vehicle

There is plenty to see and do at the Pumpkin Launch, including a children's area with fall-themed activities, live music, food vendors, and the festive feel of fall. Bring a lawn chair, sit back, and be amazed by launch device ingenuity!

Safe Night Trick or Treat

Date: Sunday, October 22
Time: 5:00-8:00 pm
Location: Monroe County Fairgrounds
Admission: Free

The Monroe County Fair Board & Monroe County 4-H Clubs invite you to trick or treat in costume at this safe night event. Rain or shine!

Spooky Beats and Theater Treats featuring the Bloomington Community Band

Date: Friday, October 27
Time: 7:00-10:00 pm 
Location: Buskirk-Chumley Theater
Admission: Free

After you have enjoyed Downtown Trick or Treat, join the Bloomington Community Band for more fun with eerie melodies and delicious treats.

Downtown Trick or Treat

Date: Friday, October 27
Time: 5:00-8:00 pm pm 
Location: The downtown Square
Admission: Free

Bring the kiddos in their best costumes to downtown's annual Trick or Treat Walk.  Many business will have treats for the little ones.

Trunk or Treat at the Y

Date: Friday, October 27
Time: 6:00-7:30 pm 
Location: Southeast YMCA (2125 S. Highland Ave.)
Admission: Free

Bring the kiddos in their best costumes to get treats from trunks!

Festival of Ghost Stories

Date: Friday, October 27
Time: 7:00-8:30 pm
Location: Bryan Park
Admission: Free

An ink-black night with leering jack-'o-lanterns and crisp cider set the stage for an evening of live storytelling beneath the stars.  Bring your own seating.

Halloween with the Horses

Date: Saturday, October 28
Time: 4:00-7:00 pm 
Location: People and Animal Leaning Services  (PALS)
Admission: $7.00 per person, 3 & under are free

Experience a family-friendly and accessible event. Go stall to stall visiting each costumed horse while collecting a stamp on a Halloween passport. After meeting each horse, the passport can be exchanged for a prize. Kids (and adults) are encouraged to come dressed in costume! There will also be trick-or-treating on the brand-new Sensory Trail, pumpkin decorating, face painting, and a photo booth for your family to capture the memories.

Ellettsville  Trunk or Treat

Date: Saturday, October 28
Time: 2:00-5:00 pm 
Location: Chandler Funeral Home parking lot (203 E. Temperance St.)
Admission: Free

Visit businesses that will be handing out treats from their trunks!

Geology Spooktacular

Date: Saturday, October 28
Time: 2:00-6:00 pm 
Location: Indiana Geological and Water Survey (Room 1011 in Geology Building)
Admission: Free

Wear your favorite geo-costume and explore spooky specimens of Indiana's oldest fossils and minerals. Free parking available in the IU Forrest Avenue garage, 1 block north.

Bloomington Trick or Treat

Date: Tuesday, October 31
Time: 5:30-8:30 pm 

Official Trick or Treating hours for City of Bloomington. Rain or Shine.

Ellettsville Trick or Treat

Date: Tuesday, October 31
Time: 5:30-8:30 pm 

Official Trick or Treating hours for Town of Ellettsville.

Barn of Terror Haunted House

Date: Every Friday & Saturday in October plus Halloween night
Time: 8:00 pm-12:00 am / 8:00-10:00 pm on Halloween
Location: Barn of Terror
Admission: General admission is $12.00 per person; children 10 & under are $8.00 each. Tickets at door, cash only.

Visit the Barn of Terror, Indiana's sixth-best haunted house, for a proper night of Halloween frights.

Forbidden Hollows Haunted Farm

Date: Every Saturday in October 
Time: 8:00-10:00 pm
Location: Forbidden Hollows Haunted Farm
Admission: $20.00 per person, tickets at door. Cash, credit, debit accepted

Get spooked at the Forbidden Hollows Haunted Farm.

Baker's Junction Haunted Train

Date: Every Friday and Saturday in October plus Halloween night
Time: 7:00-10:00 pm
Location: 7898 Fairfax Rd., Smithville, IN 47401
Admission: $10.00 per person, 12 years and under $5.00

The haunted train is celebrating its 30th season in 2023.

