Marietta's Atherton Square Park will fill with camp chairs, warm drinks, and tales of Bigfoot and river monsters when Coffee, Campfires, and Cryptids returns on Friday, September 18, 2026, at 6 p.m. The free, family-friendly event asks attendees to bring their own seating and, as organizers put it, a sense of adventure, along with warm drinks to sip while listening to Georgia folklore under the stars.
The gathering is organized by the City of Marietta, Ga., Government as part of its ongoing series of free downtown pop-up events. According to the city, the evening will include vendors, s'mores, performers, crafts, and other activities centered on Bigfoot sightings reported in North Georgia and sea monster stories tied to Georgia’s Atlantic coast, particularly around Darien and McIntosh County. More details are available at mariettaparks.com.
Atherton Square Park sits at 4 Depot Street NE in downtown Marietta, according to Atlanta on the Cheap. Atlanta on the Cheap mentions an adult beverage within the city's designated Open Container District. The setting is in downtown Marietta.
A Lineup Built on Local Legends
This year's schedule includes Cryptid Trivia at 6 p.m., a costume contest at 7 p.m., and an 8 p.m. shadow puppet performance called “Cabinet of Curious Cryptids” from puppeteer Damon Young, along with a drop-in puppet-making workshop, per the City of Marietta's event listing. The listing names Young as the puppeteer. The storytelling curriculum stretches beyond Georgia's own creatures, touching on Florida's Skunk Ape, West Virginia's Mothman, and Algonquian Wendigo lore, Atlanta on the Cheap reports.
Georgia's own contribution to the cryptid canon is the Altamaha-ha, or “Altie,” a sturgeon-bodied, alligator-snouted creature said to inhabit the Altamaha River near Darien and other areas of McIntosh County. The legend traces back to Lower Muskogee Creek oral tradition and nineteenth-century accounts, according to Legends of America. The Altamaha River basin itself is one of the largest river basins in the country, second only to the Mississippi River, per the same source.
North Georgia's mountains carry their own cryptid reputation as a regional hub for Bigfoot sightings. The area is home to the 4,000-square-foot Expedition Bigfoot! The Sasquatch Museum complex in Cherry Log, Georgia, which houses the country's largest permanent display of genuine Bigfoot artifacts, according to Escape to Blue Ridge.
Local Businesses Join the Storytelling
Several downtown Marietta establishments are pitching in to support the festival. Cool Beans Coffee Roasters is an official event sponsor.
The Reading Attic, a mother-daughter-owned independent bookstore, is selling folklore-inspired books at the festival. The shop opened in June 2023 and was founded by Caroline Tillman and her mother, according to Voyage ATL Magazine. The Marietta History Center rounds out the local partnerships by presenting educational materials on regional lore.
How the Event Has Grown
Last year's edition was held on September 12, 2025. This year's return includes a shadow puppet performance and puppet-making workshop.
Coffee, Campfires, and Cryptids is part of the city's broader series of free downtown pop-up events. The event was held in 2025 and is scheduled to return in 2026.
