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 6/22 – 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.
“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