Vampire Run 5K

The Irvington Community Council is bringing back the Vampire Run on Saturday, October 31, 2026, as part of the 80th Historic Irvington Halloween Festival. It's the fifth year they've run this one, and it's a 5K that takes you through the tree-lined streets of south Irvington. Along the 3.1-mile course, you'll pass a few of the neighborhood's historic landmarks—the Kile Oak, Benton House, Bona Thompson Memorial Center, and Irving Circle Park—before the route leads right into the Halloween Festival Street Fair.

There are three ways to do the 5K. The full Vampire Run gets you a race t-shirt, a commemorative bib, and a finisher's medal. If you just want your official race time without the gear, there's the Bare Bones 5K. And if you can't make it in person, there's a Virtual Race option. Both the full run and the Bare Bones version compete for the same awards, so you're in the same running for a prize regardless of which one you pick.

If you've got kids in the house, there's also the Little Bat Dash, a short race around Irving Circle Park that's free for children 12 and under; that one runs from 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM. And if you'd rather help out than run, they have a volunteer program open as well.

Logistics: The race starts at 9:30 AM from 236 S Audubon Road, Indianapolis, IN 46219, with packet pickup opening at 7:30 AM and an opening ceremony at 9:20 AM. The Vampire Run 5K is $40 ($35 for ages 0-18), the Bare Bones 5K is $25 ($20 for ages 0-18), and the Virtual Race is $40 ($35 for ages 0-18). Prices go up after October 25 at 11:59 PM EDT.