Huntsville Hamfest – Huntsville AL

The origins of the Huntsville Hamfest date back to August 1954 when the annual North Alabama Hamfest alternated between the communities of Huntsville, Decatur, and Florence. After a few years the Hamfest was held in Decatur in the odd numbered years and in Huntsville in the even numbered years. The Huntsville location was in the lobby of what was known as “The Mall”, located at the corner of University Drive and the Parkway, and was a one-day (Sunday) event with an outdoor flea market and a Saturday night banquet. Several ham organizations used upstairs rooms for meetings but there were no forums.

In 1980 the North Alabama Hamfest used the just-opened Von Braun Center. It was still a one-day event but now the Flea Market was indoors and there were much better facilities for meetings & forums. With the success of the 1980 event, in 1981 the North Alabama Hamfest became the Huntsville Hamfest, a two-day event with forums, meetings, and other activities on both days.