Everything you need to know about Oklahoma's 2023 Honobia Bigfoot Festival
This fall, believers and skeptics alike will gather in the wilderness of Oklahoma for an annual festival dedicated to the legendary hairy biped creature known as Bigfoot.
The 17th annual Honobia Bigfoot Festival and Conference takes place Oct. 6 and 7 at the Kiamichi Mountains Christian Mission in Honobia, Oklahoma.
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What is the Honobia Bigfoot Festival in Oklahoma?
The festival was started in 2005 by local residents to generate interest and revenue for the Kiamichi Mountains valley, according to a press release.
The Bigfoot Conference was added to the event in 2007 with campfire storytelling and was expanded to include guest speakers.
About 5,000-6,000 people attend the festival each year.
What to do at the 2023 Honobia Bigfoot Festival
![A festival Bigfoot greets fans at Honobia in 2017. [photo provided]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/um5l3RXrRfccpgQr46aoKA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE1MDI-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-oklahoman/0e106a13acf57a90efb03faef096714f)
There are over 80 arts and crafts vendors, food, helicopter rides, a kids' game zone and live music.
The Choctaw Nation is hosting its annual Bigfoot 5K at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at the intersection of Indian Trail Hwy and State Hwy 144 in Honobia.
Starting at 10 a.m. on Oct. 6 and Oct. 7, the Bigfoot Conference will feature lectures from Bigfoot researchers, Q&A sessions and "storytelling" about Bigfoot sightings and encounters.
It's free to attend the festival, but the conference is $10 per day per person. Contact the mission at (580) 244-3473 for information on camping onsite.
How the Bigfoot Festival is helping college students
A nonprofit, the Honobia Bigfoot Organization, was created in 2013 to use festival proceeds to fund college scholarships for local high school seniors.
The organization has awarded more than $60,000 in scholarships to area students, with help from the Choctaw Nation and local Masons.
"We raise money for these scholarships and outreach projects through donations and our annual festival and conference," Jolly Sands Windsor, director of the festival and conference, said. "Currently, we are providing scholarships to students from Smithville, Battiest, Clayton, Talihina, and Buffalo Valley."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Honobia Bigfoot Festival 2023 starts soon in Oklahoma: What to know
