The 14th Annual Mothman Festival begins Friday, Sept. 19 in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. The event celebrates the mystery behind the Mothman sightings during the 1960’s and brings people from all over the world to the river town during the two-day celebration.

“We are expecting 6,000 to 7,000 people this year,” said Jeff Wamsley, the event organizer. “This is our 14th one and its quickly turning into one of the bigger festivals in the state.”

The festival will include concessions, live music, an event known as “hillbilly zip lining”, wagon rides, merchandise vendors and more. West Virginia restaurant, Hillbilly Hotdogs, will also be unveiling a new Mothman themed hotdog for the event.

The festival is on the historic Main Street in Downtown Point Pleasant, located between the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers.

Wamsley said that the event helps Point Pleasant to get national exposure, which leads to interest in the Mothman story and the town itself.

“My favorite part about the festival is seeing firsthand a ton of people coming to my hometown and enjoying themselves,” Wamsley said. “Then coming back again the next year.”

The festival started in 2002, the same year the The Mothman Prophecies, a film starring Richard Gere, was released, causing an increase in local tourism and interest.

John Cole Glover can be contacted at [email protected]