In the American Southwest, a small town exists not unlike your very own. It has a mayor, a town square, libraries and even its own community college. The citizens are loyal to their town, as well as its many supernatural inhabitants and occurrences.

Cecil Palmer is the host of Night Vale Community Radio and the main reporter of Night Vale’s eerie daily events and visitors. With hooded figures in the dog park, the glowing cloud that now resides on the school board, and the floating cat that lives in the radio studio, Night Vale is one of America’s most interesting and disturbing towns.

Night Vale is, of course, the fictional town from “Welcome to Night Vale,” a podcast created in 2012 by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. Its concept is similar to Orson Welles’ first-hand reporting of “War of the Worlds.” “Welcome to Night Vale” is presented as a community radio station for the titular town. 

It is undoubtedly unique, with Fink stating that he “came up with this idea of a town in that desert where all conspiracy theories were real, and we would just go from there with that understood.” The writing features lots of dry, witty humor to keep the listener well-entertained.

In 2013, the “Night Vale” team began taking the show on the road. Since its inception in 2012, the show has garnered thousands of fans, and several other tours followed. Now that group gatherings are becoming more frequent, “Night Vale” has restarted its world tour for 2022. Although the live shows are mostly catered to loyal listeners of the program, the performances can be enjoyed by first-time Night Vale visitors.

The team behind the podcast has gone on to write books, as well as create new, fictional stories to enjoy. “Alice Isn’t Dead” recounts a woman’s experience of cross-country trucking, as she tells her story to anyone who will listen on CB radio. It turns out that her new trucking career is to find her deceased wife, Alice, who she randomly spotted on the news. It makes for wonderful road trip entertainment.

“Night Vale” is coming to San Diego. The production will take place on Thursday, May 5, at the North Park Observatory starting at 7 p.m. Take a vacation to Night Vale; experience the weird and wonderful for yourself.