FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS
WFIU 75th Anniversary Celebration WTIU/WFIU Open House
Date: Wednesday, October 1
Time: 4:00-7:00 PM
Location: Radio-TV Building (1229 E 7th Street)
Admission: Free
Come celebrate WFIU's 75th Anniversary and support public media at the WFIU-WTIU Open House! Meet your favorite WFIU and WTIU personalities, take a tour of our broadcast facilities, and get an insider’s look at the world of public broadcasting. Light hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and beverages will be provided.
Hoosier Hoops on Kirkwood
Date: Thursday, October 2
Time: 8:00-10:00 PM
Location: Kirkwood Avenue near Sample Gates
Admission: Free
Among the event's attractions will be player introductions, skills competitions, and meet-and-greet opportunities. It will take place on one of the most iconic college backdrops on Kirkwood Avenue and Sample Gates, spanning the 300, 400, and 500 blocks.
Hand Building Pumpkin Making
Date: Friday, October 3
Time: 7:00 PM & 8:15 PM
Location: The Pottery House Studio
Admission: $35.00 per ticket
Get into the spooky spirit by joining us to build and design your very own ceramic Jack-o-lantern. Intended for all ages and skill levels this 1 hour workshop will teach you essential hand building skills and leave you with a one of a kind fall creation.
Boozy Book Fair
Date: Saturday, October 4
Time: 6:00-9:00 PM
Location: WonderLab Museum
Admission: Member: $12.00 Non-member: $12.00 Access pass: $12.00
Join WonderLab and Morgenstern Books for our widely anticipated, second annual Boozy Book Fair. Pick up a new book - a new hobby - a new skill! Engage with local organizations and learn how you can become involved in their programming. Participate in hands-on activities run by local professionals and hobbyists. Enjoy a drink from Upland Brewery and light snacks provided by WonderLab. Bring a valid ID proving you’re 21 or older. Bring a bag for all those books you’re taking home, some spending money, and that childlike curiosity. Whether it’s a book, a new connection, or something you learned at the museum, you won’t leave empty handed.
Eclaras Impact Market
Date: Saturday, October 4
Time: 12:00-7:00 PM
Location: Downtown Bloomington — a map will be provided with ticket purchase
Admission: $25.00 per ticket
Bloomington’s first-ever Vintage Crawl is here! Spend the day exploring some of the city’s best vintage and secondhand shops! With your $25 ticket, you’ll receive exclusive discounts, special deals, and access to one-of-a-kind finds at Eclaras, Cherry Canary, Gold Dust Vintage, and Office Clothier. Each shop brings its own unique style, making this the perfect chance to refresh your wardrobe sustainably while supporting local small businesses.
Sycamore Land Trust 2025 Annual Celebration
Date: Saturday, October 4
Time: 5:30-9:00 PM
Location: Monroe Convention Center
Admission: $85.00 per ticket, $600 to host a table of eight with family or friends
Join us for an evening of good company and conversation with fellow nature supporters, and help us celebrate another successful year of conservation and education in southern Indiana! Our Annual Celebration is our biggest event of the year, raising funds that enable us to preserve more land, build more trails, and continue our free education programs.
Wine and Wildlife
Date: Saturday, October 4
Time: 5:30-8:30 PM
Location: Butler Winery
Admission: Ages 13-20 in advance $10.00, day of $15.00, Ages 21+ in advance $25.00, day of $30.00
We are so excited to once again host WildCare's Wine and Wildlife event at Butler Winery this fall! Guests will enjoy wine sampling, live music, a silent auction, food for purchase, and, of course, our animal ambassadors! As usual, this is a family-friendly event, all ages are welcome!
Annual Hilly Hundred Bicycle Tour
Date: Friday, October 10 through Sunday, October 12
Location: 601 Edgewood Drive Ellettsville
Admission: See website for registration details
A perennial winner of Bicycling Magazine and the League of American Bicyclists Best Biking in America Awards, the Hilly Hundred Weekend is a classic bicycling event designed for touring cyclists. If you like a bicycling challenge that includes entertainment and fellowship with more than 5,000 cyclists from over 40 states and several foreign countries, the Hilly is for you. This three day event (with two days of riding approximately 50 miles each day) is held in the scenic hills of southern Indiana.
