Last updated: October 2026

The South Carolina Bigfoot Festival 2026 returns to downtown Westminster on Friday, October 9 and Saturday, October 10, bringing Bigfoot researchers, live music, unusual contests, food, craft vendors, children’s activities, and plenty of Sasquatch-themed fun to this small Upstate town. Whether you are convinced something hairy is wandering through the Blue Ridge Mountains or simply looking for one of South Carolina’s most unusual fall festivals, Westminster is worth putting on your October calendar.

This year’s festival spans more than a single Saturday. Activities begin Thursday evening with a showing of Squatch; the main street festival runs Friday and Saturday, and Bigfoot Brawl baseball and Bigfoot Bash softball continue into Sunday. That makes the South Carolina Bigfoot Festival surprisingly easy to turn into a full weekend exploring Westminster, Walhalla, Oconee County, nearby waterfalls, and the western end of South Carolina’s Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway.

PumpkintownSC On the Road | October 9, 2026

A Friday Night with Bigfoot in Westminster

We made the trip to downtown Westminster Friday evening to check out the 2026 South Carolina Bigfoot Festival, and it turned out to be a fun little adventure. Despite the cloudy skies, Main Street was lined with vendors, food trucks, handmade crafts, and plenty of Sasquatch-themed surprises. From towering Bigfoot figures to a familiar orange General Lee, there was something interesting around nearly every corner.

As the sun went down, the festival really came to life. The vendor tents lit up the streets, the smell of festival food filled the air, and Randomonium was rocking the main stage. We wandered through the booths, checked out the unusual displays, and enjoyed the small-town atmosphere that makes events like this so much fun.

One of the best things about the festival is that admission and parking are free, making it an easy outing for families looking for something different to do in the Upstate. The festivities continue Saturday, October 10, so there is still time to join the fun. Just bring a raincoat, keep an eye on the weather, and watch out for Bigfoot!

Photos from our Friday evening visit to the South Carolina Bigfoot Festival. © PumpkintownSC 2026

South Carolina Bigfoot Festival 2026 Quick Facts

Why Westminster Goes Big for Bigfoot

Westminster normally feels like a small Upstate town tucked between the lakes, foothills, and mountains of Oconee County. During the South Carolina Bigfoot Festival, downtown takes on an entirely different personality. Bigfoot cutouts line Main Street, researchers and enthusiasts arrive from outside the area, vendors fill downtown, bands take the stage, and visitors show up in everything from ordinary fall clothes to full Sasquatch costumes.

The festival returns for its seventh year in 2026, and part of its appeal is that you do not have to take Bigfoot seriously to enjoy it. Believers can spend hours listening to researchers and swapping stories. Skeptics can enjoy the contests, music, food, costumes, and people-watching. Families can focus on the children’s activities, while visitors looking for something unusual to do in October get exactly that.

The setting also helps. Westminster sits near some of South Carolina’s wildest mountain country. The Chattooga River, Sumter National Forest, Stumphouse Mountain, Lake Jocassee, and miles of wooded Blue Ridge terrain are all within the larger region. If a South Carolina town could convincingly spend a weekend talking about something large and hairy hiding in the woods, Westminster fits the bill.

If mountain legends are your thing, you may also enjoy our guide to Upstate South Carolina folklore, mountain monsters, haunted places, and strange legends. Bigfoot is far from the only unusual story connected to these mountains.

The Festival Actually Starts Thursday Night

If you are arriving early, the weekend begins before Main Street fills with festival booths. On Thursday, October 8, the festival schedule includes a 6:30 p.m. showing of Squatch, directed by Aaron Mull, at the M.D. Cleveland Civic Center.

That makes Thursday a good arrival day for visitors coming from farther away. Instead of driving into Westminster early Friday morning, you can settle in, attend the movie Thursday evening, and wake up ready for the first full festival day.

Friday, October 9: Festival Schedule

Friday is the longer of the two main festival days, running from noon until 9 p.m. It combines daytime children’s activities and speakers with contests, Bigfoot Bingo, an evening dance party, live music, and a researcher question-and-answer session.

