Owensboro has been selected to host GeoWoodstock XIX, the world’s largest geocaching event, over the 2023 Memorial Day Weekend. The international event will draw thousands of participants for a treasure-hunt-like outdoor activity on May 22-28.
“To understand the significance of this event for Owensboro and the great achievement by Visit Owensboro in securing it, you need to look no further than some of the previous cities that hosted it,” said Hank Phillips, Kentucky Travel Industry President.
Those include Nashville, Jacksonville, Dallas, Raleigh, Denver, Seattle, and Vancouver.
“Being awarded GeoWoodstock is a big-time achievement and puts Owensboro on a national stage,” said Mark Calitri, Visit Owensboro President & CEO. “The bid process was extremely competitive and involved over 4 years of hard work to earn the business. Our team stayed after it and never gave up.”
Geocaching is a recreational activity where participants use their GPS mobile devices to search for “geocaches” — or hidden containers — throughout the city.
GeoWoodstock began in 2003, when Tennessee geocacher Joe “JoGPS” Armstrong wanted to host an event “that would bring together the top cachers of the time from all over the country in one place.” Louisville was chosen as the site for the inaugural GeoWoodstock. The event quickly gained international status and has continued to grow.
“We are thrilled to have the geocaching world converge in Owensboro for their Woodstock 2023 convention,” said Tim Ross, City of Owensboro Public Events Director. “It will be the largest convention group ever in Owensboro and will definitely have a significant impact with our local businesses during the Memorial Day weekend.”
