(NewsNation) — Alien enthusiasts are descending upon Roswell, New Mexico, for the annual UFO festival that has taken place for the past 76 years.
The event dates back to 1947, when the infamous Roswell incident took place. Military personnel announced they were in possession of a “flying disc” after a local rancher found strange debris on his land.
Decades later, conspiracy theorists claim that disc was a UFO and the government covered up the incident.
The festival is like Super Bowl week for the town, with a human invasion underway as people start showing up for the festival, which begins on Friday.
The event means at least $2 million in revenue for the town from the roughly 12,000 visitors who attend each year. This year, the food and fun are centered around far more serious discussions of UFOs and aliens in light of recent developments.
A Pentagon whistleblower, Dave Grusch, told NewsNation there is a secret government retrieval program that has collected debris he maintains do not not from this planet.
For decades, Roswell has been the epicenter for ufologists after the 1947 crash of what the government said was a high-altitude weather balloon. The incident sparked conspiracy theories due to evolving government explanations. Hoaxes, additional sightings and claims from those in Roswell and beyond have added to the mystery.
Now, Congress is set to hold UFO hearings after Grusch’s revelations. That’s brought new optimism for those hoping for explanations and answers. Officials in Roswell are thrilled by the new interest and enthusiasm.
“I think anytime that there are new stories about incidents or aliens or what happened a few weeks ago in Las Vegas, our phones start ringing, our internet traffic builds up,” said Juanita Jennings, public affairs specialist for Roswell. “I think there’s always this anticipation of, did something really happen in Roswell and are there really extraterrestrial beings?”
As visitors gather in Roswell to explore those questions, NewsNation will be hosting an hour-long UFO special at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday with exclusive new reporting from Brian Entin.