Night Sky Festival

The night sky is magnificently brilliant at Joshua Tree.

NPS / Hannah Schwalbe

 

The 2020 Annual Night Sky Festival has been canceled due to the COVID pandemic. Read below to learn more about the night sky at Joshua Tree and past Night Sky Festivals.

Joshua Tree National Park is proud to have recently been designated as an International Dark Sky Park at the Silver Tier level by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA). The park strives to be a refuge for those who want to experience a naturally dark night sky.

The annual Night Sky Festival is a ticketed event with limited capacity, held primarily at Sky’s the Limit Nature Center and Observatory, located just outside the park’s north entrance.

The festival consists of a Star Party with at least 20 telescopes, music, Constellation Tours and Sky Stories. Daytime activities include astronomy lectures, photo booth, educational tables, and youth crafts, along with solar viewing, nature walks, and tours of the model solar system (the “orrery”) at Sky’s the Limit.

The festival usually takes place in the fall and tickets go on sale in early summer. To learn more, visit: http://www.nightskyfestival.org/

Plan ahead; lodging can be found in Twentynine Palms, Joshua Tree, or other nearby towns.

This event is sponsored by non-profit organizations Joshua Tree National Park Council for the Arts and Sky’s The Limit Observatory and Nature Center, in partnership with Joshua Tree National Park, and supported by the City of Twentynine Palms.

Media Contact: Ann Congdon 760-490-9561 [e-mail]

Remember

• Campgrounds often fill on weekends and are often full by Wednesday midday.
• In the park, you can only spend the night in designated campsites and areas. Learn more about other options outside the park.

 

Things to know

If you are attending any of the night programs, remember:

• Bring a red flashlight. White lights are not permitted around telescopes. Find out more about night sky viewing etiquette and advice.
• Bring warm clothing.
• Dogs are not permitted at telescope viewing events.
• Please be patient and flexible.

Come view the night sky throughout the year

Night sky programs are offered throughout the year. Check park bulletin boards for updated schedules.

There may be telescope viewings held outside the park by local partners, Sky's the Limit and Southern California Desert Video Astronomers.

Or, on any clear night, come enjoy the stars on your own! Read more about stargazing in Joshua Tree.

Watch a series of short films and learn why the NPS cares about protecting dark night skies.