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 annual zombie-themed release party Festival of Darkness on Saturday, Oct. 21. 

Lost Forty will be slinging Nighty Night 2023 — plus a new limited small batch flavor series — alongside more than 30 local, regional and national breweries, wineries and distilleries pouring samples of their selections in the dark beer garden.

This fest is a favorite for locals both living and undead with highlights including live music, eats from the Lost Forty Taproom and a new "sub-theme" for the zombie costume contest: pirates. Davy Jones would be proud.

Here's the full schedule for the Festival of Darkness Nighty Night release party:

  • 4 p.m. - VIP entry to sample pours from all breweries, early access to Nighty Night and limited edition merch sales
  • 5 p.m. — Garden of Darkness opens with food and breweries pouring dark beer samples (each will pour until they run out)
  • 5:30 p.m. - Live music by The Big Dam Horns and Dial Up, 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.