This weekend, the Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival returns to Bryce Canyon National Park in Southern Utah as a part of the ongoing 2023 centennial celebration for an unforgettable experience under the stars.
Held from June 14–17, the event will give guests a chance to witness the wonders of the night sky first-hand alongside astronomy experts from around the world, as well as learn more about astronomy through educational opportunities and festivities at one of the best spots for stargazing in the world.
As a Gold Tier International Dark Sky Park, Bryce Canyon National Park is an ideal location to explore the night sky. For an optimal experience, the Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival is set under a new moon to maximize the visibility of stars, planets, meteorites and countless other celestial bodies that visitors will be able to observe.
Each day of the festival, the visitor center in Bryce Canyon National Park will host educational and interactive exhibits from the James Webb Space Telescope team and University of Utah that the public can enjoy for free between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. The festival will also include nightly lectures from leading academics in astronomy, as well as park staff and planetarium educators who will share their expertise and research delving into the origin of stars and the universe itself.
Festivities ramp up at night, when the sky starts to light up above the arches and hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park. At 10 p.m., the festival transitions outside, where the Salt Lake Astronomical Society will set up several state-of-the-art telescopes to capture views of the night’s best sites. On Friday night, festival goers can also grab tickets to a moon-lit concert by Dark Sky String Quartet for some stellar music.
The festival’s evening programs, which are held from 8:30 to 9 p.m. each night, require reserving free tickets, which can be made at the visitor center any time during the days preceding the festival. If you’re looking for other stargazing adventures after the festival, be sure to check out other popular stargazing points in Bryce Canyon Country, such as Kodachrome Basin State Park, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument and Capitol Reef National Park, all of which offer remote and vast areas to take in the Milky Way’s wonders.
Click here to learn more and view the schedule of events for this year’s Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival.
Photos courtesy Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival
