Carbondalien Festival 2026 promises to deliver an out-of-this world experience
Carbondale, Pennsylvania is a small city located about 20 minutes north of Scranton and about two and a half hours from Philadelphia. Like much of northeastern, Pennsylvania, Carbondale is largely known for its coal mining history. However, it also has its own UFO incident that dates back to 1974.
According to regional folklore, on the evening of November 9, 1974, witnesses in Carbondale reported seeing a bright, tube-like object with red and green lights streak across the sky. It then allegedly plunged into a pond near Russell Park. The pond reportedly glowed for hours, drawing more spectators, local police, and investigations. However, authorities eventually stated the object was a hoax or item that fell into the pond, specifically an old, battery-powered railroad lantern.
While the official explanation, or something close to it, is probably true, that hasn't stopped Carbondale from acknowledging that strange and unusual part of its history, to the point they have an annual festival downtown, Carbondalien.
This year's Carbondalien Festival will primarily be held on November 7 from 11 am-5 pm, and it'll feature several speakers, a large vendor fair, and other events. There will also be a few kick-off festivities on Friday, November 6.
The Carbondalien Festival has a line-up of paranormal speakers
One highlight of this year's Carbondalien Festival is the number of speakers. These discussions will kick off at 11 am and will be held at The Hotel Anthracite. Most of this year's topics are alien-specific, such as UFO cover-ups and first contact. Here's a full list of the speakers and topics:
11:00 AM | Ryan Goeckner & Chris Daley | Preparing for First Contact: The Human Side of Alien Encounters
12:15 PM | Joseph Biscotto | The Modern UFO Coverup: How Social Media became the new Battlefield for Disclosure
1:30 PM | Dr. Jim Segala | The Medical Effects of Human Contact of UAPs: Clinical Data and Ongoing Global Research and analysis of protocols from CE5 events
3:00 PM | Jim Krug | Aliens on Mars
4:00 PM | Eric Mintel | NEPA Paranormal Connections
The best part is that the speaker series is free.
The Carbondalien Festival will host a cosmic light parade, an experience tour, and more
Besides the speaker series, the Carbonalien Festival has several more events planned, including the Cosmic Light Parade on Friday, November 6 at 6:30 pm at the PNC Bank Parking Lot on S. Main Street. Saturday includes several events, such as The Landing Pod Vendor Marketplace, live entertainment, and the Russell Park Experience, which does require tickets. The Russell Park Experience includes a 1970s-themed outdoor museum, characters, and more.
For a full list of events, visit the festival's website. This is also where to purchase tickets for the Russell Park Experience. Most of the other events are free.
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