News Release

Dark Sky Festival brings science, stargazing and awe to the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

A view of the dark sky and Milky Way Galaxy seen from Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia National Park.

NPS photo

News Release Date: August 25, 2026
Contact: [e-mail]

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and Sequoia Parks Conservancy will host the 13th annual Dark Sky Festival from Sept. 11-13, 2026. The festival invites visitors to explore astronomy, wildlife science and the human experience of wonder beneath some of California's darkest night skies. It will feature programming throughout Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and, for the first time, in the gateway community of Three Rivers. Expanding to Three Rivers increases opportunities for people from nearby communities and the Central Valley to participate in astronomy and dark-sky science programs.

"The night sky is an important part of the experience of Sequoia and Kings Canyon, but natural darkness is also part of the environment we protect," said Clay Jordan, superintendent of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. "Whether someone is looking through a telescope, listening for bats or standing beneath the giant sequoias and looking at the stars, this festival gives people an opportunity to experience the park after dark and better understand why these natural nighttime environments matter."

This year's festival keynote speaker is Dr. Dacher Keltner, a distinguished professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.  Keltner will explore the evolutionary roots and cultural expressions of awe, its effects on the nervous system, and how wonder can deepen people’s sense of connection to the world.

Visitors can also join park wildlife staff for nightly Bat Walks, a new addition to the festival. Staff will demonstrate how scientists use sound to study bats (which make up about 20 percent of the parks’ mammal species) the importance of natural darkness to ecosystems, and acoustic monitoring techniques.

For those looking to experience the night sky in different settings, the parks will host star parties at three locations on separate nights:  Kings Canyon on Friday, Sept. 11, Sequoia on Saturday, Sept. 12, and Lake Kaweah on Sunday, Sept. 13, in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Astronomical society volunteers from across California will provide their expertise and telescopes, helping visitors observe distant galaxies, star clusters and other deep-sky objects.

The Dark Sky Festival celebrates the natural nighttime environment and highlights the importance of protecting dark skies for wildlife, scientific discovery and the human experience. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks offer some of the darkest skies in California, giving visitors a rare opportunity to experience night skies that artificial light obscures in many parts of the state.

Standard park entrance fees apply for programs inside Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Festival activities and speaker sessions are free and open to the public. Additional programs will be announced as the schedule is finalized.

For the complete event schedule, frequently asked questions and festival updates, visit sequoiaparksconservancy.org/dark-sky-festival.

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