Grafton Monster Festival

The Grafton Monster Festival is an annual celebration held in the City of Grafton that honors a strange local legend known as the Grafton Monster. The story began in 1964 when a TV reporter named Robert Cockrell claimed he saw a large, pale creature near the Tygart Valley River late at night. According to his description, the creature stood about seven to nine feet tall, had a bulky body, appeared to have no visible head, and made a strange whistling sound. Although no physical evidence of the creature has ever been found, the sighting became a well-known piece of West Virginia folklore. To celebrate this unusual legend, Grafton hosts the Grafton Monster Festival each year, usually in mid-June in the downtown area. The festival brings together locals and visitors for a variety of activities such as crafts and food vendors, monster-themed merchandise, costume contests, guest speakers discussing paranormal topics and cryptids, live music, and family-friendly entertainment. Inspired by the mystery and fun surrounding the legend, the festival has become a unique community event that both celebrates local culture and introduces newcomers to one of West Virginia’s most intriguing monster stories.