All things UFO related returns to the Annual Exeter UFO Festival. Sat. 9/5 & Sun. 9/6/2-2026. Children’s Events & Activities Included!

The Exeter UFO Festival coincides with Labor Day weekend and the anniversary of the famous “Incident at Exeter.”

The Exeter Area Kiwanis Club, producers of the annual Exeter UFO Festival has planned a range of fun and exciting activities to take place on Saturday, September 5 and Sunday, September 6, 2026 in Exeter, New Hampshire. The Festival is a celebration of all things UFO-related, and features a full slate of well-known speakers, children’s events (free), merchandise, trolley rides, alien dancers and hula hoop demonstration, and much more!

This year marks the 65th Anniversary of the Barney and Betty Hill abduction in 1961. We are please to present as our keynote speaker Kathleen Marden, the Hills’ niece, trustee of their estate, and family archivist — as well as pioneer investigator, social researcher, and scholar.

All profits from the Exeter UFO Festival will benefit deserving children and families served by Seacoast charities and organizations.

Many Exeter shops and restaurants will also join the fun of the Festival by offering special promotions and merchandise.

The festival is based on the famous “Incident at Exeter,” which occurred on September 3rd, 1965 in nearby Kensington. At that time, 18-year-old Norman Muscarello reported to the Exeter Police his sighting of an unidentified flying object behind a barn in Kensington. As the police investigated the site, they too saw the object hovering where Muscarello had seen it. Headlines nationwide told the story. The rest became history as the police and investigators nationwide tried to determine what young Muscarello saw that night.

The Incident at Exeter is one of the most well-documented UFO sightings in history. It has been investigated by numerous experts, and there is still no consensus on what the object was.

The Exeter UFO Festival is a great opportunity to learn more about the Incident at Exeter and other UFO-related topics. The festival features a variety of speakers, panels, and activities, all of which are designed to educate and entertain visitors. For more information about our speakers and their presentation topics, go to the SPEAKERS.

In addition to the educational programming, the festival also features a variety of fun activities for kids including the popular UFO Crash Site. For more details on the activities planned, go to the EVENTS.

Saturday and Sunday Events:

• Town Hall Speaker Series (see the schedule and Festival Speakers section for details): 8:45 am to 5:00 pm Saturday and Sunday. Speaker presentations take place on the first floor of the Exeter Town Hall. Price/seat $40 for a two-day pass (wristband).
• UFO Festival Souvenir Shop: 8:30 am until 5:00 pm, outside Exeter Town Hall. Featuring T-shirts, Mugs, Tote Bags, Posters and more.
• Trends Gift Gallery, 85 Water Street: The same merchandise sold at the Festival is also available at Trends. Find out why everyone says “This is the BEST gift shop I’ve ever been in…The perfect Gift Shop for everyone on your gift list from children to grandparents!” Trends prides themselves on great prices and super friendly and knowledgeable customer service.
• Food & Refreshments: Coffee – 8:30am to 10:00am; Food and Drinks (hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hotdogs, chips, cookies, drinks; 10:30am to 4:00pm (near the Gazebo, downtown Exeter). Most restaurants in Exeter will be open on Saturday and Sunday. Find out why Exeter NH offers the perfect “foodie” experience.
• Kids’ Activities: parade and costume contest (Saturday, 1:30PM), face painting, “UFO Crash Site” creations, gifts, free kids refreshments (Town Hall Common)
• Exeter Incident Site Trolleys (starting near Town Hall Common): 9:00am to 3:30 pm for half-hour rides to the site of the Incident at Exeter in Kensington. Also other sites of interest in Exeter are pointed out. We plan to have one trolley running on Saturday and two trolleys on Sunday; tickets are sold at the Trolley Station next to the Trolley Stop on Front Street (next to the corner entrance to the Exeter Town Common on Front and Count streets). Get your tickets early. These rides sell out quickly!
• Historic Videos regarding the “Incident at Exeter” (Town Hall, second floor), Free. Video presentation is shown continuously on the second floor of the Town Hall from 9:00am to 4:00pm and is about 10-minutes long.
  

Saturday-only Events:

• Alien Costume Contest and Parade: Free, Time: 1:30 PM. The parade formed up on the sidewalk adjacent to the Town Hall Common park and proceed to the Town Bandstand (about 1/8th of a mile). There will be monitors to direct parade participants along the parade route.
• Alien Pet Contest: Free, Time: 1:15PM (just prior to the Parade) at the Town Hall Common park.
• Alien Belly Dancing and Hula Hoop demo, Saturday morning starting at 10:00 AM in the Town Hall Common park.
• Meet the Speakers, Otto’s Restaurant, 2nd Floor, Saturday, 9/5; 5:30 to 7:00PM, $20

We hope to see you at the Exeter UFO Festival. The Exeter Area Kiwanis Club thanks you!

Exeter UFO Festival
Exeter Town Hall (10 Front Street) and Founders Park, Exeter NH
Saturday, Sept 5 & Sunday, Sept 6, 2026