February 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting months for paranormal enthusiasts in recent memory. From major metaphysical expos exploring extraterrestrial contact to regional conferences diving deep into cryptid research, and from consciousness-raising gatherings to oddities markets selling genuine taxidermy and occult artifacts, next month offers an unprecedented variety of events for those drawn to the unexplained.
Whether you’re a seasoned investigator, a casual enthusiast, or simply curious about what lies beyond conventional understanding, February’s lineup provides opportunities to connect with like-minded seekers, learn from expert researchers, and acquire unique items you won’t find anywhere else.
Here’s your complete guide to the paranormal events happening across the United States this February.
Research Conferences: Where Evidence Meets Investigation
For those who prefer their paranormal pursuits grounded in research, evidence, and serious investigation, February offers several conferences featuring expert panels, case presentations, and folklore analysis.
Dead of Winter 2026 (27th Annual)
When: February 7, 2026
Where: Franklin Lodge, Alton, Illinois
What to Expect: Hosted by American Hauntings founder Troy Taylor, this long-running conference has built a reputation over 27 years as one of the most respected gatherings in paranormal research. While it touches on hauntings, the event functions primarily as a research conference exploring folklore, legends, and unexplained phenomena from a historical and investigative perspective.
Alton itself is steeped in strange history, making it an ideal location for those interested in the intersection of regional lore and documented paranormal activity. The Franklin Lodge venue provides an intimate setting where attendees can actually engage with speakers rather than watching from a distant auditorium seat.
Why Attend: The longevity of this event speaks volumes. A conference doesn’t survive 27 years without delivering consistent value to attendees. Expect serious researchers presenting documented cases, not sensationalized ghost stories.
More Information: americanhauntingsink.com/winter
Bucks County ParaCon (3rd Annual)
When: February 28, 2026
Where: Zlock Performing Arts Center, Newtown, Pennsylvania
What to Expect: A full-day conference exploring multiple aspects of the paranormal, with particular emphasis on cryptids and the science of paranormal investigation. While only in its third year, this event has quickly established itself as a comprehensive gathering covering diverse unexplained phenomena.
Pennsylvania has a rich history of cryptid sightings, from regional Bigfoot encounters to the infamous Thunderbirds reported across the state. The conference draws on this local heritage while maintaining a broader focus on investigation methodology and evidence analysis.
Why Attend: The Zlock Performing Arts Center provides professional facilities and excellent acoustics for speaker presentations. As a relatively new event, ParaCon tends to be more accessible and affordable than long-established conferences while still delivering quality content.
More Information: visitbuckscounty.com
Spooky Empire (Winter Edition)
When: February 7–8, 2026
Where: Charleston Area Convention Center, Charleston, South Carolina
What to Expect: While Spooky Empire is primarily known as a horror convention celebrating genre films, literature, and art, it has increasingly become a significant gathering point for paranormal investigators, cryptozoology researchers, and authors exploring unexplained phenomena.
The event attracts a unique crossover crowd where horror fiction fans mingle with serious paranormal researchers. This blend creates opportunities for conversations you won’t find at purely academic conferences or strictly entertainment-focused cons.
Why Attend: If you appreciate both the entertainment and research aspects of the paranormal, Spooky Empire offers the best of both worlds. You’ll find vendor tables selling cryptid-themed artwork alongside researchers presenting documented case files.
More Information: spookyempire.com
UFO, Consciousness & Metaphysical Expos: Exploring Cosmic Culture
For those interested in extraterrestrial contact, ancient alien theories, consciousness expansion, and the metaphysical dimensions of paranormal phenomena, February features several major expos.
Conscious Life Expo 2026
When: February 20–22, 2026 (Post-conference February 23)
Where: LAX Hilton, Los Angeles, California
What to Expect: This is the big one. Conscious Life Expo has established itself as one of the premier gatherings for what organizers call “Cosmic Culture”—the intersection of UFOlogy, consciousness studies, ancient mysteries, and metaphysical science.
The expo attracts world-renowned speakers who present on topics ranging from government UFO disclosure to channeled extraterrestrial messages, from ancient astronaut theories to consciousness-based healing modalities. Past events have featured hundreds of vendors, dozens of speakers, and thousands of attendees from around the world.
The vendor hall alone is worth the admission price, offering everything from orgone energy devices to rare books on ancient civilizations, from UFO documentaries to crystal healing tools you won’t find at mainstream retailers.
Why Attend: If you’re going to attend only one metaphysical event this year, this should be it. The caliber of speakers, the diversity of topics covered, and the sheer scale of the expo make it an unparalleled experience for anyone interested in the bigger questions of human existence and our place in the cosmos.
