‘You’ll see things’ at the 3rd annual Men in Black Birthday Bash on Saturday, June 22

“You’ll see things” at the third annual festival celebrating the anniversary of the world’s first encounter with the iconic Men in Black on Saturday, June 22, 2024 at the Quarterdeck in Des Moines.

The Men In Black Birthday Bash (MIBBB) is the main event of MIBBB Fest 2024.

Tickets are on sale now on Eventbrite. Tickets include music, light snacks, and an exclusively curated box of MIBBB swag.

The Birthday Bash features music by DJ MI2 playing a curated set of pop songs suited for the lovers of MIB mythology. A mysterious special guest will deliver the annual Warning (classified information only accessible to those in attendance.)

Partygoers come dressed as Men in Black or in other black-and-white attire.

MIBBB Fest commemorates the first recorded sighting of a Man in Black:

On June 22, 1947, a Tacoma man named Harold Dahl was visited by a man dressed in a black suit and fedora the day after Dahl allegedly saw six UFOs over Puget Sound. Known as the Maury Island Incident, the encounter was the first UFO sighting during the Summer of the Saucers, when thousands of UFO incidents were reported worldwide.

Photos by Sean Puno.

The encounter inspired the award-winning film The Maury Island Incident, written by local historian and MIBBB Fest co-founder Steve Edmiston, directed by Scott Schaefer and executive produced by John White.

“Our local connection to Men In Black lore has captured the attention of thousands of UFO aficionados and publications and was even recognized by our Washington State Senate in Resolution 8648,” Edmiston added. “But not many locals are aware that MIB mythology originated right here in our backyard. MIBBB Fest is our chance to celebrate this quirky bit of local history.”

Tickets Available Now

This year’s MIBBB Fest includes a Film + Dance Party featuring Boots! on Friday, June 21.

Tickets for all MIBBB Fest events are on sale now at EventBrite.

For more information:

• Visit MIBBB Fest website
• Follow MIBBB on Facebook
• Follow MIBBB on Instagram

About Steve Edmiston

Steve is an appointee to the Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau, and has keynoted the Washington State Historical Society, Smith Tower Rumrunners Club, McMenamin’s History Pubs, conferences, festivals, historical societies, and business groups. He is also a business, entertainment, and IP attorney, and independent film screenwriter/producer. He is credited with four feature films (including Lifetime’s Crimes of the Past). His award-winning shorts include The Maury Island Incident, The Day My Parents Became Cool, and Thr33.

Learn more about Steve Edmiston here.