INDY'S FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER · October 21, 2026
On today's Dopest we're covering:
Black Lagoon at Almost Famous — a Halloween tiki pop-up on Mass Ave where the drinks come in glowing skull mugs, through Nov 7
The Historic Irvington Halloween Festival — the east side tradition that started with three days' notice in 1927
Día de Muertos at the Eiteljorg — a free Saturday of mariachi, a Catrina parade and art you make yourself
Thanks for reading!
— Hillary
Via Edible Indy
FOOD & DRINK · MASS AVE
🎭 The Dopest Spooky Pop Up — Black Lagoon
We aged out of trick-or-treating a long time ago. (The pillowcase full of candy has been retired.) But nobody said we had to age out of Halloween. Right now on Mass Ave, Almost Famous is decked out for Black Lagoon, the award-winning Halloween pop-up bar showing up at more than 30 spots around the country this fall. It's the closest you'll get to that ten-year-old, October 31st magic with a cocktail in your hand. And it only runs through Nov 7.
Every drink gets its own themed glass, basically a Halloween costume for your cocktail. The Bone Temple (white tequila, pomegranate, honey and lime) is the one in the skull mug. The Widow's Wake is a tart mocktail of Giffard quince, chamomile and lemon, served in a stemmed glass with a spiderweb rim. Three drinks on the menu are mocktails, so the designated driver gets the fun glass too. There are souvenir glasses if you want a little Halloween on your bar cart all year.
Here's what makes the Indy version different: the Almost Famous team built its own menu of Hawaiian-Asian small plates to go with it. Musubi with thick slices of Spam on furikake rice, tied up with a ribbon of seaweed. A krab rangoon grilled cheese served like a French dip, with sweet and sour sauce for dunking. Hoisin steam bunz with your choice of halloumi or Spam. Order a few and pass them around the table. It's the grown-up version of dumping your candy on the living room floor and trading.
📍 Almost Famous, 721 Massachusetts Ave · Black Lagoon runs through Nov 7 · Closed Mondays
The Dopest Tip: Going on a weekend? Make a reservation, because they fill up. And follow @almostfamousindy, where they're posting the pop-up's events as they're announced.
Via Indianapolis Monthly
THINGS TO DO · IRVINGTON
🎃 The Dopest Halloween Tradition — The Historic Irvington Halloween Festival
In 1927, Irvington pulled together a Halloween parade with three days' notice. It became "the largest gathering in Irvington's history." Ninety-nine years later, the Historic Irvington Halloween Festival is back for its 80th run, and now it takes a whole week. (It skipped some years along the way. Even traditions need a nap.)
It kicks off Saturday, Oct 24 and builds all week. On Friday, Oct 30 at 6pm, the free Zombie Bike Ride leaves from the Irvington library. Dress like the living dead, and bring bike lights, because zombies still have to follow the rules. Saturday, Oct 31 is the big day: the Vampire Run 5K at 9:30am, then a street fair from 10am to 4pm with costume contests, live music and a cackling contest (yes, really). The parade steps off at 3:30pm.
📍 Historic Irvington, Indy's east side · Oct 24–31 · Street fair Sat, Oct 31, 10am–4pm
The Dopest Tip: Roads close at 4am on Halloween for the street fair. Check the festival's parking page before you go, or skip the parking hunt and bike in.
Via Eiteljorg Museum
ARTS & CULTURE · DOWNTOWN
💀 The Dopest Free Saturday — Día de Muertos at the Eiteljorg
This Saturday, Oct 24, the Eiteljorg Museum throws its Día de Muertos Community Celebration, and it costs nothing. That's nine hours, 10am to 7pm, of mariachi, folk dance, a Catrina parade, and a mercado full of artists. And no, it's not Mexican Halloween. The holiday's roots go back thousands of years to Indigenous traditions in Mexico, and the Eiteljorg builds the whole day around that history.
Meet the artists, make your own art to take home, and walk through the Community Altar and Art Exhibit, where ofrendas honor people who've passed. The altars are up through Nov 2, so if Saturday is packed, you can come back. One catch: the free tickets have to be reserved online. Free and sold out are two different things.
📍 Eiteljorg Museum, 500 W. Washington St. · Sat, Oct 24 · 10am–7pm · Free, registration required
The Dopest Tip: Make it a weekend. On Sunday, Oct 25, Crown Hill Cemetery hosts a free Día de los Muertos Vintage Market from noon to 5pm, with mariachi, DJs and trunk-or-treat for the kids.