The burrito-eating contest is limited to 10 participants; sign up at the South Carolina Bigfoot Festival tent. If you want to enter, don’t wait until the contest begins to ask where to register.

Saturday, October 10: Festival Schedule

Saturday starts earlier and packs a great deal into eight hours. Food, craft vendors, and children’s activities run from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., while bands, researchers, and Bigfoot-themed contests rotate throughout the day.

The organizers note that the schedule may change due to weather or other circumstances. If you’re coming specifically to see a particular speaker, band, or contest, check the official South Carolina Bigfoot Festival schedule again before leaving home.

Which Day Should You Go?

Bigfoot Speakers and Researchers

The South Carolina Bigfoot Festival is not simply a costume event. Researchers and speakers play a major role in the weekend, with presentations at the Railroad Depot throughout Friday and Saturday.

The 2026 speaker lineup includes Michael Cook, Mike Miller, Rick Reles, Dale Glymph, NCI, Sunny Wescott, Brian King-Sharp, Gwendolyn Purcell, Terry Windell, and Arla Collett-Williams. Topics range from Bigfoot in South Carolina and Appalachian cryptids to personal experiences, climate and cryptids, and other unexplained nighttime creatures.

You do not have to agree with every speaker or believe every story to enjoy this side of the festival. Treat the presentations as a chance to hear from people who actively investigate, collect stories, and participate in the modern Bigfoot community, and learn what interests them about the subject.

Bigfoot Contests Are Part of the Fun

The contests are where the festival embraces its stranger side. Kids and adults can test their best Sasquatch calls and tree knocks; visitors can enter costume contests, and the Look-A-Like Contest gives people who apparently already resemble Bigfoot a chance to finally put that talent to use.

The day also features separate men’s and women’s Big “Foot” contests on Saturday. Friday adds the Bigfoot Burrito Eating Contest, while the evening shifts into Bigfoot Bingo and a dance party.

You do not need to participate to enjoy them. In fact, some of the best entertainment comes from finding a nearby spot and watching what others will do when Bigfoot pride is on the line.

Food, Drinks, Crafts and Bigfoot Merchandise

Come hungry and leave room in the car for something strange. The 2026 vendor lineup includes barbecue, empanadas, lobster dishes, coffee, lemonade, specialty drinks, cheesecakes, cakes, frozen treats, snacks, and other festival food. Organizers cap food vendors at 20, while craft and specialty vendors offer a much broader range of goods.

Not surprisingly, Bigfoot merchandise is everywhere. Current vendors include businesses selling Bigfoot cutouts, Sasquatch gear, artwork, wood products, pottery, jewelry, soaps, toys, mushrooms, honey, and other crafts. Experiences include face painting, a gem sluice, children’s games, henna, and axe throwing.

The festival also sells official 2026 South Carolina Bigfoot Festival merchandise. If you’re looking specifically for the official festival shirt rather than general Sasquatch merchandise, check the festival’s merchandise area.

Where to Park for the South Carolina Bigfoot Festival

Parking is spread around downtown rather than concentrated in one giant festival lot. Organizers direct general parking to businesses along Main Street (Highway 123 through Westminster), Windsor Street, and nearby side streets.

Accessible parking is currently listed at 300 E. Main Street (Blue Ridge Bank), 200 West Windsor Street, and 306 East Windsor Street (Dogwood State Bank). The organizers ask visitors using the bank lots not to block ATMs or night-deposit lanes.

If you are unfamiliar with Westminster, give yourself extra time. A street festival changes normal traffic patterns, and parking several blocks away isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Once you are parked, most of what you came to see is concentrated in the downtown festival area.

Where Are the ATMs?

Even if you normally pay for everything by card, carrying a little cash at a street festival is useful. The festival lists ATMs at Blue Ridge Bank (200 West Windsor Street), Dogwood State Bank (306 East Windsor Street), and Oconee Federal Bank (111 West Windsor Street).

Can You Bring Your Dog?

No, unless it is a service animal. Festival organizers specifically ask visitors to leave pets at home. That applies to dogs and other pets, not simply large or potentially disruptive animals.

The festival also prohibits coolers, glass containers, and smoking. Alcohol is limited to designated areas. Restrooms, handwashing stations, and hand sanitizer are scheduled to be available.

