Ogden's Big Lebowski Fest

The OriginA few years before it became an annual tradition, Ryan McDonald and a group of friends threw a small watch party to celebrate "The Big Lebowski" being released on Blu-ray — dressing up as characters from the film. "The whole time we're doing it, we're thinking, 'We gotta have a Lebowski fest in Ogden,'" McDonald later told the Standard-Examiner. Shortly after, he joined the board of the Egyptian Theatre Foundation, and the first thing out of his mouth was that the theater needed to host one.

2015 — Second AnnualBy its second year, the festival had settled into its format: bowling at Fat Cats, a costume contest, an 8 p.m. screening of the film at Peery's Egyptian Theater, and White Russians afterward at a nearby bar. The first year drew around 230 attendees — already ahead of the Egyptian's early "Rocky Horror Picture Show" nights, which have since become a sold-out annual staple in their own right.

2016 — Third AnnualAttendance climbed back up after a scheduling conflict with Salt Lake Comic Con had dented the second year's turnout. McDonald — self-described "el hosterino" of the event — estimated 30 to 40 people dressing up each year at that point, with more than 600 expressing interest online. South Ogden couple Jason and Kate White were already festival regulars by this point, both past winners of the costume contest; Jason would later become a founding member of New Ogden Cinema alongside Ryan.

Growing Into a TraditionYear after year, the festival kept returning to Peery's Egyptian Theater each fall, building a reputation as one of the only dedicated Big Lebowski festivals in the Mountain West — a costume contest, a packed theater quoting along with the film, and proceeds supporting the historic theater itself.

2025 — 11th AnnualA decade-plus in, the festival is now billed as New Ogden Cinema's own, with emcee Paddy Teglia describing it to Axios as "the Rocky Horror Picture Show for middle-aged stoners." The 2025 event drew a packed house of Dudes, Maudes, and Walters in costume for another sold-out night at the Egyptian.