By Lesley Infiniti
This year’s Indianapolis Oddities & Curiosities Expo 2024 attracted considerable attention from what seemed like all of Indy’s finest misfits, who arrived ready to display their eccentricities! Countless attendees donned their best dark attire, with part of them opting for full costume, providing a remarkable sight from this goth girl’s perspective. The entirety of the West Pavilion of the Indiana State Fairgrounds filled with an abundance of interesting vendors offering special goods and wares for sale. Ranging from the beautifully tragic to the gross and macabre, this year’s expo had it all.
The vendors were absolutely the best part of the entire expo! From the beginning you could see an arrangement of bizarre objects and treasures set up in individual booths. You are greeted by creations like mounted muppet heads, a cute little kawaii vendor called Creepy Kawaii, and the booth of the incredibly talented Shawn Coss. One of the best first encounters though was, without a doubt, Snap N Stuff Oddities & Taxidermy. Visitors could take photos with Theo, the sweetest live owl with the best manners. Additionally, all of the profits would go toward Indy Wildlife Rehab & Exotic Rescue, who are a small non-profit organization run by the vendor. They specialize in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, serving the communities around them.
As you twist and turn through the building, you can find it fairly easy to navigate through the vast amounts of vendors. All of the booth locations were well organized and had a good deal of space for exploration. However, the true essence of the vendors’ offerings lay in the art and collections that drove their businesses and allowed for self-expression. Chicago Curiosities revealed rarities from the past, such as uranium glass, antique brothel keys and a clown collection straight out of the eighties. There were also completely obscure objects such as a preserved octopus, tuberculosis tissue samples, and kangaroo balls!
Goblin Death Cult was another favorite, offering eccentric yet seemingly comfortable clothing for every ghoul and goblin. Jacqueline Tatro runs the operation and her skills as a mixed media artist are very apparent. The images you can find on her clothing typically are sad clowns, eyeballs, hearts, bats, and the coolest sacrilegious art. All of these images combined with a circus-like aesthetic, including the booth itself! You can find the shop on Instagram and Etsy, and it is absolutely worth checking out.
All Hallow’s Eve Terror Town was a super spooky and creepy booth to explore. The aesthetic was a simple black and gold theme with cobweb lined shelves. Though simple, it was quite effective with eerie props. They boasted a very realistic skull collection, which included conjoined twins and deconstructed skulls. The severed prosthetic heads were so realistic, it was unnerving. There were also preserved heads in jars on the shelves that were a nice, sinister touch.
There is no way you could talk about these vendors without mentioning the fabulous doll collections that scattered the venue. Vitam et Mortem definitely had one of the creepiest dolls in their collection: a Victorian–style doll with beautiful, red ruby eyes. She had a look so haunting, it felt like she could see into your soul. You could really see the love and care they put into their art. The fabulous and vain beauties in the Deviant Dollz collection were also favorites in the doll category. These dolls had a look very much their own, with each doll embodying a specific personality. It is very apparent that the dolls had their say in their attire and aesthetics!
Outside of vendors of the odd and curious, there were other attractions to check out. At the very beginning of your explorations, there were photo opportunities in front of a large banner for the Expo. They also had a shop set up specifically for the Oddities & Curiosities Expo merchandise. Going further into the venue, you will find things like classes on taxidermy, and various Side Show acts at various times throughout the day. Side show acts are always fun and entertaining, and this one was no different. There was food and drink available at a price. The food was pretty standard fast food and had good portions. There was definitely a line, but it moved expeditiously.
There were regular complaints that happened during that time. Mostly the parking situation that built-up later into the day. There did not seem to be any parking attendants and there was another event at the fairgrounds going on at the same time, resulting in a multitude of people sitting in the parking lot for at least an hour, just trying to park. The building was also quite hot in comparison to how it felt outside. There were not a whole lot of fans going, except for the occasional overhead fan. They definitely could have used more air circulation. Hydration is also particularly important, so do not forget your water!
Overall, it was undeniably a successful year for the Indianapolis Oddities & Curiosities Expo. So many people made an appearance, and it was amazing to see that Indiana contained so many of us freaks and geeks. Every single booth in the building was worth checking out. You would undoubtedly want to go both days they are set up at the fairgrounds; it would take two days if you really wanted to see everything. Definitely bring money because there are very cool rare items that will be worth buying. Highly recommend being prepared for traffic and going as early as possible. You should also prepare for the weather, as the end of April tends to be warm. The expo tours all over the nation as well, so be sure to check out their website for more details on whether they will be in your town. Though if you’re in Indianapolis, do not forget your devilish booty shorts and be sure to check out the Indianapolis Oddities & Curiosities Expo next year!
Photo Gallery : Oddities & Curiosities Expo Indianapolis 2024
