WEIRD TALES
FESTIVAL

Three improbable days in the desert

Weird
Tales
Festival

A gathering for the curious, the creative, and anyone who has ever looked up and wondered.

Explore the program Become a vendor
13–15
November
2026
Tecopa &
Shoshone,
California
Vintage poster for the Weird Tales Festival showing a flying saucer above a desert mountain, surrounded by colorful desert flora and creatures
STORYTELLING + OPEN MICFILM PREMIEREWONDERHUSSY + FRIENDSARTISTS + VENDORSFOOD
01 / The invitation

Come for the
strange. Stay
for the stories.

Somewhere between the hot springs and the stars, a small town gets gloriously weird. Spend a day with desert dwellers, tall-tale tellers, musicians, filmmakers, and fellow seekers, and come together for a good cause: supporting the Southern Inyo Fire Protection District.

02 / Field notes

Three days of odd delights

From Friday night to Sunday evening,
there is plenty to discover.

Film premiere / 6:00pm–10:00pm / Shoshone

Opening night

The world premiere of The Strange Case of Queho! Join Ted Faye, Wonderhussy, “The Beard of Knowledge,” and a handful of local legends on a red carpet patrolled by faux paparazzi. Munch and mingle before settling in to enjoy the film and a Q&A with the filmmaker.

Check-in is at the Shoshone Museum at 6:00pm.

Tickets are free; donations appreciated. Suggested donation: $20 per ticket. All proceeds go to SIFPD.

View Friday premiere Fri11/13World premiereSeats limitedGet your freetickets today!
Art, storytelling & vendors / 10:00am–8:00pm / Tecopa & Shoshone

Saturday’s Strangeness

Artesia Belle’s Storytelling Open Mic, Wonderhussy & Friends, SIFPD firefighters, the Temple of the Weird, the Bizarre Bazaar, food trucks, a dance party, watching for UFOs, and a second screening of The Strange Case of Queho at the Flower Building in Shoshone at 6:30pm (no reservations needed). All events are free.

View Saturday program
Field trips / Cathedral Canyon & beyond

Keep wandering

At 9:00am, walk beautiful Cathedral Canyon with Ted Faye and hear the history of a place woven into the Queho story. Meet at The Kit Fox Café in Tecopa. Free. Mine tours and UTV rides beckon all weekend, too.

View field trips
Poster for The Strange Case of Queho, featuring Ted Faye and Mark Hall-Patton
The Strange Case of Queho / World premiere
Friday, November 13 / 6:00pm–10:00pm / Shoshone

The legend
meets the evidence.

They called him Nevada’s deadliest killer. Nobody bothered to check. The Strange Case of Queho follows Ted Faye through archives, desert canyons, and the evidence behind one of southern Nevada’s most enduring legends.

Check in at the Shoshone Museum at 6:00pm and keep your eyes peeled: Ted Faye, Wonderhussy, Mark “The Beard of Knowledge” Hall-Patton, and a menagerie of local characters will be rambling about the exhibits and mingling on the grounds outside, ready to trade tall tales with anyone who wanders into their orbit. Pause on the red carpet while the faux paparazzi make you briefly, gloriously famous, then follow the music three doors south to the Flower Building, where the popcorn is popping and the premiere flickers to life. Afterward, fortify yourself with coffee and dessert and settle in for a Q&A with the filmmaker. Bring your strangest questions. Tickets are free; donations are appreciated, with a suggested $20 donation per ticket.

All proceeds go to SIFPD.

View Friday premiere Fri11/13World premiereSeats limitedGet your freetickets today!
Illustrated portrait of Artesia Belle broadcasting from the desert
Artesia Belle
Saturday, November 14 / 10:00am–5:00pm

Midday in the desert with Artesia Belle

You are invited to join Artesia as she hosts weird tale-tellers on stage in an open mic storytelling, music, and interviews experience from 10:00am–5:00pm to share your weird tale.

View Artesia Belle
Southern Inyo Fire Protection District crew with the FireCat truck
SIFPD / Small crew, mighty heart
Saturday, November 14 / 10:00am–5:00pm / Visit with SIFPD’s Firetrucks, Ambulances, and Crew

See the trucks. Meet the crew.

