CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Two of West Virginia’s most famous legendary monsters will appear at the State Capitol Complex on October 29, when the West Virginia Department of Tourism hosts a free Halloween celebration featuring folklore, games, and activities for children.
Mothman and the Flatwoods Monster, whose reported appearances have become part of the state’s cultural identity and tourism industry, will greet visitors and pose for photographs during the Halloween Bash at the West Virginia Culture Center.
The event will take place Thursday, October 29, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the center’s Great Hall. Admission and parking are free.
Visitors can also participate in a cryptid scavenger hunt through the West Virginia State Museum, where children will search for images of legendary creatures hidden among the exhibits. Participants who find an icon will receive a prize.
Other activities include a six-hole Halloween-themed miniature golf course, craft stations, and storytelling sessions featuring West Virginia folklore.
West Virginia’s legendary monsters
The event draws on two of the state’s best-known mysteries, both of which have attracted international attention.
The Flatwoods Monster entered West Virginia folklore in September 1952, when Braxton County residents reported encountering a strange figure after observing a bright object in the sky. The incident attracted widespread newspaper coverage and eventually became one of America’s most recognizable alleged extraterrestrial encounters.
Today, the creature is celebrated in and around Flatwoods, where its distinctive appearance has inspired public displays, souvenirs, and tourism promotions.
Mothman emerged from a series of reported sightings around Point Pleasant beginning in November 1966. Witnesses described a large, winged figure with glowing red eyes. Popular culture later associated the accounts with the December 1967 collapse of the Silver Bridge, although no evidence establishes a connection between the sightings and the disaster.
Point Pleasant now celebrates the legend through the Mothman Museum, an annual festival, and a prominent downtown statue that draws visitors year-round.
Both creatures have become recognizable symbols of West Virginia’s unusual folklore, helping attract travelers interested in regional legends and unexplained phenomena.
Halloween activities at the Culture Center
The Department of Tourism is encouraging families to attend in costume, with prizes awarded for the best-dressed participants in three children’s age groups: preschool and younger, kindergarten through second grade, and third through fifth grade.
The celebration will also feature opportunities for children to make Halloween crafts and hear stories drawn from the state’s folklore traditions.
The West Virginia Culture Center is located on the State Capitol grounds in Charleston and houses the West Virginia State Museum, whose exhibits explore the state’s natural, cultural, and industrial history.
Free parking will be available in the Capitol Complex parking garage. The Halloween Bash is scheduled for Thursday, October 29, 2026, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, and the event is open to the public.
Explore more West Virginia monster legends
West Virginia’s legendary creatures extend far beyond Mothman and the Flatwoods Monster. Near Fairmont, a hunter reported a 1968 encounter with a strange, plant-like extraterrestrial that inspired the legend of the Vegetable Man, also known as Veggie Man. The creature allegedly communicated telepathically and drew blood through its fingertips.
The Monongahela River has its own legendary monster, the Ogua, described in historical accounts as an enormous amphibious creature that hunted deer along the riverbanks.
West Virginia Explorer has also examined how West Virginia’s cryptids became commercial attractions, inspiring festivals, museums, merchandise, and tourism campaigns throughout the Mountain State.