Skip to main content
Home Story 8 Reasons To Get Starry-Eyed At The Dark Sky Festival in Fort Smith

8 Reasons To Get Starry-Eyed At The Dark Sky Festival

Kill the lights! And welcome to Wood Buffalo National Park, the world’s largest Dark Sky Preserve. Here, far from the blinding glare of big-city lights, the nighttime heavens shine forth in all their glory – the moon, the planets, the Milky Way, and the stellar Northern Lights. You can enjoy this celestial tapestry anytime from mid-August to April, but the finest sky-gazing occurs during the Thebacha & Wood Buffalo Dark Sky Festival, held annually in late August. Here were a few of the star attractions from past years..

powerful telescopes

Check out those guns! A dark sky preserve is a designated area that restricts artificial light pollution. Since Wood Buffalo National Park’s is the biggest in all the world, that means the views of the cosmos are that much clearer. There’ll be plenty of magnum-grade telescopes at the Dark Sky Festival for star-gazers to peer through. Obviously, you’re welcome to bring your own.

Guests who are out of this world

Literally. That’s Roberta Bondar, Canada’s first female astronaut, who shared her extraterrestrial experiences at the Dark Sky Festival a few years ago. Julie Payette, who served as Canada’s Governor General, has come to the festival and she knows a thing or two about outer space: the astronaut has been in orbit twice, making more than 400 circuits around the Earth. The Dark Sky Festival always features interesting and engaging speakers: Bob McDonald, from CBC’s Quirks and Quarks science program, and Opaskwayak Cree Nation educator Wilfred “The Star Guy” Buck were last year’s guests.

Bannock on a stick!

Yum! It’s a Northwest Territories staple.

weird science

Baking soda, vinegar – something’s about to go kaplooey. For kids and adults alike, hands-on learning is a focus of the festival.

stupendous auroras

With big, wide-open – and most importantly, dark – skies, the Dark Sky Festival’s location at Pine Lake in Wood Buffalo National Park has some of the best Auroral displays in the world. Rent a cabin at Pine Lake from Parks Canada to be in the middle of the action all weekend.

more auroras!

LOOK. AT. THAT.

and even more!

No, seriously, just look at it. When are you ever going to see a more stunning skyscape? And since it’s August, it’s not even cold outside, meaning you and your fellow festival-goers can kick back in your camp chair all night long, ogling the heavens. It’s enough to make you feel both humbled and inspired. It’s why the Dark Sky Festival will brighten your life.

DISCOVER A MOMENT THAT LASTS A LIFETIME. Aylmer Lake Lodge is located in Rocknest Bay, which is on the Barren......

With over 30 years of living in Yellowknife, we offer a variety of tourism experiences for our guests. We are......

Book an adventure with us at Trail Blazer Tours for an unforgettable experience! Your adventure with us will create lasting......

“Like No Other Place On Earth” We are the only fly-in lodge located a 50 minute float plane flight from......

We offer winter clothing rentals. Our winter clothing will keep you warm and comfortable for your outdoor fun – ask us......

Northern and Remote Wilderness Adventures Ltd. (NARWAL) is a small, friendly, majority Aboriginal owned and operated family business. Our reputation......

Peterson’s Point Lake Lodge provides you access to known waters teeming with monster lake trout. Their current record is a......

Aurora Village – A Class of Its Own Aurora Village is a unique Aurora-viewing facility situated 25 minutes from downtown......

We operate a fully equipped luxury coach and offer City Tours, Aurora Tours and tours to the Nahanni National Park Reserve......

Our goal is to provide unique customized services for high-end customers. We excel at making personalized tours. You can see......

Raven Tours is a tour operator in Yellowknife, NT, Canada. We offer Aurora Viewing, Snowshoeing, and Hiking Tours. We hope to......

Our professional tour guides will take you on amazing Aurora viewing tours, city tours, ice road tours and much more.......

World class dogsled tours! We are one of the largest professional sled dog kennels in Canada. Over 150 happy, healthy......

100% Indigenous owned!  We are the world’s first Aurora Hunting tour company, we know Aurora. Learn about Aurora, why Yellowknife is the......

Your Dene Connection in Yellowknife. B. Dene Adventures is a Traditional Dene Culture Camp business which teaches the Dene way......

Join us on an Aurora hunting adventure. Our skilled tour guides know all the best places around Yellowknife to capture......

Arctic Tours Canada is a Yellowknife based tour operating company that offer Aurora Hunting and Viewing tours, Yellowknife sightseeing tours,......

Come experience world-class Aurora Borealis viewing in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. We are the only guides in the Northwest Territories......

Best Northern Road Trip! Now you can drive all the way to the Arctic ocean linking Canada from coast to......

Yellowknife Online produces Yellowknife specific articles and content for visitors, residents, and newcomers. Yellowknife Online has recently transferred that knowledge......

Aurora photography tours for groups of 25 or less, available in English, Mandarin and Cantonese. Our tours offer specialized knowledge......