(Left) Vendors along Main Street at the Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant, W. Va., offer Mothman masks and other cryptid-themed merchandise. (Right) Selah Miller from Charleston, W. Va., is photographed by the Ohio River donning a red and black moth-inspired cape with a hood adorned with red eyes and antennae.
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POINT PLEASANT, W. Va. – Each September, this quaint town nestled on the West Virginia-Ohio border transforms as it welcomes the enigmatic Mothman, a legendary figure akin to Bigfoot, captivating audiences through books, films, podcasts, and a passionate fanbase.
The 2025 Mothman Festival is in full swing, with attendees donning elaborate costumes beneath towering inflatables, including a majestic Mothman with intricate wings and glowing red eyes, alongside the iconic Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters. Despite the festival’s focus on a mysterious creature, the atmosphere is vibrant and celebratory.
“West Virginia is stunning,” remarks Eric Johnson, visiting from Chicago. “And Mothman is absolutely captivating,” he adds with a grin.
The legend of Mothman traces back to a late-night encounter in 1966, when two couples reported being pursued by a large, winged humanoid near the town’s outskirts (details follow below).
This remarkable tale ignited widespread fascination, cementing Mothman’s status as a renowned cryptid-an unconfirmed creature. Yet, its influence on Point Pleasant’s community, economy, and enthusiasts remains tangible.
Johnson, who discovered Mothman through the video game Persona, is eager to join a guided tour exploring the creature’s reported haunts. Now attending his third festival, he enjoys the live music and local cuisine but cherishes the town’s scenic riverside the most: “It’s breathtaking.”
Michael Negron from Norwalk, Conn., greets the iconic silver Mothman statue in Point Pleasant, W.Va.
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A Gathering Hub for Cryptid Fans
On this bright weekend in late September, Point Pleasant’s compact downtown overflows with festival-goers. Street musicians perform live, while bands entertain crowds at the Ohio River amphitheater. Food vendors offer treats like “moth floss” (cotton candy), refreshing lemonade, tacos, and Asian noodles.
Visitors eagerly queue to snap photos with the towering silver Mothman statue, often capturing shots from multiple angles to admire the figure’s famously sculpted rear, affectionately nicknamed the “Shiny Hiney.”
Festival attendees gather along Main Street with the historic Lowe Hotel in the background, a building rumored to be haunted and currently under renovation.
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(Left) A “Man in Black” mannequin. (Right) Aurora Penrose strikes a pose at the Mothman Museum in downtown Point Pleasant during the festival.
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Summer Maddux, visiting from Sacramento, California, dons an eye-catching ensemble that draws passersby eager to take selfies with her.
“I’m wearing a sleek black bodysuit paired with a hand-painted moth cape featuring a cinched waist, red glasses, red contact lenses, a striking wig, and handmade antennae to fully embody Moth Ma’am,” she explains. “This is my personal tribute to Mothman.”
Though this is Maddux’s inaugural Mothman Festival, she’s been fascinated by the legend since childhood in the 1990s.
While the festival gained momentum in the early 2000s following the release of The Mothman Prophecies, starring Richard Gere and Laura Linney, Maddux first encountered the creature through a graphic novel series titled The Big Book Of.
“I’ve always been drawn to the strange, the eerie, and the monstrous,” she shares. “Mothman really captured my imagination.”
Others, like Johnson, discovered Mothman through video games such as Persona and Fallout 76, with many embracing cosplay as a way to celebrate the cryptid.
(Left) “Monster Bag” cotton candy is among the sweet treats at the 2025 Mothman Festival. (Right) Cai Viall from Roanoke, Va., poses with red hair, white face paint, and red-ringed eyes.
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“You’re never too old to embrace your inner geek,” Maddux remarks.
Nearby, a long queue forms outside the Mothman Museum, a cozy corner shop filled with artifacts, newspaper clippings, and firsthand accounts of the creature. Up the street, a local church hosts guest speakers, including paranormal podcaster Ashley Hilt and Richard Hatem, screenwriter of The Mothman Prophecies.
“It’s known as the paranormal convention of the East,” says Denny Bellamy, Mason County’s tourism director. “Everyone involved in the paranormal and cryptid communities gathers here.”
(Left) Denny Bellamy, tourism director for Mason County and economic development director for Point Pleasant, photographed during the 2025 Mothman Festival. (Right) A vendor sells “Moth Floss” cotton candy beside a large Mothman figure.
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Small Town Thrives on Cryptid Tourism
The Mothman Festival began modestly in 2002 as a single-day event featuring a few card tables with hot dogs and books about the local legend, Bellamy recalls. Today, it attracts around 20,000 visitors to a town with fewer than 5,000 residents.
“Initially, banks struggled to keep enough cash on hand because the festival fell on a Saturday,” Bellamy notes.
Now spanning three days, the festival brings a significant influx of visitors, with Bellamy describing it as “our Christmas, matching or exceeding the town’s entire annual economic activity.”
Vacant storefronts downtown have vanished, and fans visit year-round, not just during the festival.