What Should You Bring?

Comfortable shoes should be near the top of the list. You may spend several hours walking between vendors, speakers, contests, food, parking, and other activities. October weather in the Upstate can also change considerably between morning and evening, so layers are more useful than dressing for one temperature.

A small amount of cash is helpful even if you plan to use cards. Bring a charged phone, but don’t spend the entire festival looking at it. Downtown Westminster becomes unusual enough during Bigfoot weekend that simply walking around and seeing what you stumble across is part of the experience.

Make a Weekend Out of the Bigfoot Festival

This is where Westminster has an advantage over a festival held in an ordinary suburban setting. You are already in western Oconee County, close to waterfalls, mountain roads, historic sites, rivers, lakes, and some of the wildest terrain in South Carolina.

If you are coming from Greenville, Anderson, Clemson, Pickens, or farther away, consider staying long enough to explore instead of driving to Westminster, walking the festival, and heading home right away.

Visit Stumphouse Tunnel and Issaqueena Falls

If Bigfoot has put you in the mood for dark woods and unusual stories, Stumphouse Mountain is an obvious weekend addition. Stumphouse Tunnel is the unfinished remains of an ambitious 1850s railroad project that attempted to carve a route through the Blue Ridge Mountains. Nearby Issaqueena Falls offers one of the area’s best combinations of an easily accessible waterfall and genuinely fascinating local history.

The history is much deeper than most visitors realize. A railroad community called Tunnel Hill once stood above Stumphouse Tunnel, populated by workers and families connected to the enormous construction project. Read the story in our article on the lost town of Tunnel Hill.

Issaqueena Falls also once powered machinery associated with a black-powder mill that supplied explosives for railroad construction. Our research into the forgotten powder mill at Issaqueena Falls traces that surprisingly industrial chapter of a place that now looks entirely natural.

And yes, Stumphouse has accumulated its share of ghost stories and strange tales. In our guide to Upstate South Carolina folklore, we separate the documented history from the folklore.

Go Waterfall Hunting

Westminster is also a good starting point for exploring waterfalls around Oconee County. Chau Ram County Park, Brasstown Falls, Yellow Branch Falls, and Issaqueena Falls are a few options in the surrounding region.

Do not try to cram five waterfalls into the same afternoon just because they look close together on a map. Pick one or two that fit the amount of hiking you actually want to do. Our Upstate waterfall guide is designed to help you choose based on the type of outing rather than simply giving you another giant list.

Drive Highway 11

If you would rather spend Sunday exploring from the car, Westminster sits near the western end of one of South Carolina’s best scenic roads. The Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway runs through Oconee and Pickens counties and offers access to Stumphouse Tunnel, Issaqueena Falls, Oconee State Park, Lake Keowee, Lake Jocassee, Devils Fork State Park, Table Rock, and many other mountain destinations.

October 9 and 10 are generally a little early for peak fall color in the lower foothills, but the drive is still worthwhile. If leaves are part of your reason for visiting, our 2026 Upstate fall color forecast explains how color normally moves from the higher elevations into the foothills later in October.

Sunday Does Not Completely End the Festival

The Main Street portion wraps up Saturday evening, but Bigfoot Brawl Baseball and Bigfoot Bash Softball continue Sunday, October 11, beginning at 10 a.m. at Horton Outdoor Recreational Facility.

If you are staying through Sunday, this gives you another option before heading home. You can also use Sunday as your mountain day, especially if Friday and Saturday were spent mostly downtown.

Where to Stay

The official festival site recommends several lodging and camping options around the region, including Chau Ram County Park, Magnolia Manor, Wildwater Chattooga, Chattooga River Lodge and Campground, Anderson/Lake Hartwell KOA, Lake Hartwell State Park, and South Cove County Park.

Where you should stay depends on what you want to do besides the festival. If you want waterfalls, the Chattooga River, and the mountains, staying west or northwest of Westminster may make sense. If Clemson, Lake Keowee, or access to I-85 matters more, staying farther south or east may be more convenient.

Is the South Carolina Bigfoot Festival Good for Kids?

