PHOENIX — In just a few days, thousands of people will flood the streets in Roswell, New Mexico for the annual UFO Festival to celebrate one of the most notorious UFO sightings to date.
Here in Arizona, there have been more than 3,000 recorded sightings since 1950.
Here are five of the most talked about sightings in Arizona:
5. The Rhodes Photos, July 7, 1947
A man named William Rhodes saw a disk circling above him in Phoenix. He took two photographs which are one of the first and best UFO pictures ever taken.
“That was the first Air Force investigation and it happened right here in Arizona," said Alejandro Rojas, who hosts Open Minds UFO Radio.
One day later, on July 8, the Roswell incident happened. Coincidence?
4. The Dreamy Draw UFO Crash October of 1947
Months after the Roswell Crash, witnesses reported seeing a 36-foot spacecraft crash near what is now the Dreamy Draw Dam.
The conspiracy theory is that the government built the 455-foot-long Dreamy Draw Dam in order to hide the wreckage.
“Really I think it’s more of an urban legend that’s been mixed up," said Rojas.
3. Marana Air Base Sighting April of 1952
Air Force instructors reported seeing a bright polished metallic object in the sky over the base. Pilots took off to get a better look but it quickly vanished. It was investigated by the Air Force in Project Blue Book.
2. The Travis Walton abduction
On November 5, 1975, while working with a logging crew in northern Arizona, Walton noticed a bright object in the distance. When he approached it, he says, he was hit by a light and his body lifted into the air. His colleagues left the scene and Walton was missing for five days before reappearing.
“Travis’ case really makes me scratch my head. I’ve gotten to know him very well. He’s a very credible person," said Rojas.
1. The Phoenix Lights
One of the largest mass UFO sightings in the world happened here in Phoenix on March 13, 1997. Glowing orbs in the shape of a V hovered over Arizona silently moving south.
Most recently, commercial airline pilots reported seeing a bright object thousands of feet above them while flying over southeastern Arizona.
Looks like Arizona, is the best place to celebrate World UFO Day.