Squonkapalooza Festival Returns to Johnstown, Celebrating Pennsylvania's Legendary Squonk

Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is set to host the annual Squonkapalooza festival on August 2, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center in the Cambria City neighborhood.

This family-friendly event celebrates the Squonk, a mythical creature from Pennsylvania folklore known for its unique appearance and melancholic nature.

According to legend, the Squonk inhabits the hemlock forests of northern Pennsylvania, its misfitting skin covered in warts and moles, leading it to weep constantly over its appearance.

Festival co-founder and Johnstown native Joe Fogle expressed the event's mission: "We wanted to focus on this creature and just be like, 'Hey, he’s sad and ugly and pathetic and everyone calls him names, but we wanted to kind of celebrate him and celebrate this unique, weird creature.'"

Attendees can look forward to a variety of activities, including live music, art vendors, food stalls, guest speakers, and entertainers, all centered around cryptids and folklore.

One of the festival's highlights is the Squonk compliment contest, where participants share poems, stories, or anecdotes to uplift the Squonk's spirits.

Fogle noted, "People line up, and we’ll give the Squonk poems or stories or anecdotes about something or another that, you know, they wanna uplift the Squonk and be positive with him."

The festival aims to not only honor the Squonk but also to bring the community together in a celebration of Pennsylvania's rich folklore and unique cultural heritage.

For more information, visit the official Squonkapalooza website.