Howl at the Moon
Date: Friday, October 10
Time: 7:30-8:30 PM
Location: Switchyard Park
Admission: Free
We'll 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 leashed, well-behaved dogs are welcome. Dogs must remain leashed and attached to their humans during the walk, and must be current with all vaccinations. We reserve the right to dismiss any dog for unruly activity and/or aggressive behavior.
Bloomington Music Expo
Date: Saturday, October 11
Time: 10:00 AM-4:00 PM
Location: Switchyard Park
Admission: $2.00 per ticket
Explore 50 tables filled with a selection of thousands of music items. Crate diggers will discover new and pre-loved LPs, 45s, CDs, cassettes, memorabilia, posters, and record storage supplies. You’ll find an abundance of classic rock, pop, metal, punk, prog rock, and ’80s favorites. Select vendors carry blues, jazz, R&B, soul, country, bluegrass, and other genres. Join us for Bloomington’s only record show!
IU Homecoming Weekend & Parade
Date: Friday, October 17 and Saturday, October 18
Time: Parade starts at 5:30 PM on Friday
Location: Woodlawn Avenue
Admission: $2.00 per ticket
We might be biased, but Homecoming weekend in Bloomington is one of the best times of the year—it’s a chance to reconnect with friends and relive your favorite IU traditions. The IUAA hosts events throughout the weekend, including the parade on Friday evening and a tailgate on Saturday. Join us Oct. 17–18 for IU Homecoming 2025.
An Evening with John Green
Date: Friday, October 24
Time: 7:00-8:30 PM
Location: Buskirk-Chumley Theater
Admission: $25.00-$50.00 per ticket
The Bloomington Book Festival, a three-day celebration that connects authors and readers, encourages literacy, and fosters community engagement, is thrilled to present an evening with John Green, the #1-bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars, Looking for Alaska, and Turtles All the Way Down, at the historic Buskirk-Chumley Theater on Friday, October 24th. Green will be joined in conversation by fellow Hoosier author Michael Koryta.
Bloomington Book Festival
Date: Friday, October 24 through Sunday, October 26
Time: Various times - see website for schedule
Location: Morgenstern Books
We are so excited to be returning in 2025 for our second year! We already have an incredible line up of authors with more authors, panels, and events.
LIVE MUSIC & PERFORMANCES
Bloomington Boogies 2025 Concert
Date: Sunday, October 19
Time: 5:30-8:45 PM
Location: FAR Center for Contemporary Arts
Admission: Advance $30.00, Ages 12 & under $20.00
The Bloomington Blues & Boogie Woogie Piano Festival features acclaimed musicians who play boogie-woogie, blues, and related styles. With free and ticketed performances and free educational activities, the festival was voted a top 10 festival in Indiana.
Bloomington Blues Fest
Date: Saturday, October 4
Time: 4:00-11:00 PM
Location: Upland Brewing Co.
Admission: In advance $20.00, Day of $25.00
Announcing the 2025 Bloomington Blues Fest at Upland Brewing Co.! See their website for the schedule and details.
The Bluebird Shows
Location: The Bluebird
Enjoy the following live musical performances:
- Rod Tuffcurls & The Benchpress
- Date: Friday, October 17
- Time: 9:00 PM
- Admission: $20.72 per ticket
- Paul Cauthen
- Date: Sunday, October 19
- Time: 8:00 PM
- Admission: $39.12 per ticket
Buskirk-Chumley Theater Shows
Location: Buskirk-Chumley Theater
Enjoy the following live musical performances:
- Fred Armisen: Comedy For Musicians But Everyone Is Welcome
- Date: Thursday, October 9
- Time: 9:30 PM
- Admission: $45.00 per ticket
The Comedy Attic Shows
Location: The Comedy Attic
Enjoy live comedy performances by the following comedians:
- Jiaoying Summers "What Spice Are You" 2025 Tour
- Date: Friday, October 3 and Saturday, October 4
- Time: 7:00 PM & 9:30 PM
- Admission: $23.00-$58.00 per ticket
- Shane Torres Returns to Bloomington!
