The 2019 festival will be taking place from Friday, October 18th to Sunday, October 27th, offering over a week of astronomy-focused events throughout the park. Presented by the Rocky Mountaineer, the Jasper Dark Sky Festival is an all-ages event that is sure to teach every member of the family something new.

Such a festival is possible here because all of Jasper National Park is a Dark-Sky Preserve. The Royal Astronomical Society in Canada designated the park as a Dark-Sky Preserve in 2011 because of its low levels of light pollution, which makes for excellent nighttime stargazing. It is the second-largest Dark-Sky Preserve in the entire world.

What makes the Jasper National Park Dark-Sky Preserve exceptional is that it is highly accessible. In fact, it is the largest preserve to have a town within its limits. This allows for more educational opportunities and for fantastic events and festivals that make use of the special features of the preserve. There are a number of events and activities scheduled for the Jasper Dark Sky Festival this year.

The first major ticketed event is Photograph the Stars: A How-to Guide to Astrophotography, which will be happening at the Jasper Royal Canadian Legion on October 19th from 2 pm to 3:30 pm. Come learn some helpful tips on how to take your own stunning night sky photographs. The event costs just $15 and will be held for a second time on October 26th at 10:30 am to 12 pm.

Friday, October 25th is an exciting evening at the Jasper Night Sky Festival. It begins with a Keynote by Jad Abumrad of Radiolab, which will be taking place at the Jasper Activity Centre from 7 pm to 9 pm. This will be followed by a VIP Stargazing Reception at the newly renovated Maligne Canyon Wilderness Kitchen at 9:30 pm.

The following day, October 26th, features events and activities from dawn to after dusk. It kicks off with Science for Breakfast at the Lobstick Lodge, continues with two talks about the Moon and Mars at the Jasper Activity Centre, and ends at the Jasper Royal Canadian Legion with a trivia night hosted by Alan Nursall. The Jasper Dark Sky Festival wraps up with another Science for Breakfast event on Sunday morning.

If you want to try your hand at dark-sky photography during the festival, then the best spots close to Jasper town are Pyramid Lake and Lake Annette. For those willing to venture out a bit further, either to Medicine Lake or Maligne Canyon, some truly amazing photo opportunities await. You’ll get to see the night sky as you’ve likely never seen it before, and you might even catch the aurora borealis if you’re lucky.

Keep in mind that the weather in Jasper this time of year can fluctuate significantly. You may encounter daytime highs of up to 15 C but nighttime lows of -5 C or less. Always check the forecast and dress for the weather, including a hat, scarf, and gloves in cold temperatures.

The Jasper Dark Sky Festival is made possible by Canada’s vast wilderness and fantastic national parks system. Jasper National Park may be a major summertime destination, but this unique event shows that the fall season has its own charms that are well worth experiencing.