Categories: Things To Do

This dark sky festival near Calgary will fill you with cosmic inspiration

Photo via Jasper Dark Sky Festival

The world’s largest, most accessible dark sky preserve is a day’s drive away from Calgary.

If that fills you with intrigue, you’ll want to read this before you look skyward.

Located in Jasper, Alta., this dark sky festival is a celebration of all things cosmic, inspiring you to gaze at the wonders of the universe from Oct. 17 to 26.

Spanning three weekends, the Jasper Dark Sky Festival is described as a must-do activity, a truly one-of-a-kind experience in Canada’s Alberta.

Whether you’re an astrophile or simply want to catch a glimpse of our wonderful universe, the Jasper Dark Sky Festival is ready to welcome you.

One of the world’s largest dark sky preserves

A dark sky preserve is an area where no artificial lighting is visible and active measures are in place to reduce light pollution.

Jasper National Park is one of 17 designated dark sky preserves in Canada. It’s also the second largest dark sky preserve in the world, and the largest accessible dark sky preserve — one with a town within its limits.

Jasper National Park has committed to protecting and preserving the night sky and to reducing or eliminating light pollution in all its forms, maintaining this natural phenomenon.

15 years of looking up

This year will be the 15th anniversary of the Jasper Dark Sky Festival. For a decade and a half, the festival has been inspiring Albertans to look skyward and share their passion for the wonders of the night.

You might even be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the infamous northern lights at this year’s festival!

Programming will also include space-themed movie screenings, a free outdoor concert with Canadian alt-pop star TALK and a drone light show.

The Jasper Dark Sky Festival will inspire attendees to power down their phones and wonder at the nature of the universe with astronomy experts and other enthusiastic cosmonauts.

For those fascinated by the outer limits of our universe, this festival is a can’t-miss experience in the Canadian mountains that every Albertan should see at least once in their lifetime.