- Date: Friday, October 10 and Saturday, October 11
- Time: 7:00 PM & 9:30 PM
- Admission: $19.00-$23.00 per ticket
IU Auditorium Shows
Location: IU Auditorium
Enjoy live musical performances by the following artists:
- The Book of Mormon
- Date: Friday, October 3 and Saturday, October 4
- Time: Friday 8:00 PM, Saturday 2:00 PM & 8:00 PM
- Admission: $39.00-$124.00 per ticket
- Tom Segura: Come Together
- Date: Sunday, October 26
- Time: 6:00 PM
- Admission: $45.00+ per ticket
SPORTING EVENTS
Cream & Crimson Scrimmage
Date: Friday, October 3
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall
Admission: Free, attendees are asked to bring a canned food item to donate to Hoosier Hills Food Bank
The Indiana men's basketball program will host an intrasquad scrimmage at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 3, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The event is open to the public. Doors will open at approximately 5:30 p.m. ET. The Cream & Crimson Scrimmage Presented by Smithville will provide Hoosier Nation with its first official look at the program under first-year head coach Darian DeVries.
IU Football
- vs. Michigan State (Homecoming)
- Date: Saturday, October 18
- Location: Memorial Stadium
- vs. UCLA
- Date: Saturday, October 25
- Location: Memorial Stadium
RECURRING EVENTS
1st Saturday Sale
Date: First Saturday
Time: 10:00 AM-5:00 PM
Location: My Sister's Closet
Admission: Free
Come out and Enjoy 50% OFF all General Merchandise at My Sister's Closet every 1st Saturday of the Month. Hope to see you all there!
Bloomington Food Truck Friday
Date: Every Friday
Time: 11:00 AM-9:00 PM
Location: Switchyard Park
Admission: Cost of your food
Every Friday from 11 am - 9 pm, enjoy Bloomington's best food trucks in one place: Switchyard Park! This family-friendly event is one of the most beloved B-Town traditions and a must-attend event for visitors. Enjoy live music and all of the amenities the park offers while indulging in some locally-made food. Upland Brewing Company will have a beer garden weekly from 5:00-8:30 PM.
Gallery Walk
Date: Friday, October 3
Time: 5:00 PM-8:00 PM
Location: Downtown Bloomington galleries
Admission: Free
Experience downtown Bloomington’s vibrant Arts Mile as select galleries showcase evolving live and virtual exhibits.
Smithville Farmers' Market
Date: Every Saturday
Time: 8:00 AM-12:00 PM
Location: 7555 S Strain Ridge Road
Admission: Free
The market features between 12 and 20 vendors each week, featuring fresh produce, handmade crafts and baked goods. The market runs from the beginning of May throughout the growing season, until September.
Bloomington Community Farmers' Market
Date: Every Saturday
Time: 8:00 AM-12:30 PM
Location: Showers Common
Admission: Free
Locally-grown produce, annual and perennial plants, and a variety of prepared foods are available.
Ellettsville Farmers' Market
Date: Every Saturday
Time: 9:00 AM-1:00 PM
Location: 203 E Temperance St
Admission: Free
Located at our Ellettsville location, this weekly market provides fresh produce, baked goods, handmade crafts and other vendors selling their products. Visit our website to see the weekly vendors.
People's Market
Date: Every Saturday
Time: 10:00 AM-2:00 PM
Location: First United Church
Admission: Free
We strive to work towards intersectional anti-racism, create space for food justice in our food system while cultivating liberation and equity, and ensure access to local food, art, and education.
Food Truck Tuesday
Date: Every Tuesday
Time: 11:00 AM-2:00 PM
Location: The Trades District
Admission: Free
Every Tuesday from 11a - 2p, enjoy Food Trucks at The Trade's District.
