2026.10.16 — 2026.10.25 · Ended
Jasper Dark Sky Festival 2026
Jasper National Park is one of the largest dark-sky preserves in the world. From 16 to 25 October its Dark Sky Festival spreads astronomy, music and night-time art across the town and the mountains: ride the SkyTram up Whistlers to stargaze through telescopes with experts, hear strings under the stars at the lodge, or on 24 October catch Bahamas for free followed by a drone show about the Moon. Events are ticketed separately, and the featured events in town are free.
On 24 October the free concert in Commemoration Park opens with Kyle McKearney, and the Canadian singer Bahamas (Afie Jurvanen) closes it.
When the music ends you stay put: at 8.15pm the drone show From the Moon draws the Moon’s formation, life on Earth and human exploration across the night sky. One visitor loved the music but said it is the setting that makes the evening.
Sun to Stars starts under a planetarium dome, then takes the SkyTram up Whistlers Mountain for telescopes at the top.
The town lights fall away below and the stars multiply above; with an expert beside you, points of light become objects with names.
On 17 October the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s strings play outdoors at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.
The mountain air cools, the sky darkens by degrees, and the strings and the stars unfold together.
Checked · 2026-09-23
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2018 · Fresh.waffles · Photo source · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Preview cropped; enlarge for full image. · Report image rights
Michael Turtle’s earlier festival travel diary; attendance year unspecified. Page updated 5 Sep 2023. The author discloses support from Travel Alberta.
I love the music – but it’s the environment which makes the evening such a hit.
Stargazing depends on the weather, and cloud can hide everything; the Milky Way and the aurora are never guaranteed.
No single pass covers everything: the summit stargazing and the concert are booked separately, and entering the national park needs a park pass (CAD 12.25 per adult).
On 17 October the strings concert and the summit stargazing overlap, so choose one.
Venues are spread across town, the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and Whistlers Mountain, so plan each trip and check roads and weather.
Events span town, Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and Whistlers Mountain. Use each event’s official address to plan travel; a town map cannot represent every festival site.
Open official guide ↗16–25 October 2026, with separate dates for each event. Highlights: strings on 17 October, 19:00–22:00; Art After Dark on 23 October; on 24 October, doors 17:30, Kyle McKearney 18:00, Bahamas 19:15, drones 20:15–20:30. All times are local to Jasper.
America/EdmontonJasper lies on Highway 16; the Icefields Parkway connects from the Banff/Lake Louise direction. Commemoration Park is in town, while Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and Jasper SkyTram are separate destinations. Pick up an event guide at the Visitor Experience Centre, 414 Patricia Street.
Free and separately ticketed events run alongside one another; no all-programme pass is listed. Book summit astronomy and the strings concert separately. Visitors also need the applicable national park pass.
Free · paid events from CAD 135
Terrain and facilities vary by event. Contact the individual venue about access needs; Tourism Jasper can help direct enquiries at +1 780-820-1006.
Dates and entry details refer to this edition; individual sessions may differ.
Fresh.waffles · CC BY-SA 4.0 Image source
Tourism Jasper and individual event operators
The night-sky photograph dates from 2018. Michael Turtle’s earlier first-person festival travel diary does not identify his attendance year; its page was updated on 5 September 2023 and discloses support from Travel Alberta.
Information checked on 2026-09-23
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