Dearly Departed Cemetery Tours

Date: Saturday, October 14
Time: 5:30-9:30 pm tour times vary
Location: Rose Hill Cemetery
Admission: $12.00 per person

Enjoy a night of ghost tales and haunted history at the Rose Hill Cemetery.

Great Glass Pumpkin Patch

Date: Saturday, October 14
Time: 10:00 am-3:00 pm
Location: Monroe County Courthouse Lawn
Admission: Free to participate (charge for pumpkins)

Pick out your own homemade blown-glass pumpkin or simply admire the display of over 1000 glass pumpkins at the 14th annual Great Glass Pumpkin Patch! 

Dennis James Hosts Halloween

Date: Wednesday, October 25
Time: 7:30 pm
Location: IU Auditorium
Admission: Starting at $13.00 +

Take the whole family to Dennis James' annual spooky spectacular, packed with music and mayhem! 

Ghostly Gathering

Date: Friday, October 27 through Sunday, October 29
Time: varies each day
Location: Paynetown State Recreation Area
Admission: $7.00 per Indiana-plated vehicle / $9.00 per out-of-state vehicle

Enjoy an assortment of Halloween-themed, family-friendly events at Paynetown SRA's Ghostly Gathering weekend.

Pam Thrash Monster Mash Retro Dance Party

Date: Friday, October 27
Time: 8:00 pm
Location: Fairfax Bar and Grill
Admission: $10.00 presale

Dance the night away with Pam Thrash and wear your costume to join in the fun with a costume contest.

Fairfax Bar and Grill Live Music:  The Dynamics

Date: Saturday, October 28
Time: 8:00-11:00 pm
Location: Fairfax Bar and Grill
Admission: $15.00

Enjoy a night of great music with The Dynamics, while showing off your scariest costume.

National Visit A Cemetery Day

Date: Sunday October 29
Time: All Day
Location: All Monroe County cemeteries
Admission: Free

Visit one of Monroe County's many historic cemeteries on Halloween in honor of National Cemetery Day.

 
Movies in the Park: Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Date: Friday, October 6
Time: 7:45 pm
Location: Switchyard Park
Admission: Free

Pack blankets and snacks and head to Switchyard Park for an outdoor screening of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. 

IU Cinema Friday Night Frights

Date: Friday, October 6
Time:  10:00 pm
Location: IU Cinema
Admission: $5.00 students, $8.00 general admission

Enjoy a screening of Talk To Me. When a group of friends learn how to conjure spirits, what could go wrong?!

IU Cinema Friday Night Frights

Date: Friday, October 13
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: IU Cinema
Admission: $5.00

Enjoy a screening of Friday the 13th Part 2. Camp Crystal Lake is preparing to open again!

IU Cinema Friday Night Frights

Date: Friday, October 20
Time: 10:00 pm
Location: IU Cinema
Admission: $5.00

Enjoy a screening of Audition/Odishon.  A Japanese horror classic.

Rocky Horror Picture Show

Date: Saturday, October 21
Time: 7:00 pm and 11:00 pm
Location: Buskirk-Chumley Theater
Admission: $15.00 in advance / $20.00 at the door

Enjoy Bloomington's annual fall screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  Join us 30 minutes prior to each screening for a fabulous pre-show event, featuring a costume contest, devirginization ceremony, and more!

IU Cinema  Night Frights

Date: Wednesday, October 25
Time: 7:00 pm 
Location: IU Cinema
Admission: $5.00

Enjoy Videodrome followed by a live taping of Weird Studies podcast dedicated to discussing the film.

IU Cinema Friday Night Frights

Date: Friday, October 27
Time: 10:00 pm 
Location: IU Cinema
Admission: $5.00

Enjoy a screening of The Void. Don't you hate it when a cult traps you in a hospital that just happens to be a gateway to evil?

IU Cinema Night Frights

Date: Tuesday, October 31
Time: 7:00 pm 
Location: IU Cinema
Admission: $10.00

Enjoy a double feature of Renfield starring Nicholas Cage and I Saw the Devil /ANG-MA-REUL BO-AT-DA by director Kim Jee-woon.

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Laura Newton

Laura Newton

A proud Indiana University grad, Laura likes listening to live music and enjoying a great meal with friends at the many wonderful restaurants in Bloomington. Laura is the Chief Operations Officer for Visit Bloomington.