“Mothman truly put us on the map,” says Hope Love, a native of Point Pleasant who sells handcrafted items-like Mothman-themed potholders-at her shop, the Flawed Frog.
center-left) wears sunglasses, jean shorts and a tie-dyed T-shirt and stands next to Joplin Crowder (rear, center-right) who wears a black Mothman cape that has red eyes on the hood.” loading=”lazy” />
Marissa Clark (rear, center-left) and Joplin Crowder (rear, center-right) enjoy the shade on a warm, sunny day during the Mothman Festival.
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“Just a couple of months ago, I had visitors from Taiwan and Germany stop by. It’s pretty amazing,” Love adds.
At the local Piggly Wiggly, I meet Tyler Fields, who’s visiting from Ohio with his children. Though he usually avoids large crowds, he appreciates how the festival draws diverse groups to Point Pleasant.
When asked if the actual existence of Mothman matters amid all the excitement, Fields replies, “Does it really matter if Mothman was real? No, because everyone believes something happened, and it’s a compelling story.”
(Left) Jennie Brown and her husband TiMothy Brown sport lamp shades, black capes, and Mothman-themed shirts. (Right) Entrepreneur Danny Jaques poses in a silver astronaut suit and straw hat at the festival.
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The Legendary 1966 Mothman Encounter
On the night of November 15, 1966, two couples-Roger and Linda Scarberry and Steve and Mary Mallette-were driving along a rural road north of Point Pleasant when they spotted what Mallette described to the local Point Pleasant Register as “a man with wings.”
The creature, standing approximately 6 to 7 feet tall with glowing red eyes, was first seen near an abandoned power plant. Roger Scarberry quickly turned his 1957 black Chevy away from the figure and accelerated.
However, the creature reappeared ahead of them, and the couples reported that it ascended into the air and pursued their vehicle along the main highway back toward town.
“We were driving between 100 and 105 mph on that straight stretch, and that thing was gliding back and forth over the rear of the car,” Linda Scarberry recounted, as preserved by the Mothman Museum.
Their account rapidly spread from local news to international media outlets.
The sighting occurred in the “TNT Area,” a former military site officially called the West Virginia Ordnance Works, located a few miles north of Point Pleasant. This facility produced and stored high-grade explosives during World War II.
Mason Freeman, age 12, rides past the former power station site where Mothman was initially sighted in Point Pleasant, W.Va.
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Today, the area is dotted with igloo-shaped bunkers hidden among dense woods, with murky ponds and canals that once linked the facilities. Tour buses frequently bring visitors eager to experience the eerie ambiance of the TNT Area.
“The place is especially spooky after dark,” notes local historian Steve Ward.
Following the initial sighting, more reports emerged describing similar creatures. Speculation arose that the figure might have been a large sandhill crane or another animal, prompting search parties to investigate.
Tragedy struck Point Pleasant 13 months later when the Silver Bridge, connecting the town to Ohio, collapsed during rush hour, sending vehicles plunging into the Ohio River.
The disaster claimed 46 lives and led President Lyndon Johnson to commission a safety review that established nationwide bridge inspection protocols.
Locals speculated whether Mothman was a harbinger or even a cause of the collapse. Journalist and author John Keel wove these events into his 1975 book, The Mothman Prophecies, which inspired the later film starring Richard Gere. The legend was firmly entrenched in popular culture.
Seeking Connection to the Unknown
Meg Nicholas, a folklife expert at the American Folklife Center in Washington, D.C., explains that the Scarberry and Mallette sighting fits into a long-standing tradition of folklore. Growing up near West Virginia and Ohio, Nicholas heard Mothman stories from an early age.
Eli Despain poses during the Mothman Festival. She traveled from Ridgedale, Mo., with her husband Lake. “I needed a break from everything,” she says. “It helps take your mind off things.”
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“Stories like these have existed throughout history,” Nicholas says. “People have always told tales of creatures lurking at the edges of towns or forests. These narratives help us make sense of the unknown.”
Thanks to modern media, such legends now reach far beyond their origins. Besides books and films, Mothman has appeared on popular podcasts like My Favorite Murder. Nicholas has heard from young fans who discovered the legend through TikTok or online horror stories known as “creepypasta.”
What draws so many to the Mothman myth nearly six decades later?
The 12-foot stainless steel Mothman sculpture in downtown Point Pleasant was crafted by artist Bob Roach and unveiled in 2003.
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Nicholas believes the connection between Mothman and the Silver Bridge disaster plays a significant role. Across various media, many embrace the idea that the eerie sightings served as a forewarning.
“It offers a sense of control over the unknown and the unimaginable,” she explains. “If you accept that Mothman can predict disaster, it suggests you might prepare for it.”
At its heart, Mothman remains a monster tale.
“Children who feel marginalized often identify deeply with monsters because they themselves have been made to feel like outsiders,” Nicholas says. Such stories can teach resilience, as they ponder how a creature like Mothman survives on society’s fringes, remaining elusive yet persistent.
“Folklore holds power beyond mere entertainment,” Nicholas concludes. “These stories help us feel connected to something larger than our individual experiences.”
