The schedule for the 2025 Beast Fest.
TIME TO BE VERY AFRAID
It’s that time of year again - to be afraid and look to the hills on the outskirts of Bladenboro for the legendary beast that may still be on the loose. So big of a head, they say, that it could fit a man’s head in it’s mouth.
Last year the Dublin Peanut Princesses encountered the Beast of Bladenboro and had their picture taken with him. Supposedly they calmed him down with multiple bags of peanuts.
There is something for all ages at the 18th annual Beast Fest in Bladenboro, North Carolina. Pictured above is just a sample of the local talent that will be taking the stage for the upcoming weekend.
There will be a costume contest at Beast Fest this year at 4 p.m. on Saturday. There will some scary competition.
New this year at Beast Fest is a classic car show at the four corners. Lots of color, chrome and vroom coming at the end of this week.
BLADENBORO – It’s that time of year to be in Bladenboro, North Carolina… to be afraid… to be very afraid as nobody knows whether one of these years – the beast will return.
The thing everyone knows is that Oct. 24 – 25 there is no better place to be than Bladenboro. From live bands (Thomas Road Band – Friday night and The Catalinas – Saturday night) to cornhole tournaments, to costume contests – to an overabundance of food and vendors and downtown shopping. Also this year right at the four corners will be a massive car show.
In Bladen County, there are some quaint little communities.
One of those being Bladenboro with approximately 1600 people. The community has had its share of adversity of late with flooding, rebuilding and then more flooding, but the town has become stronger and more unified because of this. The term “town” should be renamed “family,” for that is a more accurate definition of those who live and work and raise their families there.
It is a town that knows how to roll up their sleeves and work together to create magical things. One of the most recent “magical events” that happens each October is an event they call “Beast Fest” named after a legendary and actual event that once upon a time transpired in that community.
According to boosttheboro.org, “In the small, southeastern community of Bladenboro, North Carolina, a series of vampire-like killings of pets and livestock was happening. The creature doing the killings was described by witnesses as a ‘large-like cat creature somewhere between 4 and 5 feet long.’ “Some said it resembled a bear—-Some claimed the creature’s cries sounded like a baby or a woman crying, but much louder. Whatever it was, it was very frightening to the community. So much so that the locals became afraid to leave their homes after dark. “Parties of armed men were organized. Over 700 hunters and trappers converged on the community of Bladenboro, vowing to either hunt down and capture the vampire beast or better yet KILL THE CREATURE on-site.
“Sure, there are those who say this was all just a hoax, but many residents who lived in this small community during those years still claim this to be true. Either way, for over 65 years, the creature commonly referred to as “The Beast of Bladenboro” remains an unsolved mystery for the Town of Bladenboro and we may never know the truth.”
According to Rebecca Hester, Bladenboro pharmacist at The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy, back when the late Hiram Hester was president of Boost the Boro, the group was looking for creative ways to draw people to Bladenboro.
“The only thing that they had really been famous for, was back in the ‘50s when the beast of Bladenboro would suck the blood out of livestock and killing people’s pets,” she said. “People claim they saw this beast and people from all over the world came to try to find and hunt it. Legends and Lore came to town and put up a marker. (Legends & Lore Marker Program: [email protected]).”
There has even been a television special on the Beast of Bladenboro.
“This is our 18th year,” Hester said. “It’s just grown and grown and grown. It’s gotten bigger and better every year. I am on the committee and we will wait until after Christmas and then start up again, planning and meeting once a month until next October when we meet more each week.”
For updates and information, visit them at Beast Fest 2025 at:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1140007128036410/?post_id=1186196553417467&acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22surface%22%3A%22home%22%7D%2C%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22attachment_media%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22newsfeed%22%7D]%2C%22ref_notif_type%22%3Anull%7D
Mark DeLap is an award-winning journalist, photographer and the editor and general manager of the Bladen Journal. To see more of his bio, visit him at markdelap.com or email him. Send a message to: [email protected]