UFO Festival Events
Speaker Schedule
- Valerie Lofaso: The Exeter Incident: Seacoast Life in 1965, How to Be A Good Witness, and Why They Still Visit
Saturday, 8/30, 9:00 to 10:15am
In this presentation, we will look at what life was like in the Seacoast area during the incident at the end of 1965, the do’s and don'ts of being a credible witness to encounters in the age of social media, and a theory about why UFOs and ETs still visit to this day.
- Charles Foltz: The Allagash Abductions
Saturday, 8/30, 10:30 to 11:45am
One of the most famous and well-researched alien abduction cases of all time occurred in Maine's Allagash Wilderness in 1976. Charles Foltz was one of the four men impacted by this event. Learn about his experiences first-hand, as well as the impact it has had on his life to this day.
- Stephen Bassett: Disclosure: Where is the Congress and the Whitehouse
Saturday, 8/30, Noon to 1:15pm
Where is Congress and the Whitehouse as we are on the verge of a third major UAP hearing in September by the Task Force to Declassify Federal Secrets, Steve will provide the background and recent developments leading up to his hearing. Disclosure is still possible in 2025.
- Eric Mintel: Paranormal and the Connection to Everyday People
Saturday, 8/30, 2:00 to 3:15pm
Prepare to journey into the unknown with Eric Mintel, one of today’s most compelling paranormal investigators! In his electrifying talk, Eric Mintel Investigates the Paranormal and the Connection to Everyday People, Eric will reveal how strange and unexplainable phenomena often touch our lives in ways we least expect. From chilling ghost encounters to UFO sightings and mysterious cryptid activity, you’ll see exclusive, never-before-shared footage captured during his team’s most intense investigations. Don’t miss your chance to meet Eric in person, hear the real stories behind the mysteries, and get a signed copy of his thrilling new book—your ticket into a world where the impossible becomes possible!”
- Peter Robbins: The Graphics and the Classics: An Illustrated History of
the Golden Age of UFO Literature, Imagery, and Beyond
Saturday, 8/30, 3:30 to 5:00pm
Peter Robbins is best known for his work in the field of 0UFO/UAP studies. Not as well-known is his background as fine artist, photographer, and longtime fan of period
graphic design and book illustration, especially were UFO, science fiction, and space science illustration come together. In this unique presentation, Robbins combines his
lifelong love of art and design, his UFO related scholarship, and his decades as a book and ephemera collector to take us back to simpler time and the art which emblemized the
Golden Age of ufology as well as in the years that followed. Richly illustrated with images that range from the truly sublime to the genuinely ridiculous, the numerous and varied Cold War Era books and publications they’re drawn from referenced throughout. These and like images had a significant impact on America’s perceptions of and opinions about UFOs in the formative years of humanity’s growing relationship with the subject and should be regarded as such.
- Mike Stevens: The Coast with the Most
Sunday, 8/31, 9:15 to 10:30am
Who is the all star of American Ufology? Will the East Coast or West Coast prevail. Join us as we travel the through the timeline of cases to see which is the coast with the most and explore the possibilities from sea to shining sea.
- Jimmy Petonito: Tales from "Mr. Haunted"
Sunday, 8/31, 10:45am to Noon
In the late 80's. Jimmy started taking pictures and audio recordings in local cemeteries that were thought to be haunted. He became a part of the New England Society of Psychic Research (NESPR) team as a paranormal photographer. Jimmy also taught classes on the paranormal and ghost hunting for 10 years. Since then, he has earned the name, "Mr. Haunted." Jimmy has been investigating the unexplained for over 30 years, having investigated hundreds of homes and locations and has assisted in 49 exorcisms.
- Martin Willis: Encounters You’ve Never Heard—Until Now
Sunday, 8/31, 2:30 to 3:45pm
Join Martin Willis as he shares extraordinary, mostly unheard-of UFO encounters gathered during his travels—many told firsthand by the witnesses themselves. Hear about a bizarre experience along I-95 on the East Coast (do extraterrestrials enjoy ice cream?), a mysterious 1970s schoolyard encounter in South Africa where all sound suddenly vanished (not the Ariel School incident), a diver’s chilling close encounter with an intelligently controlled cube-shaped USO, and a dramatic sighting involving an Antiques Roadshow acquaintance who witnessed a box-shaped UFO explode into five glowing lights—plus many more captivating stories.
