Every year, thousands of visitors flock to McMinnville, a quiet Willamette Valley town located an hour southwest of Portland, to attend the famous three-day McMenamins UFO Festival. Second in popularity only to the UFO festival in Roswell, New Mexico, Oregon’s annual celebration features a UFO parade, expert speakers, live (free!) music indoors and out, a 5K run, a pet costume contest, events with the featured speakers, a ‘landing party’ with vendor booths and more.

Founded in 1999, this UFO Festival began at the historic McMenamins Hotel Oregon property as a way to honor the famous 1950 Trent sighting in the area, and has evolved into an epic celebration of all things extraterrestrial.