Illustration by Kourtney Zimmerman
Jeff Tarpley knows what he saw.
It was larger than he’d imagined—so large that he couldn’t believe his eyes. The line to enter the inaugural Natchitoches Louisiana Bigfoot Festival, held on Sept. 7, 2024, snaked out the front door of Natchitoches Event Center, wrapped around the building, and wound its way down the street. The enormous turnout made evening news broadcasts around the state.
When Tarpley woke up that morning, he and his business partners expected something like three hundred sasquatch enthusiasts to attend the festival. The actual turnout topped 2,500 guests, with attendees traveling to Natchitoches from as far away as Montana to spend the weekend listening to guest speakers, attending panel discussions, and swapping stories with fellow Bigfoot researchers, hunters, and believers.
“I think the reason why this thing has so much appeal is because just about everyone you meet either has a story (of encountering Bigfoot), or they know someone who’s got a story,” Tarpley said.
The 2026 Festival
The Third Annual Natchitoches Louisiana Bigfoot Festival will be held at Natchitoches Event Center, 9 am to 6 pm, on Saturday, September 5. Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for children twelve and under, and advance tickets are now for sale online. A link to purchase tickets can be found on the festival’s Facebook page.
As he finalized preparations for the upcoming event, Tarpley said that he was looking forward to reconnecting with friends and fellow “Squatchers” from around the country.
“I’m really optimistic about what’s happening this year,” he said.
He’s booked an interesting slate of guest speakers, vendor spaces are filling quickly, and local tourism boosters from the Mayor’s Office to the tourist bureau are throwing their support behind the event. Natchitoches Mayor Ronnie Williams even filmed a promo spot for the 2025 festival; the clip shows Williams in the woods, searching for Bigfoot.
Tarpley attributes the event’s warm reception in Natchitoches to a variety of factors, including the family-friendly nature of the event.
“It’s a kid-friendly day, we make sure of that,” he said. “It’s strictly a family-oriented, alcohol-free, fun time.”
Tarpley believes that interest in Bigfoot, as well as other cryptids like Louisiana’s legendary swamp monster, the Rougarou, is high in the Natchitoches region. With its proximity to the dense woods of Kisatchie National Forest and the piney hills of East Texas, Tarpley said, Natchitoches is in a prime spot to attract a lot of folks who are interested in Bigfoot. He added that he hopes to bring a Rougarou expert to a future edition of the festival.
“Not only are we known for having historical things like Bigfoot, but our town itself is historical. We’re the oldest town in the Louisiana Purchase, so Bigfoot more than likely stomped through Natchitoches before he visited any other city.”
—Ariana Rachal, Natchitoches Convention & Visitors Bureau
“There’s still so much space that’s never been touched by man,” he said. “How can we really know what’s out there?”
While Tarpley hasn’t personally seen Bigfoot, he and his friend believe that they heard “tree knocks” made by a sasquatch while hunting in Colorado’s San Juan National Forest in 2021. A self-described conservationist, he has taken part in several Bigfoot-hunting expeditions. He met the festival’s Featured Speaker for 2026, Jason Kenzie, during an expedition in Kisatchie National Forest.
Guest Speakers
(It's a Monster Lineup)
All of the guest speakers for this year’s Bigfoot Festival are prolific Bigfoot hunters. A self-described “real-life monster hunter,” Kenzie is the creator of Searching for Sasquatch, a long-running documentary series that investigates Bigfoot sightings across the country. Local Bigfoot researcher Jim Lansdale, co-founder of the Gulf Coast Bigfoot Research Organization, is one of the subjects of the streaming series, Killing Bigfoot. Robert Swain is the author of Arkansas Bigfoot: A Look at the Wildman in the Natural State and is recognized as one of Arkansas’s leading Bigfoot authorities. “Super” Dave Rogers is a Bigfoot researcher, expedition guide, and evangelist who refers to himself online as “the Bigfoot Preacher.”
Tarpley said that one of his favorite parts of the festival each year is showing his guest speakers around Louisiana’s oldest city. When they’re not presenting their research or participating in panel discussions, they typically get swept up in the charm of Front Street.
“They all love it,” he said. “They love the brick streets and the old feel of this town, and they always end up eating some great Louisiana food.”
A Big (Economic) Footprint
Whether or not you share in the belief that Bigfoot is real, the economic impact generated by thousands of Bigfoot enthusiasts is undeniable.
Ariana Rachal is the communications manager for the Natchitoches Convention and Visitors Bureau. She described the impact of the Bigfoot Festival as “huge,” and said that her office fields a steady stream of calls from travelers planning to visit for the festival.
“Ideally, we hope that people will make a weekend out of it,” Rachal said. “Whenever they’re not learning about Bigfoot, we hope they’ll take some time to check out some of our shops and restaurants.”
Rachal said that Natchitoches and Bigfoot go together naturally. Since Natchitoches is the oldest city in Louisiana, she said, it stands to reason that Natchitoches would have been the first city in Louisiana to be visited by the creature.
“Not only are we known for having historical things like Bigfoot, but our town itself is historical,” Rachal said. “We’re the oldest town in the Louisiana Purchase, so Bigfoot more than likely stomped through Natchitoches before he visited any other city.”
Who knows? Maybe Natchitoches will someday be as well-known for its annual Bigfoot Festival as it is for Christmas lights and meat pies. Rachal said that she could see the event continuing to grow and reach new audiences. She agreed with Tarpley that what makes the subject so exciting is that so many people have a story about Bigfoot.
“It’s something that we all grew up hearing stories about,” she said. “That’s why it resonates with everyone so much.”
To learn more about the 2026 Natchitoches Louisiana Bigfoot Festival, and accommodation, dining, and attraction options in Natchitoches, visit natchitoches.com