The post-conference on February 23 typically offers deeper dives into specific topics for those who want more than the overview presentations of the main event.
More Information: consciouslifeexpo.com
Holistic Health & Healing Expo
When: February 1, 2026
Where: Doubletree-Deerfield Beach, Deerfield Beach, Florida
What to Expect: While focused primarily on conscious living and holistic health, this expo features practitioners of energy healing, intuitive guidance, and spiritual discovery—many of whom work with clients on paranormal experiences and unexplained phenomena.
Energy healers who work with people experiencing supernatural encounters, intuitives who help clients understand psychic experiences, and spiritual guides who assist those processing contact experiences all gather at events like this.
Why Attend: If you’ve had a paranormal experience that’s affecting your well-being or you’re interested in developing your own intuitive abilities, this expo connects you with practitioners who take such experiences seriously and can offer guidance.
More Information: hhhexpo.com
SoulSearch San Francisco Enlightenment Expo
When: February 28 – March 1, 2026
Where: Holiday Inn San Francisco-Golden Gateway, San Francisco, California
What to Expect: Billed as a “high-vibration psychic and healing fair,” this expo emphasizes mediumship, spiritual guides, and metaphysical exploration. Attendees can receive readings from psychics and mediums, attend workshops on developing intuitive abilities, and explore vendor offerings focused on spiritual tools and resources.
San Francisco’s long history as a center for alternative spirituality and consciousness exploration makes it an ideal location for this type of gathering. The city’s open-minded culture means attendees come from diverse backgrounds, creating interesting conversations and connections.
Why Attend: For those interested in the psychic and mediumistic aspects of paranormal experience, this expo offers direct access to practitioners and teachers. Many attendees report having profound experiences at events like this.
More Information: soulsearch.io/sanfranciscoexpo
3rd Annual Jacksonville Holistic Wellness Expo
When: February 28, 2026
Where: UNF Adam Herbert University Center, Jacksonville, Florida
What to Expect: Featuring over 60 practitioners including a specific Q&A session with a health intuitive, this expo takes a comprehensive approach to holistic wellness that includes energetic and spiritual dimensions.
Health intuitives often work with clients experiencing unexplained phenomena—from sleep paralysis and entity encounters to strange physical symptoms following paranormal experiences. Their perspective offers insights that conventional medicine may overlook.
Why Attend: The university setting provides a more academic atmosphere than some metaphysical fairs, potentially attracting practitioners who bridge conventional and alternative approaches. The variety of 60+ practitioners ensures diverse perspectives and modalities.
More Information: jacksonvillebusinessconnections.com
Oddities Markets: Where Cryptid Culture Comes Alive
For those who prefer their paranormal pursuits with a side of taxidermy, vintage occult items, and genuinely weird artifacts, The Oddities & Curiosities Expo is making three February stops across the Southeast.
The Oddities & Curiosities Expo
What to Expect: Billed as the world’s largest traveling oddities event, this expo has become the primary hub for cryptid merchandise, unusual taxidermy, vintage medical curiosities, occult artifacts, and items that simply defy easy categorization.
Vendors offer everything from Bigfoot art and alleged hair samples to Mothman memorabilia, from antique spirit boards to ethically sourced bones and specimens. It’s part museum, part marketplace, part freak show—and entirely fascinating for those drawn to the strange and unusual.
The expo attracts a diverse crowd: collectors seeking specific pieces for their cabinets of curiosities, artists working in macabre media, paranormal investigators looking for divination tools, and curious folks who simply want to experience something genuinely weird.
Louisville, Kentucky: February 7–8, 2026
Charlotte, North Carolina: February 14–15, 2026
Atlanta, Georgia: February 21–22, 2026
Why Attend: You simply won’t find these items anywhere else. Mainstream retailers don’t stock genuine Victorian mourning jewelry, articulated bat skeletons, or hand-carved cryptid figurines. This is your chance to acquire truly unique pieces.
The event also serves as an educational experience. Many vendors are experts in their niches—whether that’s vintage taxidermy, occult history, or cryptozoology—and they’re typically happy to share their knowledge with genuinely interested attendees.
More Information: odditiesandcuriositiesexpo.com
Planning Your Paranormal February
With events spanning coast to coast and covering diverse aspects of the unexplained, February 2026 offers something for every type of paranormal enthusiast. Here are some factors to consider when planning your attendance:
Geographic Clusters: Notice that Florida hosts multiple events (Deerfield Beach on February 1, Jacksonville on February 28), making it possible to combine a paranormal road trip with some winter warmth. Similarly, the Oddities Expo’s Southeast tour (Louisville, Charlotte, Atlanta) could become a three-weekend adventure for dedicated collectors.