Come see our trucks and ambulances up close, and show your support for the people who look after our desert community.

Visit with SIFPD
Saturday / 10:00am–5:00pm / Temple of the Weird

The Temple of the Weird

When intentions and synchronicities meet for tea, they rendezvous at the Temple of the Weird.

Enter a dimensional paradox within the Mojave where the detritus of this reality finds meaning. This is your sneak peek at the place where the creatures of the hot springs leave their prayers. Join them for a sacred community conjuring built by local artists.

View Temple of the Weird
Saturday / 10:00am–6:00pm / Bizarre Bazaar

The Bizarre
Bazaar

Find a gift with a little desert magic.

Desert traders, artists, and artisans bring jewelry, clothing, gifts, and good things for people and pets.

View Bizarre Bazaar
Saturday / 12:00pm–5:00pm / YouTube meet & greet

Meet the Mojave video makers.

Wonderhussy Adventures, Tecopa Mines, Wandering Jeepsy, Pahrump Alien Guy, and Desertwaterer each document a different route into the strange, beautiful edges of the Mojave.

View YouTube meet & greet
Wonderhussy Adventures in a colorful feathered hat and beaded necklaces

Wonderhussy Adventures

Wonderhussy follows remote desert weirdness, from hot springs and ghost towns to abandoned mines and the stories they hold. Her adventures bring a sharp eye and a big-hearted sense of curiosity to the Mojave. She is a friend to her local firefighters and a longtime supporter of the people who keep this desert community safe.

Tecopa Mines public profile image

Tecopa Mines

Tecopa Mines goes beneath the surface with mine lore and close-up looks at the workings that make this corner of the desert uncanny.

Wandering Jeepsy public profile image

Wandering Jeepsy

Wandering Jeepsy brings an off-grid, overland perspective to remote roads, camps, and the unexpected communities along the way.

Pahrump Alien Guy profile image

Pahrump Alien Guy

Pahrump Alien Guy brings local UFO stories, skywatching, and southern Nevada’s unexplained horizons to the conversation.

Desertwaterer channel banner showing horses beside a pond

Desertwaterer

Desertwaterer finds the quiet, wild waterholes and open country where the desert keeps its secrets.

Saturday / 5:00pm–6:00pm / Between storytelling and the film

Twilight signals
in the desert sky.

After the daytime storytelling and before the night’s film screening, gather for a strange little concert, show off your weirdest dance moves, and come together to watch the twilight, desert-style.

The winning raffle ticket will be drawn, silent auction winners will be announced, and we’ll pause together to watch the sky for UFOs. Costumes are optional.

View twilight celebration
Poster for the second screening of The Strange Case of Queho
The Strange Case of Queho / Saturday screening
Saturday / 6:30pm–8:00pm / Flower Building, Shoshone

The strange signal returns.

From 6:30pm–8:00pm, The Strange Case of Queho returns for an encore screening inside the Flower Building in Shoshone, where the walls keep the desert chill out and the strangeness in. Seating is provided and no reservations are needed, so just wander in. Watch it with your friends, neighbors, and the weird people who make this place home.

View Saturday screening
Festival weekend / Field trips

Go farther into the Mojave.

Three ways past the edge of the map: a canyon walk with Ted Faye, a descent into Tecopa’s old mines, and a backcountry rumble with the wheel in your own hands.

View field trips
Weird Tales filmmaker Ted Faye, smiling in round glasses and a canvas field vest

Cathedral Canyon with Ted Faye

Sunday · 9:00am · Free

Wander beautiful Cathedral Canyon with Ted Faye as he digs deeper into its history and its place in the Queho story. Meet at The Kit Fox Café, then caravan out together.

Helmeted riders give a thumbs-up beside two side-by-side UTVs on a desert ridge

Mojave UTV Tours

Fri–Sun · Reserve ahead

Take the wheel and rattle into remote canyons and old mining country. Book at mojaveutvtours.com.

View full schedule
FAQ / Before you wander

Frequently asked
weirdness.

Are there accessible ways into the weird?

