Jasper Dark Sky Festival Lights Up the Rockies

A spectacular drone light will join the star-filled dark skies above Jasper National Park this fall during the Jasper Dark Sky Festival. Jasper National Park is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies and part of UNESCO’s Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site. The park is also the largest accessible Dark Sky Preserve in the world.

Dark Sky Festival

The 12^th annual Jasper Dark Sky Festival takes place this October 14-23.  Highlighting this year’s festivities will be a hypnotizing light show of hundreds of choreographed drones moving in sync above the mountain town.

The annual two-week event will also draw a stellar line-up of space and science stars who will tackle the hottest topics of the day, like space tourism and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. The line-up includes returning fan favorites like Delalune Space founder Rob Meyerson, SETI Institute senior astronomer Seth Shostak, scientist-astronaut candidate Dr. Shawna Pandya and science communicator Jay Ingram. Musical performances will feature the lunar loving Dark Sky Band, including an original song to accompany the Drone Light Show.

New to the festival this year (and coming from around the planet) are spaceflight author Emily Carney, astrophysicist Emma Louden and award-winning artist and occupational diver Dr. Sarah Jane Pell.

Indigenous events will include Fireside Chats with Warrior Women, pahkisimon sunset ceremony at Lake Annette and guided plant walks. Also don’t miss: a symphony under the stars with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, kid-friendly rocket launches, live and interactive science demonstrations with TELUS World of Science – Edmonton, stargazing using the most powerful telescopes in the Rockies, trivia night, astrophotography workshops, guided night hikes, foodie experiences and more.

Learn more at jasperdarksky/travel.