Irvington transforms into Halloween central for Halloween Festival

The Historic Irvington Halloween Festival draws tens of thousands each year

INDIANAPOLIS — Once October arrives, Irvington embraces its spooky side, turning every street into a Halloween showcase. Houses filled with skeletons, cobwebs and glowing pumpkins, continuing a tradition that has been a staple of the community for generations.

For Irvington residents, the season it’s about fun, togetherness and the town’s long-standing embrace of all things Halloween.

For more than 75 years, the historic community has welcomed guests for its Halloween Festival for a week-long celebration. The celebration’s roots run deep. While Halloween has been marked in Irvington through its Halloween Festival since the 1920s, its spooky side can be traced back to the community’s namesake, author Washington Irving, who wrote “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”

That spirit spills into local businesses, including popular spots like Snug and Smash’d Midwest Burgers, which see a sharp uptick in sales.

“We do as much business that week of the Halloween festival as we do in two or three weeks any other month,” Carey Shea, a bartender and co-owner of Snug.

“October sales are about 25% higher than previous months,” Smash’d Midwest Burgers owner Mike Doran said.

The festival draws more than 80,000 visitors to Irvington each year. For locals, the season brings more than potions to brew — it’s what makes Irvington, Irvington.