Argentina’s famed UFO festival is out of this world

Argentina’s famed UFO festival is out of this world

The weekend festival in Cordoba province included a parade of neon lights with Star Wars characters, an alien costume contest and shops selling green stuffed aliens with bulging eyes next to hooded ETs from the 1982 film.

Some also attended workshops on everything extraterrestrial held near a local hill that is the site of a purported UFO sighting 30 years ago. The incident reputedly left a large burning mark on the hill’s grass.

The sighting also left a mark in the economy of the town, which has flourished with its alien tourism.

“People come here for the energy, for the UFO sightings,” said Leonardo Fuentes, a visitor from Chile. “So it’s not just tourism but more about all that you can see.”

The festival, now in its fourth year, has become popular among alien enthusiasts worldwide, but some locals are concerned about its fast growth.

“The festival is fun, but it can also generate a lack of seriousness toward the issue,” said Luz Mary Lopez, who heads the UFO Investigation Center in Capilla del Monte.

Her late husband made the investigation of the town’s UFO sightings his life’s work. Lopez has continued this by offering talks on the events of January 9, 1986, when a local boy saw what many believe to be an alien spaceship. She also has been asking authorities to go beyond tourism to develop the town as a scientific and spiritual hub.

One of the most visited sites during the weekend festival was the nearby Uritorco hill. Known as Argentina’s “magic mountain”, it is sought after by star-gazers, seekers of its “special source of energy” credited for the UFO sightings, and even those who believe it is a door to other dimensions.

Image credit: iStock

Latest News

  • Destinations
  • News

APT Launches 2025 Asia Adventures

APT has launched its Asia Adventures for 2025, including new luxury holidays in India, Sri Lanka and Japan. Five new tours lead guests to the highlights of India, including a seven-night cruise along the rarely travelled Lower Ganges aboard the Ganges Voyager. Further south, Sri Lanka’s greatest destinations are revealed on a new 15-day Land […]

  • Cruise
  • Luxury
  • News

Seabourn announces Western Kimberley Traditional Owners as Godparents of Seabourn Pursuit

Seabourn has named Western Kimberley Traditional Owners, the Wunambal Gaambera, as Godparents of the ultra-luxury purpose-built Seabourn Pursuit. It is the first cruise line to appoint Traditional Owners as godparents of a ship. Seabourn Pursuit embarks on its inaugural season in the Kimberley region this June. The naming ceremony will take place on Seabourn Pursuit’s […]

  • Luxury

Malolo Island Resort opens brand new Spa

Fiji’s Malolo Island has added another string to its bow – opening its $1.3 million day spa on Thursday, 18th April 2024. (Lead Image: matriarch Rosie Whitton with spa staff) Located at the edge of the resort’s luscious patch of tropical rainforest, the new “Leilani’s Spa” adds another level of elevated experiences to Malolo’s already […]