- Panel Discussion: Panel discussion and Q&A with our 2025 UFO Festival Speakers and Festival Close
Sunday, 8/31, 4:00 to 5:15
Saturday and Sunday Events:
- Town Hall Speaker Series (see the above schedule and Festival Speakers section for details): 8:45 am to 5:00 pm Saturday and Sunday. Speaker presentations take place on the first floor of the Exeter Town Hall. Price is $40/seat.
- UFO Festival Souvenir Shop: 8:30 am until 5:00 pm, outside Exeter Town Hall. Featuring T-shirts, Mugs, Tote Bags, Posters and more. All items are inscribed with the 2025 UFO Art drawn by the distinguished local artist Sam Paolini.
- Trends Gift Gallery, 85 Water Street: The same merchandise sold at the Festival is also available at Trends. Find out why everyone says "This is the BEST gift shop I've ever been in...The perfect Gift Shop for everyone on your gift list from children to grandparents!" Trends prides themselves on great prices and super friendly and knowledgeable customer service.
- Food & Refreshments: Coffee - 8:30am to 10:00am; Food and Drinks (hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hotdogs, chips, cookies, drinks; 10:30am to 4:00pm (near the Gazebo, downtown Exeter). Most restaurants in Exeter will be open on Saturday and Sunday. Find out why Exeter NH offers the perfect "foodie" experience.
- Kids' Activities: lawn games, face painting, "UFO Crash Site" creations, gifts, free kids refreshments (Town Hall Common)
- Exeter Incident Site Trolleys (starting near Town Hall Common): $5/person. 9:00am to 3:30 pm for half-hour rides to the site of the Incident at Exeter in Kensington. Also other sites of interest in Exeter are pointed out. There are two trolleys running both Saturday and Sunday, and tickets are sold at the Trolley Station next to the Trolley Stop on Front Street. Get your tickets early. These rides sell out quickly!
- Historic Videos regarding the "Incident at Exeter" (Town Hall, second floor), Free. Video presentation is shown continuously on the second floor of the Town Hall from 9:00am to 4:00pm and is about 10-minutes long.
Saturday-only Events
- Exeter Police Department and Exeter Fire Department 2025 Patch sales: the Exeter Police Department sold their annually-updated patch on Saturday mornings, beginning at the opening of the Festival. All proceeds associated with these patch sales go to support Maple, the EPD comfort dog. These patches sold out very quickly in 2024. Beginning in 2024, the Exeter Fireman's Association offered patches, as well.
- Exeter Public Library, Perspectives Book Group: Time, 10am. The Martian Chronicles (by Ray Bradbury) book discussion with special facilitator Joshua Tepley. This program is free and open to the public. See https://www.exeterpl.org/_files/ugd/48fbf9_251d81bc71074220951153500c9b81f0.pdf?index=true.
- Alien Costume Contest: Free, Time: 12:00 Noon. The parade formed up on the sidewalk adjacent to the Town Hall Common park and proceed to the Town Bandstand (about 1/8th of a mile). There will be monitors to direct parade participants along the parade route.
- Alien Pet Contest: Free, Time: 12 Noon at the Town Hall Common park.
- Dance Party with Johnny B: Free, Saturday afternoon after the Parade (12:30pm-ish estimated time) in the Town Hall Common park. Rock 'til you drop with Johnny B.
- Jazz Pianist Concert with Eric Mintel: Free, Saturday, 8/30; 7:00pm to 8:00pm at the Congregational Church, 21 Front Street, downtown Exeter. Eric Mintel has played the piano all of his life. Career highlights include performances at the White House, Kennedy Center and United Nations. Come listen to Eric on Saturday evening at the Congregational Church. Eric was a featured guest on Marian McPartland’s award-winning program Piano Jazz on NPR and his music is regularly played on XM and Sirius radio. Jazz legend Dave Brubeck has said “As long as the music attracts dedicated young musicians like Eric Mintel, jazz will continue to thrive and progress as a voice of freedom”. Eric Mintel continues to thrill audiences of all ages and continues to connect with people all over the world.