These 7 West Virginia Towns Have The Most Unique Festivals
West Virginia brings to mind images of country highways that go on for miles, coal mines, and postcard-like scenes with the Appalachian Mountains in the backdrop. But the natural beauty of West Virginia is only surpassed by that of the people who work, live, and play in this land of mountain mystic. And West Virginians know how to celebrate their culture and history, as illustrated by these seven towns that host festivals you won't find anywhere else.
Berkeley Springs: Apple Butter Festival
Berkeley Springs' "Apple Butter Festival" centers on the traditional copper-kettle method of slow-cooking apple butter, a hands-on craft that brings out neighborhood cooks, local producers, and musicians every October. Visitors can watch as apple butter is stirred for hours in massive pots, sample homemade treats, and browse a crafts market filled with Appalachian goods. The setting, a historic spa town known for its mineral springs and artistic community, adds charm to the festivities. Combined with parades, contests, and the scent of simmering apples drifting through town, the event gives visitors an Appalachian cultural and cuisine experience that is distinctly Berkeley Springs.
Fayetteville: Bridge Day (New River Gorge)
Once a year, the New River Gorge Bridge in Fayetteville closes to traffic and becomes the stage for the world’s largest organized BASE-jumping event. "Bridge Day" is the only time locals and visitors can legally walk across the 3,030-foot arch and watch jumpers leap 876 feet into the gorge, while others rappel from the bridge or take part in guided catwalk tours. A rollicking street fair in town completes the celebration with vendors, live music, and local food. It’s high drama, high risk, and an event only Fayetteville would dare to host.
Point Pleasant: Mothman Festival
Point Pleasant turned an eerie 1966 cryptid sighting of the "Mothman" into one of America’s most eccentric cultural celebrations. Every September, fans of the paranormal flood into town for cosplay, guest speakers, and tours of the TNT area where the creature was allegedly seen. The Mothman Museum anchors the festival, filled with memorabilia, newspaper clippings, and fan art. Visitors pose with the shiny metal Mothman statue downtown before browsing themed vendors and enjoying live performances. Equal parts spooky and tongue-in-cheek, the Mothman Festival transforms local legend into a joyful, offbeat event found nowhere else in the country.
Kingwood (Preston County): Preston County Buckwheat Festival
Kingwood’s "Buckwheat Festival" started as a harvest homecoming in 1938 and is a living celebration of buckwheat cakes, traditional recipes, and Appalachian agrarian culture. It spans five days and features carnival rides and parades in addition to the delectable buckwheat cuisine. But the star attraction is the buckwheat pancakes served by the thousands, which are made from local flour using recipes passed down through generations. What makes the celebration unique is the single-crop focus, a festival built around buckwheat’s historical and cultural relevance in Kingwood and the community rituals (and recipes) that grew from it. The event even traces ties to agricultural exhibits at national fairs in its early years.
Elkins: Mountain State Forest Festival
Celebrated since 1930, Elkins’ "Mountain State Forest Festival" honors the state’s timber and conservation heritage. What began as a forestry fair has grown into a grand, weeklong event filled with parades, outdoor exhibits, and demonstrations of traditional woodcraft. Lumberjack competitions, chainsaw carving, and educational displays highlight the area’s long connection to the forest. The crowning of the Forest Queen and Royal Court adds a touch of pageantry, while artisans and musicians keep Appalachian culture alive throughout the city. Held each fall amid the brilliant mountain foliage, the festival blends environmental appreciation with small-town pageantry in a way uniquely Elkins. The festival’s blend of environment, working skills, and pageantry feels rooted in place, and not something transplanted from elsewhere.
Glenville: West Virginia State Folk Festival
Glenville hosts the "West Virginia State Folk Festival," one of the longest-running celebrations of traditional Appalachian culture. Founded in 1950, it preserves the mountain state’s music, crafts, and customs through workshops, storytelling, and handmade goods. Visitors can listen to fiddlers and banjo players in spontaneous jam sessions around the courthouse square or watch blacksmiths, quilters, and basket-makers demonstrate their skills. More than just a fair, the festival feels like a living museum, keeping alive the folk traditions that once defined daily life in the hills. Glenville’s friendly, down-home atmosphere turns heritage preservation into a joyous community gathering.
Milton: West Virginia Pumpkin Festival (Pumpkin Park)
Milton’s "Pumpkin Festival" grew from growers’ fairs into Pumpkin Park, a late-October celebration that foregrounds the pumpkin harvest with a petting zoo, educational exhibits, pumpkin displays, and agricultural pageantry tailored to the region. It is one of the largest festivals in the state and draws crowds of over 40,000 who want to participate in the harvest celebration dedicated to fall's favorite fruit. The festival’s emphasis on pumpkins as both craft and crop, plus its long local history, makes it feel like a harvest ritual that belongs uniquely to the area.
As you can gather from this list, West Virginia is not just a place to drive through on your way from Virginia to the North. It is its own destination. It is a place teeming with natural adventures on the open roads and in the welcoming woods. But, perhaps best of all, it is filled with many hospitable people who know how to have fun in the folk tradition in a way all of their own. Which festival is first on your list to check out?
