The annual Dark Skies Festival will return to the Big Bend region April 13–19, with a week of public programs celebrating West Texas’ internationally recognized night skies.
The festival, organized by McDonald Observatory and community partners, coincides with International Dark Sky Week. Events will take place at the observatory and in communities across Alpine, Fort Davis, Presidio and Terlingua.
Programming throughout the week will include constellation tours, telescope viewings, educational talks and hands-on activities designed to highlight the importance of preserving dark night skies in the Big Bend region.
The festival begins Tuesday, April 14, with a 9:15 p.m. Star Party at McDonald Observatory. Visitors can arrive early for dark-sky activities beginning at 8:15 p.m. in the visitor center. Admission ranges from $5 to $25.
On Wednesday, April 15, a free star party will take place at the Far Flung Outdoor Center in Terlingua at 9 p.m., featuring staff from McDonald Observatory, Big Bend Ranch State Park, Astro Mucho and DarkSky International.
Additional observatory star parties are scheduled for Friday, April 17, and Saturday, April 18, both beginning at 9:15 p.m.
Saturday will feature a full day of activities in Alpine. Events include solar telescope viewings and meteorite demonstrations at the Alpine Gem and Mineral Show at the Alpine Civic Center from 1 to 4 p.m., as well as a children’s “Telescopes 101” demonstration and two educational talks at the Alpine Public Library focused on light pollution and dark-sky conservation.
The City of Alpine will also unveil a new dark-sky logo Saturday afternoon, followed by an announcement of the winners of the Alpine High School dark-sky coloring book contest.
Evening programming on April 18 includes an owl walk led by a scientist from the Borderlands Research Institute at Kokernot Lodge, along with a free star party at the Kokernot Park soccer field beginning at 9:30 p.m.
Festival organizers say the events highlight the region’s reputation as one of the best places in North America to view the night sky and aim to encourage continued efforts to reduce light pollution across West Texas communities.
A full schedule and additional details are available at the McDonald Observatory website.