🗓️ The Dopest This Week
STING 3.0 TOUR · Old National Centre · Thu, Oct 22 · 8pm
CONRAD TAO, BEETHOVEN & MOZART · Hilbert Circle Theatre · Fri, Oct 23 · 7:30pm
METAZOA EUCHRE TOURNAMENT · Metazoa Brewing Co. · Sun, Oct 25 · 3pm
JOSH GATES · Clowes Memorial Hall · Sun, Oct 25 · 7pm
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN SCREENING (FREE) · Central Library · Tue, Oct 27 · 6pm
See you next Wednesday! — Indy's Dopest
Got a friend who thinks Indy is boring? Forward this. We'll take it from here.
Know someone dope? Hit the Dopest Tip Line.
⚠️ HILLARY: VERIFY, THEN DELETE THIS WHOLE BOX
Sponsor slot: Bottleworks referral giveaway (same image and referral block as the Oct 14 issue), per your pick. Trevor's ad did not run; his next version in the rotation is still B.
Feature 1 — Black Lagoon at Almost Famous. Main source: the Edible Indy article you sent (Bailey Shelton, Oct 7, 2026, edibleindy.com). Address and hours: almostfamousindy.com.
Runs through Nov 7, award-winning pop-up, 30+ locations nationwide, souvenir glasses, Almost Famous's own companion menu: Edible Indy
Bone Temple (white tequila, pomegranate, honey, lime, skull mug), Widow's Wake mocktail (Giffard quince, chamomile, lemon, spiderweb-rimmed glass), three mocktails, themed glass for every drink: Edible Indy
Musubi, krab rangoon grilled cheese with sweet and sour, hoisin steam bunz with halloumi or Spam: Edible Indy
Reservations recommended on busy weekends: Edible Indy
721 Massachusetts Ave, closed Mondays: almostfamousindy.com
⚠️ "Award-winning" and "30+ locations" come from Edible Indy only. I couldn't check blacklagoonpopup.com directly.
⚠️ The menu is from the Oct 7 article. Check their Instagram that the drinks and bites haven't changed.
⚠️ I left the pop-up's hours out, since the article doesn't say whether it runs during all of Almost Famous's regular hours.
Per your note, no specific events are mentioned. The button and tip point to @almostfamousindy.
⚠️ "Decked out" comes from your description. The articles only say "spooky vibes" and themed glassware, so cut it if you haven't seen the decor yourself.
Feature 2 — Irvington Halloween Festival. Source: irvingtonhalloween.com (home, history, schedule-of-events, zombie-bike-ride and vampire-run pages).
1927 start, three days' notice, "largest gathering in Irvington's history," parade canceled once in 1960 plus the quote: History page
80th festival, Oct 24–31: home page; also do317 and Mirror Indy
⚠️ "Skipped some years" is my read of the history page: it was revived in 1946 and 1970, which is how 1927 adds up to the 80th. Cut the line if you'd rather not.
Zombie Bike Ride, Fri Oct 30, 6pm, free, Irvington Public Library (5625 E. Washington St.), bike lights required: zombie-bike-ride page
Vampire Run 9:30am, street fair 10am–4pm, parade 3:30pm, roads close 4am, cackling contest: schedule-of-events page
⚠️ I couldn't find a street fair location or address, so the 📍 line just says Historic Irvington. Instagram @irvhalloween is from the festival site's link.
Feature 3 — Día de Muertos at the Eiteljorg. Source: eiteljorg.org/dia-de-muertos
Sat Oct 24, 10am–7pm, free with online registration, Catrina parade, mariachi, folk dance, mercado, art-making, 500 W. Washington St.: Eiteljorg page
⚠️ The page's own summary says Oct 25 but its schedule says Oct 24. I used Oct 24 (Mirror Indy also says Oct 24). Please confirm.
Community altar exhibit, Oct 10–Nov 2; Indigenous roots: Eiteljorg page
⚠️ Crown Hill Vintage Market (tip), Sun Oct 25, noon–5pm, free, trunk-or-treat: Mirror Indy roundup (links to a Crown Hill Facebook post) and do317 only.
The Dopest This Week. ⚠️ All times are from do317 listings only. Click each one to confirm.
Concert: Sting 3.0 Tour, Old National Centre, Thu Oct 22, 8pm (also plays Fri Oct 23)
Arts: Conrad Tao, Beethoven & Mozart, Hilbert Circle Theatre, Fri Oct 23, 7:30pm (also Sat Oct 24, 5:30pm)
Food/drink: Metazoa Euchre Tournament, Sun Oct 25, 3pm (Eventbrite, price not listed)
Wildcard: Josh Gates, Clowes Hall, Sun Oct 25, 7pm
Free: Young Frankenstein screening, Central Library (40 E. St. Clair St.), Tue Oct 27, 6–8pm: Mirror Indy roundup plus the library event link
