Street festivals are a fun thing - a whole section of a city is closed down for a giant social event full of strangers with common interests. Folks come together and strangers become friends. West Virginia has plenty of these types of festivals, and here are some of the best.

1. The West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival

This annual festival occurs every year on labor day weekend. The fairs offers Italian food, live entertainment and a pageant. It is located at 340 W Main St. in Clarksburg.

2. The Mothman Festival

This fair commemorates the appearance the Mothman, a cryptid that terrorized the town of Point Pleasant in the 60s. The fair has vendors, food, entertainment and bus tours of the TNT area where the mysterious creature apparently lived. The fair occurs every September in downtown Point Pleasant.

3. FestivALL

FestivALL is an annual fair in Charleston celebrating the arts. It features more than 600 artists, 80 events, 300 performances, and 35 venues. This summer fair is located at along the Kanawha River in the capital city.

4. Vandalia Gathering

This music festival features local performers, concerts, jam sessions, and contests. It is located at the capital complex on Capital St. in Charleston.

5. Greekfest

The festival features authentic Greek food by members of the St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Huntington. The event also feature vendors, live music, Greek dancers and a special section devoted entirely to handmade Greek pastries. All food is prepared fresh by members of the church. The festival occurs every September at 701 11th St.

6. Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival

Located in Wheeling, this is the second largest Italian festival in the U.S. They offer all the Italian food you can eat and even donate their proceeds into a trust that grants scholarships to college students in the surrounding area. The location of the festival has recently been relocated to the the city's waterfront.

7. Chilifest

Held every year in September, Chilifest offers chili of every variety you can imagine from roughly 20 different vendors. They also have a state chili competition, live music, and many children's activities, including inflatable bounce houses. The vendors themselves also compete for the people's choice award, presented to the first, second, and third place vendors that sell the most chili. The festival is located at Pullman Square Plaza on the 900 block of Third Ave.

8. West Virginia Hot Dog Festival

This festival was created by John Mandt, the fourth generation owner of Stewart's Hot Dogs, the first restaurant in Huntington. Vendors from all over the area sell their hot dogs here. The fair also has a car and motorcycle show, dog costume contest, a root beer chugging contest and a hot dog eating contest. The festival occurs every summer at Pullman Square in Huntington, located on the 900 block of Third Ave.

11. West Virginia Strawberry Festival

This May fair in Buckhannon celebrates the strawberry harvest. The festival features a full carnival, arts and crafts exhibits, photography contest, car show, and a strawberry auction and a strawberry recipe contest. Festival events are held in several locations around W. Main Street in downtown Buckhannon.

Which of these festivals have you attended? What festivals have you attended that are not on this list? Feel free to comment below and join the discussion.

If you like fairs and festivals, there are many to choose from in the coming months. Check out these 8 festivals everyone should visit at least once.