I've lived not far from the Irvington area for the past 14 years. Over this time, it has become one…read moreof my favorite Indianapolis neighborhoods with a combination of urban style, history, and strong personality. As a wheelchair user, I'm the first to acknowledge it's not the most wheelchair friendly area - a definite deficit when it comes to patronizing its businesses AND attending events such as Irvington's "The Historic Irvington Halloween Festival." Yet, I've long thought to myself that if there any Indianapolis neighborhood to which I'd like to move for retirement it's likely Irvington. Despite being close to Irvington for quite some time, I'd not ventured out for its iconic Halloween Festival before precisely because of those accessibility concerns. Parking can be a beast around here, however, as expected I can honestly say I found it all worth it. Now in its 77th year, The Historic Irvington Halloween Festival is sponsored by the Irvington Community Council and brings together thousands of folks from across the city for the focal point of quite a few events that lead up to it including movies, ghost tours (Irvington has quite the reputation for its haunted spots), and other events. The festival itself weaves together a sense of community and a rare celebration of Indy's Eastside - a side of town that often gets a lot of disrespect. Events this year included an art auction, wellness fair, after party, masquerade ball, fright-seeing, movies, horror shorts movie night, family movie night, blood drive, "night out in sleepy hollow," zombie bike ride, vampire run, a night of spirits, and the actual joy-filled parade. All the festivities began as early as 10am - a great thing for those who prefer daytime activities, however, it all does go well into the night. There are numerous contests throughout the day and just a whole lot of fun to be had. The Irvington Witches are a must-see for me. For the week prior to the street fair, the festival utilizes a lot of volunteers to help run the event. There are, of course, lots of vendors involved and the vast majority of those vendors on the main East Washington Street strip get involved. I mean, c'mon, places like Jockamo and Scarlet Lane were practically made for this kind of thing. If you know me, and a lot of Yelpers do, I'm not always the most social human being but I had a blast with this. Yes, it can be a lot in terms of accessibility - parking is a bit obnoxious, Irvington's streets aren't always the most wheelchair friendly, and the crowd gets a bit overwhelming. However, it all works out pretty easily and nearly everyone I encountered was incredibly aware of and conscious of my wheelchair. I guess you could say I felt cared for throughout. If you've never attended The Historic Irvington Halloween Festival, you're missing out on one of Indy's most iconic events. While I'd plan ahead a bit if you have mobility needs, it's worth the planning and a whole lot of fun. Addendum: After my review, I was contacted by Jake, who plans logistical and technical aspects of the street fair. He noted that the festival provides "a large amount of accessible parking in the Snips parking lot as well as down the middle of Washington Street." He noted this info is available at the festival website under the street fair! Thanks to Jake for the contact and additional information!

Well, well, well, Halloween lovers this is the festival for you! I've always loved Halloween!…read moreCostumes, candy, pumpkins, haunted houses...it's just fun! This festival in Irvington has been held for 76 years! You could just people watch and see so many amazing costumes! They have a costume contest, pumpkin carvings, live music, food, and much more. The weather was perfect 72 and sunny! People go all out for their costumes! If you've never been you should try to go at least once. It's really neat. People young and old enjoying Halloween! It was a blast! Definitely would go again!

This was our first time to the Irvington Halloween Charity Ball. Tickets were $60 a person. The…read moreevening started at 8pm at the Irvington Lodge and went until midnight. The event page said this was a formal evening, but it was pretty open. There was a good mix of party goers in Halloween costumes and fancy dresses and suits with masquerade masks. Dinner was provided by Yats. And it was really good. There was rice with gumbo, a bean and corn mix and vegetarian chili. I heard there was going to be a king cake but we never saw it. There was also a cash bar serving beer, wine and a couple of cocktails. I had a very small hurricane for $8 and my husband had a couple of beers at $6 each. Later in the night we found out there was free bottled water and soda. I loved the photo booth area. Everyone was posing for their perfect pictures.

I have to preface this review that I was able to attend this event for free, thanks to winning…read moretickets from Yelp . Honestly, I had no idea what to expect because when looking at the event webpage and past pictures, it was very limited in the information. Highlights: + It was a four hour charity event with fun music and dancing were tickets were $60 + This themed gala event has been around for 5 years. The theme of the year was New Orleans Mardi Gras + Water and Soda was free +Cash bar was available. You had to purchase drink tickets at one station, and then you would go to another station to order and pick up your beverages + The Irvington Lodge was host to the event. There was an ample amount of parking in the area. There were two main rooms, a larger open room for the band and dancing, and another with tables for sitting and food. One of the biggest downsides, to the space was the lack of seating at times + Catering was provided by Yats and Jackamos Pizza. I can't really speak to the food, but people looked like they were enjoying it, including the traditional King Cake +Music was provided by an amazing Graveyard Stompers, a Halloween Rock Band that threw in some big Jazz band as well Overall, it was a fun night out that you got to wear a fancy dress and have fun.