Every fall, one of my favorite small New England towns, Exeter NH, transforms into something far stranger than its historic brick buildings and leafy streets might suggest. For one weekend, UFO enthusiasts, skeptics, historians, artists, and the simply curious gather for the Exeter UFO Festival, a celebration rooted in one of the most compelling and well-documented UFO encounters in American history.
The Exeter Incident: A Night That Changed UFO History
On the night of September 3, 1965, Exeter entered the national spotlight. Local teenager Norman Muscarello was hitchhiking along Route 150 when he saw something impossible hovering above a nearby field. According to Muscarello, a large, silent object with flashing red lights descended low enough to illuminate the landscape. Terrified, he ran to a nearby farmhouse and contacted police.
Officer Eugene Bertrand responded to the call, expecting a prank or a misidentified aircraft. Instead, he witnessed the same object himself: a dark shape moving silently, emitting intense red lights, maneuvering in ways that conventional aircraft could not. Additional officers soon arrived and observed the phenomenon as well.
What made the Exeter Incident different from countless other UFO reports was credibility. These were not anonymous witnesses or secondhand accounts. They were trained police officers, multiple eyewitnesses, and a sighting that lasted long enough to be carefully observed (between 2:00 am and 4:00am). The event quickly became one of the cornerstone cases in UFO history, later featured in Project Blue Book, the U.S. Air Force’s official UFO investigation program. They attributed the incident to military aircraft, but the explanation never satisfied witnesses or the public.
From Close Encounter to Cultural Landmark
Over time, the Exeter Incident evolved from a local scare into a national mystery. UFO researchers cited it as evidence that some sightings could not be easily dismissed. Skeptics pointed to experimental aircraft and Cold War secrecy. And locals found themselves living in a town forever linked to the unexplained.
Rather than shy away from the story, Exeter eventually embraced it.
The Exeter UFO Festival was created to honor this strange chapter in local history while providing space for thoughtful discussion, creativity, and community. It blends historical research with pop culture, skepticism with belief, and folklore with documented fact.
What is the Exeter UFO Festival Is All About?
So, what happens at the ufo festival? Well, besides just being an excuse to get outside with friends, the festival regularly includes the follow each year:
- Guest speakers including UFO researchers, historians, scientists, and authors
- Panels and discussions on UFO sightings, government investigations, and New England folklore
- Art shows and vendors selling alien-inspired art, books, prints, and oddities
- Walking tours and historical talks focused on the Exeter Incident and the town’s past
- Family-friendly activities, costumes, and community events throughout downtown
One of the most interesting aspects of the Exeter UFO Festival is how it blends the bizarre with the historical character of the town itself.
Exeter is known for its Revolutionary War history, colonial architecture, and academic legacy with the prestigious Philips Exeter Academy right in downtown. The festival adds another layer of interest to this town. It adds proof that even the most traditional New England towns can hold stories opposite to the conventional ideas we have of them.
The Exeter UFO Festival has always drawn a wide and fascinating mix of people, which is part of what gives the event its unique character. Over the years, attendees have ranged from serious UFO researchers and historians to lifelong skeptics, artists, writers, families, and locals who grew up hearing stories about the 1965 incident. You’ll often find former military personnel, retired law enforcement officers, and aviation enthusiasts engaging in thoughtful conversations alongside paranormal investigators and folklore scholars. Just as common are curious visitors who may not have a firm belief either way but are drawn in by the history, mystery, and atmosphere surrounding the event.
Past festivals have featured nationally recognized UFO researchers, authors who specialize in government investigations and declassified documents, and historians who place the Exeter sightings within the broader Cold War context of New England. Panels and talks have explored everything from eyewitness psychology and radar data to Project Blue Book, military aircraft testing in the 1960s, and how small towns respond to sudden national attention. Some years have included firsthand accounts or retellings of the Exeter Incident itself, grounding the festival in documented local history rather than speculation alone.
Beyond lectures, the festival has also leaned heavily into creative and community-driven events. Art shows and vendor areas have showcased alien-inspired illustrations, photography, sculpture, and handmade oddities, while authors sign books ranging from serious research to speculative fiction. Walking tours and informal storytelling sessions have revisited sites connected to the original sightings, giving visitors a physical sense of place and scale. Costumes, themed activities, and family-friendly events have added a lighthearted layer, making the festival approachable even for those new to the subject. I picked up a cute sticker from the festival with beautiful artwork of the downtown with a flying saucer overhead.
From my experience, its the people that make the Exeter UFO Festival what it is. A space is created where curiosity is encouraged, skepticism is respected, and the strange history of Exeter can be explored from many angles at once.