2025 Upper Peninsula Dark Sky Festival

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The Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, the headquarters for the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park, is hosting its third annual event around International Dark Sky Week: The Upper Peninsula Dark Sky Festival. DarkSky International (formerly known as, the International Dark-Sky Association) encourages people worldwide to discover the night during International Dark Sky Week. This annual week-long event aims to raise awareness about the negative impacts of light pollution, the solutions that exist and simultaneously celebrate the night.

The 2025 event will be held over April 24th, 25th, and 26th, and provides three days of learning. Events and workshops will be hosted at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, headquarters for the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park.

The event is intended for all ages of dark sky enthusiasts. The evening event on Thursday allows guests to check into their accommodations, have a meal and then take in the presentation. Friday and Saturday’s events in the afternoon allow guests to have a morning adventure and an afternoon and evening of learning. 

Schedule and Speakers

We are organizing the schedule of speakers and activities at this time. As we confirm speakers and dates/times of the activities we will update this page accordingly as we begin to finalize the details of the schedule. Below is the tentative schedule (as of March 9, 2025):

Thursday, April 24th

• 6:00pm: Welcome / Opening Remarks (John Mueller, KML Team – Keweenaw Dark Sky Park)
• 7:00pm: Stargazing: Dark Sky Photography and Etiquette Workshop (Tom Oliver, Photographer and Director of the Center for Science and Environmental Outreach at Michigan Technological University)
• Evening: Stargazing

Friday, April 25th

• 9:00am: Open Skies Tour (limited to 24 people – call (906) 289-4403 ext 4 to sign up) [ sponsored by Visit Keweenaw ]
• 9:30am: Ecology Tour with James DeMerse (limited to 15 people – call 906-289-4403 ext 4 to sign up)
• 11:30am: Rustic and Worldly Lunch (included in your festival ticket purchase)
• 1:00pm: Illuminating Opportunities: Dark Sky Programming in the Tourism, Recreation, and Leisure Industry (Jamie Westfall, Park Manager of The Headlands Dark Sky Park)
• 3:30pm: Postcards from the Universe: 2024-2025 via NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (Robert Nemiroff, Co-creator of Astronomy Picture of the Day, Astrophysicist and Professor of Physics at Michigan Technological University)
• 8:00pm: Ogetay Kayali, Deep Space Photographer and Michigan Technological University Graduate Student
• Evening: Stargazing

Saturday, April 26th

• 9:30am: Ecology Tour with James DeMerse (limited to 15 people – please call 906-289-4403 ext 4 to sign up)
• 11:30am: Rustic and Worldly Lunch (included in your festival ticket purchase)
• 1:00pm: Navigating the Impact of Light Pollution on Migratory Songbirds and Pathways to Solutions (Jared Wolfe, Ornithologist and Assistant Professor at Michigan Technological University)
• 3:30pm: Understanding the Magnetosphere and Experiencing Solar Max! (MaryBeth Kiczenski, Adventurer / Photographer / Northern Lights Chaser)
• 5:00pm: History of the Rocks (at the Mariner)
• 8:00pm: Discover the Sun (Dave Falkner, NASA Solar System Ambassador)
• Evening: Stargazing

As we get closer to the date, we will confirm this schedule and topics.

Location

The festival will be held at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, the headquarters of the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park.

Keweenaw Mountain Lodge
14252 US Hwy 41
Copper Harbor, Michigan 49918

Price

Tickets for the festival are $250 / person. Tickets include admission to all presentations and the lunch on Friday and Saturday. 

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Rustic and Worldly Lunches

Each ticket to the festival includes two rustic worldly lunches; one on Friday and one on Saturday. When purchasing your ticket please state if you prefer the lunch with meat or the vegetarian option. Please note that there are no substitutions, and the menu is subject to change as we get closer to the event based upon access to ingredients. 

Friday Lunch Menu (served at 11:30am)

Pork Loin Strips Stir Fry Bowl: Pork loin strip – stir fried pork strips with vegetables and bang bang sauce served on rice with corn and cilantro.

– or –

Vegetables Stir Fry Wrap :Vegetables stir fry w/ house made Asian sauce with rice served in a wrap and a small cabbage salad.

Saturday Lunch Menu (served at 11:30am)

Roasted Chicken Sandwich: Roasted chicken with garlic, spices and lemon, served on a bun with mayo-lemon-cilantro spread, lettuce and a small side salad.

– or –

Vegetarian Lasagna: Lasagna noodles layered with vegetables in tomato sauce, ricotta with herbs and mozzarella. Served with a small side salad.

Lodging

The dark sky park is in a remote area, so it is important for you to plan where you are going to stay before traveling. The following options are available for lodging in the area:

• Aqua Cabins at Mt. Bohemia (Lac La Belle)
• Brockway Inn (Copper Harbor)
• Da Beach Cabin (Lac La Belle)
• Dapple-Gray Bed & Breakfast (Copper Harbor)
• Eagle Harbor Inn (Eagle Harbor)
• Fitzgerald’s (Eagle River)
• Keweenaw Mountain Lodge (host)
• Mariner North (Copper Harbor)
• Trails End Campground (Copper Harbor)

[ to see more Lodging options, go to Visit Keweenaw ]

Food

The Keweenaw Mountain Lodge / Keweenaw Dark Sky Park is in a remote area, so it is important for you to plan where you are going to eat before traveling. The following options are available for food in the area:

• Eagle Harbor Inn (Eagle Harbor)
• Fitzgerald’s (Eagle River)
• Glacia Tavern (Mohawk)
• Keweenaw Mountain Lodge (host) – see the Lodge’s dinner options during the festival (which you pay for separate from the tickets)
• Mariner North (Copper Harbor)

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