Topic Focus: Are you more interested in research and evidence (Dead of Winter, Bucks County ParaCon) or consciousness and metaphysics (Conscious Life Expo, SoulSearch)? Your answer determines which events align with your interests and goals.
Budget Considerations: Research conferences typically charge admission fees ranging from $30-100 for full-day events. Major expos like Conscious Life can run $50-150 for multi-day passes. Oddities markets usually charge $5-15 admission but require additional budget for purchases. Plan accordingly.
Networking Opportunities: All of these events offer chances to connect with like-minded people, but the nature of those connections varies. Research conferences tend to attract serious investigators and academics. Metaphysical expos draw spiritual seekers and consciousness explorers. Oddities markets bring together collectors, artists, and those who embrace the macabre aesthetic.
Speaker Access: Smaller events like Dead of Winter and Bucks County ParaCon often provide better opportunities for one-on-one conversations with speakers and researchers. Larger gatherings like Conscious Life Expo feature more prominent names but less personal access.
What These Events Reveal About the Paranormal Community
The diversity and scale of February 2026’s paranormal events reflect several important trends in how people engage with unexplained phenomena:
Mainstream Acceptance: The fact that these events can fill convention centers, attract hundreds of vendors, and draw thousands of attendees demonstrates that interest in the paranormal has moved well beyond fringe status. These are professionally organized events with significant budgets and serious participants.
Specialization: Notice how events cater to specific niches within the broader paranormal umbrella. There are UFO-focused gatherings, cryptid markets, consciousness expos, and research conferences. This specialization suggests the field has matured beyond generic “paranormal” events into more refined subcategories.
Cross-Pollination: Yet despite specialization, you’ll find UFO researchers at cryptid conferences, consciousness explorers at oddities markets, and ghost hunters at metaphysical expos. The paranormal community recognizes that these phenomena may be interconnected in ways we don’t yet fully understand.
Evidence and Experience: Some events emphasize documented evidence and rigorous investigation (research conferences) while others prioritize personal experience and spiritual insight (metaphysical expos). Both approaches have value, and many enthusiasts engage with both.
Community Building: Perhaps most importantly, these events serve as gathering places for people who often feel isolated in their interests. In mainstream society, discussing your UFO sighting or cryptid encounter might earn eye-rolls or worse. At these events, such experiences are the norm, creating spaces where people can share openly without fear of ridicule.
Making the Most of Your Event Experience
If you’re planning to attend any of these February events, consider these tips for maximizing your experience:
Arrive Early: Popular speakers fill rooms quickly, and the best vendor merchandise moves fast. Getting there when doors open gives you first access to both.
Bring Cash: While many vendors now accept cards, cash remains king at paranormal events. ATMs at convention centers often charge high fees, so come prepared.
Take Notes: You’ll encounter more information than you can possibly remember. Bring a notebook or use your phone to capture key points from presentations and note vendors you want to revisit.
Ask Questions: Speakers and vendors are typically passionate about their topics and enjoy engaging with genuinely interested attendees. Don’t be shy about asking for clarification or requesting recommendations.
Exchange Contact Information: Meet someone investigating similar phenomena? Connect on social media or exchange emails. The paranormal community thrives on these connections.
Document Your Experience: Take photos (where permitted), keep your ticket stubs, collect business cards from vendors. These events become part of your own paranormal journey.
Stay Skeptical but Open: Approach everything with healthy skepticism while remaining open to possibilities. Not every claim will withstand scrutiny, but dismissing everything ensures you’ll learn nothing.
The Bigger Picture
These February 2026 events represent just one month in a year-round calendar of paranormal gatherings across the United States and around the world. They’re part of a growing infrastructure that supports serious investigation, facilitates community building, and provides platforms for sharing experiences and evidence.
Whether you believe every cryptid sighting and UFO report or approach the paranormal with measured skepticism, these events offer value. They preserve folklore and regional legends. They create archives of eyewitness testimony. They connect researchers across geographical and disciplinary boundaries. They challenge us to question our assumptions about reality.
Most importantly, they remind us that the world still holds mysteries—that despite our technological advances and scientific progress, there remain phenomena we cannot fully explain, experiences that defy conventional understanding, and possibilities that stretch beyond our current knowledge.
February 2026 invites you to explore those mysteries, connect with fellow seekers, and perhaps discover something that changes how you view the world.
Planning to attend any of these events? Have you been to previous years’ conferences or expos? We’d love to hear about your experiences. Send your reports to Reports@ParaRational.com
