About the event
Meet the Stars
Flagstaff hosts the Star Party each year to share its world-renowned dark skies with residents and visitors from across the Southwest and around the world.
Why we do it
Most people live under urban sky glow and have never seen a truly starry sky. The Star Party exists for them: for anyone curious enough to want to see it for themselves, and to share that wonder with their family.
Appreciation of the night sky is ingrained in us. Humans have looked up for more than ten thousand years, built stories around the constellations, and carried that inspiration into mathematics, science, art, poetry, music, and religion. Take away the dark of night and our children lose that infinite star-filled vista, along with much of what our distant ancestors made of it.
A dark sky is often described as something astronomers need. That is true, but it is far too narrow.
Protecting the night sky just for astronomers would be like protecting the Grand Canyon just for geologists.
No one thinks that way about the Canyon. We hope that after a look through a telescope at the Star Party, you will think about the night sky the same way: worth preserving and protecting for all of us.
What happens at the Star Party
Up to 30 telescopes
Amateur and professional astronomers from the Flagstaff area host telescopes so you can catch genuine ancient starlight with your own eyes.
Naked-eye observing
Guided tours of the night sky, including the Milky Way, visible without any equipment at all.
Astronomy talks
Presentations for a general audience, plus tours of Flagstaff’s remarkable sunsets.
Buffalo Park
Everything happens at Buffalo Park in Flagstaff. See it on the map.
The first International Dark Sky City
On October 24, 2001, Flagstaff, Arizona became the world’s first International Dark Sky City. The designation recognizes towns and cities “with exceptional commitment to and success in implementing the ideals of dark sky preservation and/or restoration. No place does it better than Flagstaff, and the proof is overhead every clear night.
Want to do this where you live? Stop by the information booth just past the park entrance to learn how Flagstaff did it, and what you can do in your own community or at home.