In both Shoshone and Tecopa, the ground is fairly level, though not always smooth.

Friday and Saturday night showings in Shoshone: Both screenings are in the Flower Building, which is accessible, as is the Shoshone Museum, where Friday’s premiere checks in. There’s no sidewalk between them, though, so Friday’s three-door journey is a bumpy roll over gravel. A public ADA restroom stands across the street from the Flower Building, and the Crowbar Café & Saloon has one too.

Saturday in Tecopa: Accessible parking and ADA-accessible toilets are available. Much of the festival is outdoors on dirt or gravel, so expect some uneven ground. The Temple of the Weird has a wheelchair ramp.

Can I bring my kids along for the strangeness?
Absolutely! There’s no programming just for kids, but children are welcome. Small explorers tend to fall under the spell of the firetrucks and ambulances, storytelling and music, the Bizarre Bazaar, the food trucks, and the never-ending watch for UFOs. Between adventures, there’s a modest playground across the street.
Can I bring my pet cryptid?
We welcome service animals. Every other beloved beast, from the family dog to the jackalope in your glovebox, will have to guard the homestead this time.
Any spirits in the refreshments?
Only the storytelling kind: alcohol is not permitted at the festival.
Can I drink the water?
Tempting, but no. The same mineral-rich water that makes our hot springs famous for soaking makes it unsuitable for drinking. Stay hydrated, carry your water bottles, and fill up with potable water by the gallon at the Tecopa Water Kiosk. Find it, and other earthly comforts, on the amenities map.
Is there Wi-Fi in the void?
Public Wi-Fi glows at and around the Temple of the Weird (the Community Center), though it may slow to a séance-like crawl as the crowd gathers. Private Wi-Fi will be provided to vendors and staff.
How do I stay in touch with the outside world?
The desert keeps its secrets, and its signal: there’s no cell service. Before you come, download the maps and load up your weirdest tunes for the drive. Need to phone home? A public payphone stands across the street from the WTF event.
Will you take cards? (Credit, not tarot.)
Often, yes, but the desert has its moods: spotty signals and thin infrastructure sometimes keep card readers from working. Cash is the safe bet, and there’s no ATM on site. The nearest one is about 8 miles north at Charles Brown General Store in Shoshone (open daily, 7:00am–8:30pm), and the amenities map shows the way.
04 / Make a plan

See you in
Tecopa.

01

Ted Faye’s The Strange Case of Queho World Premiere

Shoshone Museum
118 CA-127
Shoshone, CA 92384

Flower Building
Three doors south of the museum, just past the Sheriff’s Station

Friday, Nov. 13
Check-in at the Shoshone Museum: 6:00pm
Red carpet, special guests, premiere & Q&A: 6:00pm–10:00pm
Free tickets; donations appreciated. Suggested donation: $20 per ticket. All proceeds go to SIFPD. Reservations strongly encouraged.

Fri11/13World premiereSeats limitedGet your freetickets today! Open in maps
02

WTF Art,
Storytelling
& More

400 Tecopa Hot Springs Road
Tecopa Community Center
Tecopa, CA 92389
Event space generously donated by Tecopa Hot Springs & Campground in support of the SIFPD fundraiser.

Saturday, Nov. 14
Art, Storytelling & More
10:00am–8:00pm
Artesia Belle’s Storytelling Open Mic: 10:00am–5:00pm
Temple of the Weird: 10:00am–5:00pm
Wonderhussy & Friends: 12:00pm–5:00pm
Bizarre Bazaar: 10:00am–6:00pm
Visit with SIFPD’s Firetrucks: 10:00am–5:00pm
Twilight Weirdness: 5:00pm–6:00pm
Second Screening of The Strange Case of Queho at the Flower Building in Shoshone: 6:30pm–8:00pm (no reservations needed)

Open in maps
03

Bring a layer.
Bring a story.

Desert days are warm, nights are magic. Comfortable shoes recommended; costumes encouraged.

04

Plan your
visit.

Find directions, local lodging, dining, and travel tips for a weekend in Tecopa.

Visit Tecopa

Ready to get weird?

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