CAN YOU HEAR THE X-FILES THEME? The UFO Days in Elmwood festival will be landing in town the last weekend of July.

The 43rd Annual UFO Days festival in Elmwood is flying in for the final weekend of the month, July 29-31. 

One of three annual UFO festivals in the state – all of which gunning for the “UFO Capital of Wisconsin” title – Elmwood UFO Days is the longest running of the bunch, having been first celebrated in 1978. In fact, there’s signage at an intersection on County Road S with several dates and witnesses of area UFO sightings back to 1975, marking it a “multiple sighting location.”

Whether or not you believe in aliens and UFOs, the UFO Days Festival in Elmwood brings in more than just extraterrestrial-centered events, including a classic car show, craft and vendor fairs, live music, and more. 

While July 29-31 are the official festival days, events ramp up earlier in the week, beginning Tuesday, July 26, with Citizens State Bank’s kick-off customer appreciation dinner from 4:30-7pm. On Thursday, July 28, community-wide garage sales will go on from 8am-4pm with directories available on the 27th (only at Alcivia in Elmwood), plus alien mask-making kits being given out at the Elmwood Public Library, live music, and more. 

EXTRATERRESTRIAL EXTRAVAGANZA. The UFO Days festival in Elmwood has been celebrated for decades and has activities for all ages. (Photo from the 2019 festival via the fest's Facebook)

Saturday will hold the bulk of the UFO-focused events, including free UFO Sighting Bus Tours throughout the afternoon, the “UFOs & Elmwood: A Legacy” presentation by retired UW-Stout Professor Bill Johnson at 1pm, and a talk about Elmwood encounters at 5pm.

With more than 30 sponsors of this year’s festival and events for kids and adults, UFO Days is sure to be a blast – whether or not you catch a sighting of anything extraterrestrial.

See the full list of events and more information on the UFO Days on Elmwood fest’s Facebook page (@UFODAYSELMWOOD).