Sasquatch sleuths, enthusiasts make tracks for B.C. Bigfoot town hall
Published 10:40 am Tuesday, September 15, 2026
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Hundreds of Sasquatch enthusiasts currently cruising the high seas will soon disembark in Victoria hungry to learn more about the creature’s connection to Vancouver Island.
Their search for answers will lead them to the Sngequ House Conference Centre in the grounds of the University of Victoria, where they will join Greater Victoria locals for the Victoria Bigfoot Town Hall.
The event brings together researchers and investigators for an evening of presentations, discussion and audience interaction.
“The world is a more interesting place when you think there might be a Bigfoot out there in it,” said Martin Pippin, one of the event organizers.
The town hall is being held as part of the Alaska Bigfoot Cruise, a round trip voyage from Seattle to Juneau, Alaska, that brings together some of the biggest names in the world of Sasquatch research and cryptozoology.
The Victoria panel includes Matt Pruitt, a researcher, author and producer with Bigfoot and Beyond; explorer, researcher and author Adam Davies; and Ryan “RPG” Golembeske, an original cast member of Expedition Bigfoot and producer of Finding Bigfoot.
Rounding out the lineup is retired Navajo Ranger and paranormal investigator Jonathan Dover, who has appeared on television shows including The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch, Ancient Aliens and Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries.
“It’ll be an opportunity in Victoria to have a group of guys of this kind of calibre in the Bigfoot world that you do not see in that area very often, so I do think it’ll be a fantastic night,” said Pippin.
After the presentation, attendees will have a chance to put their own experiences on the record – whether they’ve had a close encounter themselves or have simply inherited a family story that has grown a little hairier with each retelling.
Pippin hopes Greater Victoria residents will be willing to step forward and share what they know.
“Share, in some cases, the folklore that’s been passed down through their families – you know: ‘Grandpa did this and saw that,’” he says.
Alongside the owner of event production company Gather Up, Nikki Beaty, Pippin has been organizing Bigfoot-themed events since 2023. The events range from the Alaska Bigfoot Cruise, through to some of the world’s largest Sasquatch conferences in Florida and Tennessee, drawing thousands of enthusiasts.
While Pippin has never taken part in any Sasquatch research expeditions of his own, he says he doesn’t need physical evidence to convince him something is out there.
Through the many events he has been a part of, Pippin has had many one-on-one conversations with people too nervous or shy to share their experiences publicly.
He recalls one “big country guy” who told him of the terrifying moment he crossed paths with a huge, hair-covered creature while hunting on his family’s Tennessee property. Their eyes locked, the man froze, unable to move a muscle until the creature eventually turned and walked away.
The encounter left a lasting mark. The man told Pippin he could no longer return to the woods he had hunted his entire life without experiencing anxiety attacks.
“To stand in front of a giant of a young man, tears rolling out of his eyes as he tells that kind of story, I knew for an absolute fact, unequivocally, that at the very least he believes wholeheartedly that he saw a Sasquatch,” said Pippin.
The man’s story is one of dozens Pippin has heard over the years, leaving him convinced there is something out there.
“I’ve no idea exactly what it is, but there is something that is terrifying people; whether they’re doing it on purpose or not, it’s having that effect,” he says.
The Victoria Bigfoot Town Hall takes place Thursday, Sept. 17 at the Sngequ House Conference Centre. Doors open at 3 p.m. to allow guests time to connect and settle in before the featured speaker program begins. Tickets are $50.
For more information about the Victoria Bigfoot Town Hall, visit: gatherupevents.com/victoria-bigfoot-town-hall.
READ MORE: Finding Bigfoot: Greater Victoria research trio tracks Sasquatch on Island.