Yes. The organizers present the festival as a family event, and the schedule includes children’s activities, a kids’ costume contest, kids’ calling contest, kids’ tree-knock contest, games, face painting, and more.

Parents should still expect a busy street festival rather than a contained children’s attraction. Comfortable shoes, a meeting point for older children, and keeping younger kids close in crowded areas are sensible precautions.

What About the Sasquatch Stroll?

The festival also has a Sasquatch Stroll associated with the weekend. However, the organizer’s current Stroll page contains a date inconsistency, listing “Friday, October 10th” even though October 10, 2026 falls on Saturday, and the main festival schedule identifies Friday as October 9.

Because of that conflict, check the official festival information before planning your arrival around the Stroll. This is exactly the kind of last-minute detail worth confirming directly with the organizers rather than relying on an older social-media post or copied event listing.

South Carolina Bigfoot Festival FAQs

These are some of the most useful questions to answer before heading to Westminster. Click a question to open the answer.

When is the South Carolina Bigfoot Festival 2026?

The main South Carolina Bigfoot Festival takes place Friday, October 9 and Saturday, October 10, 2026, in downtown Westminster. A festival-related movie is scheduled Thursday evening, and Bigfoot Brawl Baseball and Bigfoot Bash Softball continue Sunday.

Is the South Carolina Bigfoot Festival free?

Yes. Admission to the main street festival is free. Bring money for food, drinks, merchandise, and anything else you want to purchase from vendors.

Where is the South Carolina Bigfoot Festival?

The festival takes place along Main Street in downtown Westminster, South Carolina, in Oconee County. Westminster is west of Clemson and not far from Walhalla, the Chattooga River area, and the western portion of the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway.

Where do I park for the South Carolina Bigfoot Festival?

General parking is available at various businesses along Main Street, Windsor Street, and surrounding side streets. Accessible parking is listed at 300 E. Main Street, Blue Ridge Bank at 200 West Windsor Street, and Dogwood State Bank at 306 East Windsor Street. Follow festival signs and current instructions when you arrive.

Are dogs allowed at the Bigfoot Festival?

No. Organizers ask visitors to leave pets at home. Service animals are welcome.

Is the South Carolina Bigfoot Festival family friendly?

Yes. Children’s activities run during both main festival days, and the schedule includes kid-focused costume, calling, and tree-knock contests. Families can also enjoy vendors, food, music, and the other activities throughout downtown.

Do I have to believe in Bigfoot to enjoy the festival?

Not at all. Bigfoot enthusiasts will obviously find plenty to enjoy, but the festival is also a street festival with food, crafts, live music, contests, children’s activities, and some of the best people-watching you are likely to find at an Upstate fall event.

What else can I do near Westminster?

Westminster is close to Walhalla, Stumphouse Tunnel, Issaqueena Falls, Chau Ram County Park, the Chattooga River area, Sumter National Forest, Lake Keowee, Lake Jocassee, and Highway 11. Start with our complete Highway 11 guide or our 2026 Upstate Fall Bucket List if you want to turn the festival into a larger weekend trip.

Where can I find last-minute festival updates?

Check the official South Carolina Bigfoot Festival website before your trip. The schedule is subject to change because of weather and other unforeseen circumstances.

Is the South Carolina Bigfoot Festival Worth the Trip?

The South Carolina Bigfoot Festival works because you don’t have to decide whether Bigfoot is real before you arrive. You can take researchers seriously, laugh your way through a calling contest, buy a Sasquatch souvenir, eat festival food, listen to a band, and watch downtown Westminster transform for a weekend.

It also happens in exactly the right part of South Carolina. Beyond Main Street, forests, rivers, waterfalls, old railroad tunnels, mountain roads, and enough local folklore keep the Bigfoot conversation going long after the festival booths close.

If you are already making the drive, give Westminster and Oconee County more than a couple of hours. Explore downtown, choose a waterfall, visit Stumphouse Tunnel, follow part of Highway 11, or dig into some of the area’s stranger stories in our Upstate folklore guide.

You may not find Bigfoot while you are here, but during the second weekend of October, you probably will not have to look very hard.