About MIBBB Fest
In June of 1947, the phenomenon known as the “men in black” launched with the Maury Island Incident. MIBBB Fest seeks to preserve the memory of one man’s amazing and tragic story, wrongfully kicked to the curb of history, by holding an annual festival that embraces history, mythology, and cameraderie.
Our Vision
An annual festival with global appeal, rooted in an extraordinary local history – the first encounter with the so-called Men in Black – that launched a worldwide pop culture juggernaut. The event that celebrates the real “start of it all.”
Our Mission
Headlined by the Original Men in Black Birthday Bash, our annual “black-and-white” community cosplay party MIBBB Fest events seek to share the true story of the 1947 “Summer of the Saucers,” the Maury Island Incident, the first encounter with iconic “the men in black,” and the tragic FBI investigation that followed.
Some say…
“Even the Men in Black need their day in the sun. And they’re getting it this week, in the place where those classic characters in UFO tales made their debut....”
— Alan Boyle, Geekwire
“‘Tongue-in-cheek’ fun at Des Moines' Men in Black Birthday Bash… grew out of a legitimate resentment that Roswell, New Mexico, got the lion's share of attention in UFO legend.”
— Christine Clarridge, Axios Seattle
“Men in Black Birthday Bash Fest Pays Homage to Maury Island's Freaky UFO History…. residents of Des Moines have taken this spooky history and run with it, celebrating the area's relationship with aliens and shadowy government organizations.”
— Jas Keimig, South Seattle Emerald
“Des Moines has been Ground Zero for quirky historical incidents that have the potential to draw the curious, [our] unique history has untapped possibility for economic development...”
— Patrice Thorell, Des Moines Legacy Foundation