BREVARD, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Where’s Brevaldo? Highland Books will launch its annual Find Waldo Local event this July, inviting Brevard locals and visitors alike to track down Waldo at over 30 businesses. Participants who find Waldo at least 20 times will receive a special prize.

Where’s Waldo Local is a national initiative of Candlewick Press, publisher of the Where’s Waldo book series, and the American Booksellers Association. Every July, hundreds of independent bookstores across the United States participate in the event, hiding Waldos across their communities.

In Brevard, the event will run from July 1-31, 2026, out of Highland Books, an independent bookstore located at 36 W. Main St.

How to join the Waldo hunt

While the full list of participating businesses has not yet been released, Highland Books said that the majority of downtown retail shops will take part.

“We provide each business with a small 6 inch tall Waldo that they hide somewhere in their business. We also give them passports to hand out, and when the Waldo hunters find the Waldo in their business, they stamp the passport,” Highland Books said. “Completed passports are returned to Highland Books by the end of July for a prize!”

Highland Books said that the event was meant to promote reading, local businesses and the bookstore itself. During the hunt last year, over 1,000 Waldo passports were issued, and almost 300 were returned for the prize.

For more information about the event, visit www.explorebrevard.com/event/wheres-waldo-local-event.