A Rundown of Napoleon Fest 2024, You Frickin’ Idiots!

The 2004 cult classic Napoleon Dynamite can be studied and analyzed as an Ancient Greek comedy, if Greece was established in spud county. Writer and Director Jared Hess spoke to a generation of young watchers, as we witnessed the small town misadventures of our titular high-school outcast protagonist. With characters depicting middle America and a setting that seems stuck between both past and present, Napoleon Dynamite is equally comforting and relatable with every watch. And after two decades, it’s about time to celebrate the film’s systematic success!

Napoleon Fest 2024 took place from July 26–27 in the dead center of its setting and primary filming location: Preston, Idaho. For two days in the blistering midsummer heat, the town’s State Street hosts an event of homegrown hospitality and family-friendly fun. I remember going to the festival one year after the movie became a global sensation. I was eight years old when Preston was booming with out of state travelers and locals, reciting their favorite lines of dialogue through a forced Jon Heder impression. My family and I got glamor shots, while I sported thrifted moon boots and a bleach-white “Vote for Pedro” shirt. The same excitement I experienced back then was the only driving force I needed to check it again. So I loaded up the Volvo wagon with scribbled depictions of mythical ligers, stashed a pocketful of tater tots and drove two hours north to do “whatever I feel like I’m going to do, Gosh!” 

Arriving at noon, I immediately feel overdressed for the occasion. There I was, standing in a pair of American flag parachute pants with a Stars and Stripes bandana to match, along with a black “Rex Kwon Do” tee.

Arriving at noon, I immediately feel overdressed for the occasion. There I was, standing in a pair of American flag parachute pants with a Stars and Stripes bandana to match, along with a black “Rex Kwon Do” tee. Although my patriotism is a lot more lax due to the current state of national and world issues, I will always pay homage to the true American hero, Rex. We start our mission at Olive + Jo, a corner store gift boutique that functions as the festival’s visitor center and main headquarters. Here you can pick up a self-guided map, along with stickers, magnets and any other Böhme-inspired gifts. From there, the entire festival is at your own devices. Pick up a secondhand prom dress and tuxedo at the world’s smallest Deseret Industries. Test your artistic ability with Liger-drawing and chapstick-making at Practikal Apothecary. If you’re feeling really adventurous, open wide for the tot-eating contest at Big J Burgers. 

I would say, however, that the real bulk of the event comes in the form of scouting out a walk-of-fame tour. With your complimentary map (depending on where you get it) and a tank of gas, you’re set for a backroad scavenger hunt for the major filming spots of the movie. These places would include Preston High School where Napoleon helped Pedro win his class presidency, Lamont Reservoir where Kip and LaFawnduh tied the knot, and of course Napoleon’s house. Sadly, Tina is no longer there…

Pick up a secondhand prom dress and tuxedo at the world’s smallest Deseret Industries. Test your artistic ability with Liger-drawing and chapstick-making at Practikal Apothecary.  

After returning to the Salt Lake Valley, slightly muddy from dirt paths and wishing to never see a potato again for a long while, was the festival truly worth it? The movie grips the aspect of glamorizing the mundane. The sleepy farming atmosphere of the town and its inhabitants, both on-screen and in-person, is just that. Nothing more, nothing less. There’s a type of beauty in this snapshot of everyday life that makes the story even more believable. Perhaps the Napoleon Dynamite fad has finally died out, leaving little less than a crowd of attendees or a rushed attempt to cash in on a 20-year anniversary. Whatever it may have been, Napoleon Fest 2024 could’ve been more exciting, but fun to get out nonetheless. Trust me when I say you know your event might be running out of things for attendees to do when one of your options is to go to the Bottoms Up liquor store. 

Read more coverage of local film events:
Western Skies: Toohoom-pai-ahv Premieres at Ofland Escalante
Utah Film Commission Celebrates a Century of Film in Utah