McMenamins Hotel Oregon UFO Festival

Last updated
McMenamins Hotel Oregon UFO Festival
UFO Festival Logo.jpg
NicknameMcMenamins UFO Fest
FrequencyAnnually
Location(s) McMinnville, Oregon
Country United States
SponsorMcMenamins Hotel Oregon
Website ufofest.com

The McMenamins Hotel Oregon UFO Festival is an annual UFO enthusiast event in Oregon, United States. First organized in 2000, it is the largest annual event in McMinnville, Oregon; the largest UFO-themed event in Oregon; and the second-largest UFO-themed event in the United States. Notable persons who have appeared at the UFO festival include George Noory, George Knapp, Whitley Streiber, and others. The event was originally established to commemorate an anniversary of the McMinnville UFO photographs, a 1950 UFO hoax that occurred in the area.

Contents

History

The McMenamins Hotel Oregon UFO Festival was established in 2000 and has been an annual occurrence in McMinnville since that time, with the exception of 2020 when it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [1] [2] The event has been sponsored since its inception by McMenamins Hotel Oregon. [1]

The festival was founded to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the McMinnville UFO photographs, a local UFO hoax [3] [4] [5] perpetrated in 1950. [6] McMenamins Hotel Oregon first started hosting the festival after McMenamins historian Tim Hills discovered that the anniversary of the photographs was approaching in 2000. [7]

In 2016, the festival first organized around a single theme, the Phoenix Lights event of 1997 — an incident in UFO history during which members of the public in Phoenix, Arizona were unable to positively identify a pilot training exercise and some believed it to be overflights of alien spacecraft. [7] [8] [9] Speakers that year included Peter Davenport; Lynne Kitei, who authored a book on the subject; event witness Sue Watson; and, Phoenix city councilor Frances Barwood. [7]

Participants and attendees at past festivals have included Luis Elizondo, David Paulides, Jeremy Corbell, George Knapp, George Noory, Stanton Friedman, Whitley Streiber, Travis Walton, Bob Lazar, Nick Pope, Roger Leir, Irena Scott, Linda Moulton Howe, Budd Hopkins, and others. [10] [11] [12]

Size

By 2021, the festival was attracting an annual attendance of up to 10,000 persons. [13] As of 2025, it is the largest UFO enthusiast event in Oregon, United States; the second-largest UFO event in the United States after the Roswell, New Mexico UFO festival; and the largest annual event in McMinnville. [10] [14]

Activities

Past events at the festival have included a pet costume contest, an alien costume parade, an "Alien Abduction Dash 5K" run, and UFO trivia competitions. [15] [16] [17]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Swindler, Samantha (May 9, 2025). "How a UFO sighting in 1950 created this Oregon town's biggest annual event". The Oregonian . Retrieved May 24, 2025.
  2. ↑ Swindler, Samantha (May 15, 2022). "UFO Festival brings out people and pets in far out costumes". The Oregonian . Retrieved May 24, 2025.
  3. ↑ Nickell, Joe (2005). Camera Clues: A Handbook for Photographic Investigation. University Press of Kentucky. p. 48. ISBN   0813138280.
  4. ↑ Sheaffer, Robert (February 2015). "The Trent UFO Photos—'Best' of All Time—Finally Busted?". Skeptical Inqurier. Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  5. ↑ Hines, Terence (2025). The Psychology and Science of Pseudoscience. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 169. ISBN   978-1538194676.
  6. ↑ "Memorable marchers in the showcase parade of all things extraterrestrial-like at McMinnville Oregon's, annual McMenamins UFO Festival". loc.gov. Library of Congress . Retrieved May 24, 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 Miller, Emily McFarlan (May 25, 2016). "For UFO enthusiasts at Oregon festival, 'it's all extraterrestrial'". Deseret News . Religion News Service . Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  8. ↑ Sheaffer, Robert (8 November 2016). "The 'Phoenix Lights' Become an 'Incident'". Skeptical Inquirer. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  9. ↑ "Flares Caused Old Sky Lights, Air Guard Says". New York Times . Associated Press. July 27, 1997. Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  10. 1 2 Sandoval, Ginnie. "Oregon's largest UFO festival is May 16-17. What Earthlings need to know". Statesman Journal . Retrieved May 24, 2025.
  11. ↑ Hale, Jamie (May 1, 2014). "UFO fanatics are flocking to Oregon: 2014 McMenamins UFO Festival". The Oregonian . Retrieved May 24, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Past UFO Festival Speakers". ufofest.com. McMenamins Hotel Oregon UFO Festival. Retrieved May 24, 2025.
  13. ↑ "For UFO enthusiasts at Oregon festival, 'it's all extraterrestrial'". Oakland Press . Religion News Service. June 17, 2021. Archived from the original on May 25, 2025. Retrieved May 24, 2025.
  14. ↑ Salisbury, Vanita (March 24, 2023). "Spend an Out-of-This-World Weekend at Oregon's Offbeat UFO Festival". Thrillist . Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Want to believe? UFO Festival makes contact once again in McMinnville this weekend". KATU-TV . May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2025.
  16. ↑ Jones, Joele (September 23, 2021). "Thousands expected to 'make contact' at 21st annual UFO Fest". KOIN-TV . Retrieved May 24, 2025.
  17. ↑ "UFO Festival: The Truth About This Flying Saucer". visitmcminnville.com. Visit McMinnville. 24 April 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2025.

Further reading

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