Shorter days and darker nights have a bright side in East Village. This fall, Lost Forty Brewing will celebrate the release of this year’s barrel-aged batch of Nighty Night Imperial Stout and all things dark beer with the return of its eighth annual zombie-themed release party Festival of Darkness on Saturday, Oct. 25.
Lost Forty will be slinging Nighty Night 2025 alongside more than 35 local and regional breweries and distilleries pouring samples of their selections in the dark beer garden for a night billed as “part haunted house, part block party and part beer-soaked fever dream.”
This fest is a favorite for locals both living and undead (bringing in more than 2,000 revelers in 2024) with highlights including live music, circus artists, eats from the Lost Forty Taproom and a new “sub-theme” for the zombie costume contest: the wild west. Something tells us the Coen brothers would approve.
“Festival of Darkness is where beer and beverage collides with spectacle,” says Amber Brewer, chief marketing officer and creative director for Lost Forty. “You’ll come for the stout, you’ll stay for the stilt walkers, concerts, fire breathers and a sea of Halloween costumes that get wilder every year.”
And the icing on the zombie cake? Proceeds from the block party go to Camp Aldersgate to help provide barrier-free, outdoor experiences for individuals with special needs.
Here’s the 2025 rundown for the Festival of Darkness: The Rodeo of No Return:
- 4 p.m. – VIP entry to sample pours from all breweries, early access to Nighty Night and limited edition merch sales
- 5 p.m. – Beer Garden of Darkness opens to the public with food and breweries pouring dark beer samples and exclusive new small batch flavors (each will pour until they run out)
- 5:30 p.m. – Lots of music from DJ AJ, Bad Habit, and Rhinestone Revival, plus performances by Arkansas Circus Arts
- 8:30 p.m. – Last call
VIP tickets are going fast, so make your move soon. For more info, head to the Festival of Darkness website and follow Lost Forty on Facebook and Instagram for updates.