Dark Skies Festival 2026

The Dark Skies Festival is an annual celebration of stargazing across England's darkest landscapes — events in the Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors, Northumberland, and other International Dark Sky areas. The festival features guided stargazing sessions, astrophotography workshops, planetarium shows, talks, and night walks. England's dark sky reserves offer some of the clearest night skies in Europe — away from urban light pollution, the Milky Way is visible with the naked eye, and on good nights the Northern Lights can be seen from Northumberland. The festival runs in February when nights are long and skies are (sometimes) clear. Events range from beginner-friendly family stargazing to advanced astrophotography. Telescopes are provided for most events. Wrap up warm — February nights in the Yorkshire Dales are properly cold. The combination of dark skies, dramatic landscapes, and expert guides makes this a genuinely magical experience.