{"id":95600,"date":"2026-07-29T06:00:49","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T10:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/?p=95600"},"modified":"2026-07-23T17:11:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T21:11:33","slug":"bigfoot-festival-brings-folklore-family-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/communities\/bigfoot-festival-brings-folklore-family-fun\/","title":{"rendered":"Bigfoot Festival Brings Folklore, Family Fun"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Photo courtesy of Destination McDowell<\/p><\/div>\n

By Emma Castleberry<\/p>\n

The WNC Bigfoot Festival returns to downtown Marion on Saturday, August 29, with a full day of music, educational programming, vendors and family activities centered around the legendary creature.<\/p>\n

The free festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and has grown into one of Marion\u2019s signature annual events since its beginnings as a small gathering of Bigfoot enthusiasts. This year\u2019s event includes educational panels, a Bigfoot Calling Contest, children\u2019s activities in the Little Foot Zone, Sasquatch-themed vendors, local businesses and a wide variety of food offerings. A new Bigfoot Dash 5K begins at 8 a.m. at Marion Elementary School, and Honeycutt & Co., fronted by Marion native Jeff Honeycutt, will provide live music.<\/p>\n

According to John Bruner of Bigfoot 911, the festival traces its roots to a simple meetup for members of the organization\u2019s Facebook community. \u201cThe Bigfoot 911 group at that time had around 10,000 members,\u201d says Bruner. \u201cWe expected around 50 to show up, but nearly 500 showed up. The City of Marion approached us about doing an upscaled version of our meet and greet. The rest is history!\u201d<\/p>\n

That unexpected turnout eventually grew into what organizers describe as one of the premier Bigfoot festivals in the Southeast. Bruner says the festival\u2019s broad appeal comes from keeping the focus on fun while making it accessible to everyone. \u201cSubject matter is the main driver,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s both new and old at the same time. Bigfoot is our Elvis. We don\u2019t wade into politics, causes or things of that nature. Bigfoot is fun and interesting so if it\u2019s possible to have fun and learn at the same time, that\u2019s the effect we want. We also keep this festival free: no admission or ticket reservations required and we offer free parking and a free shuttle service to and from the event. That alone has been a big driver of our success.\u201d<\/p>\n

The festival also reflects the region\u2019s longstanding tradition of storytelling and folklore, with educational programming that explores Bigfoot\u2019s place in Appalachian history and culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have historic ties to the region going back thousands of years,\u201d says Bruner. \u201cThe success of this festival tells me that our culture and folklore is alive and well in this digital age we\u2019re in. Younger people are starting to take an interest in the past and want to hear the stories of our ancestors.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Marion, the festival has become far more than a one-day attraction. \u201cThe WNC Bigfoot Festival is significant to the City of Marion because it was the first organized Bigfoot Festival on the East Coast,\u201d says Freddie Killough, executive director of the Marion Business Association \u201cThe inaugural event attracted 30,000-40,000 visitors and caused miles of traffic congestion. Although the festival organizers and the City of Marion were unprepared for the overwhelming interest in Bigfoot, the event forever tied Marion\u2019s identity to Bigfoot. Marion enthusiastically embraced the new community mascot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Killough also says the festival taps into a mountain cultural tradition. \u201cAppalachian people love a good story and are natural storytellers,\u201d he says. \u201cBigfoot folklore is not new to WNC, but the popularity and novelty have created a fun marketing opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Main Street will be closed from New Street to Henderson Street on the day of the festival. Learn more and see a map of parking locations at MarionBigfootFestival.wordpress.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The WNC Bigfoot Festival returns to downtown Marion on Saturday, August 29, with a full day of music, educational programming, vendors and family activities centered around the legendary creature.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":95602,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communities","category-lifestyle"],"yoast_head":"\nBigfoot Festival Brings Folklore, Family Fun - The Laurel of Asheville<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The WNC Bigfoot Festival returns to downtown Marion on Saturday, August 29, with a full day of music, educational programming, vendors and family activities centered around the legendary creature.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/communities\/bigfoot-festival-brings-folklore-family-fun\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bigfoot Festival Brings Folklore, Family Fun - 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