These ghosts are the hosts with the most — and you’re invited to their smashing soiree.
In stunning detail, visitors to Newfields’ annual Harvest Nights celebration watch as the glowing imps glide around the historic Lilly House hoping to celebrate Halloween. Their efforts result in near-catastrophe: Champaign bubbles erupt from room to room. Walls warp and twist.
A monstrous being overwhelms the structure with grinning jack-o-lanterns.
“These other mysterious little ghosts show up that didn’t get invited to the party, and decide they’re going to be party crashers and wreak havoc on the house,” said Jonathan Berger, Newfields vice president of marketing & external affairs and executive producer of Harvest Nights. “So it’s the interaction with that, leading to a big finale that adds to the more than 30,000 pumpkins and gourds we have on our campus already.”
A revamped and reimagined laser-projection show is at the heart of the annual Harvest Nights celebration, which is now scaring up attention through Nov. 2. The celebration leads visitors through the Pumpkin Path of Peril, brings people face-to-face with a roaring ghost train and pose with ghastly Garden Monsters throughout the experience.
Along the way, enjoy autumn-adjacent treats such as cinnamon Bavarian crème churros, fresh apple cider and Hotel Tango Distillery’s Spooky Campfire Cocoa.
All of it leads to Mischief Manor, the transformative light show playing out on the front of the historic Lilly House.
“All of our senses are activated. It’s the food, it’s the smell of apple cider, it’s the smell of the fall leaves in the air, it’s that crisp autumn and fall weather we have here in Indiana,” Berger said. “All of these things all roll in together to create this fully immersive experience.”
Newfields first created a Harvest-themed festival in 2018, after receiving a Lilly Endowment grant that allowed it to curate a festival dedicated to both creativity and culinary arts. The inaugural event was held over a test weekend, with farm animals, pumpkin painting, craft beer and locally-sourced food.
“There are so many people might be a little intimidated to come to an art museum or come to a garden. When we put on festivals that are outdoors, those all act as an invitation to people to say, ‘Hey, this is OK. We have something for you, and don’t be afraid to come in and explore,’” Berger said.
The festival grew the following year, adding music, culinary experiences and family activities such a bounce pad and more crafts and art experiences. In 2020, they opened Harvest Nights, a ticketed tour through the Newfields grounds at night in the vein of the popular holiday experience Winterlights.
While the daytime festival has ceased, Harvest Nights continues to get bigger and bolder.
The entire experience is curated to be a multi-sensory experience. Pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks and hay bales are strategically placed throughout the Newfields grounds, perfect for an Instagram-worthy selfie.
On the Pumpkin Path of Peril, thousands of jack-o-lanterns peer out from the darkness. Visitors can stand on the platform overlooking the out-of-commission interurban rails running through the property before the “whoosh” of the ghost train passes by.
Visitors will notice some upgrades in projection and effects used, Berger said. But much of it will seem familiar, as organizers have brought back much of the favorite aspects people have come to love.
The Mischief Manor show is where people will notice the most stunning changes.
“We’re now in our fifth year of Harvest Nights, and it was kind of that point where we rethink all of the projection,” Berger said. “It’s not too different from the storyline we’ve had in the past, but we’ve just stepped it up with the technology we’ve used.”
Partnering with Lightborne Communications, a company located in Cincinnati, the newly imagined show uses laser projectors to create a more brilliant and detailed images.
“The soundtrack, the projection is just so vibrant with these laser projectors that it makes for a great story,” Berger said.
IF YOU GO
Harvest Nights
What: A spooky, not scary, seasonal extravaganza featuring an outdoor walking experience, thousands of glowing jack-o-lanterns, local food and drink and haunted history. At the heart is a laser-projection show at Mischief Manor, also known as the historic Lilly House.
When: 7:30 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays through Nov. 2
Where: Newfields, 4000 Michigan Ave., Indianapolis
Cost: Depending on the day, tickets range from $25 to $35 for adults, $23 to $30 for seniors ages 55 and up, $16 to $26 youth ages 6-17, free for kids 5 and under. For members, tickets are $25 for adults, $23 for seniors and $16 for youth. A premier package is available as well.
Information: discovernewfields.org/harvest-nights
