Joshua Tree Night Sky Festival 2026

The Joshua Tree Night Sky Festival returns October 9–11, 2026, held in and around the dark skies of Joshua Tree National Park. This is one of the premier dark sky events in Southern California — a three-day celebration of astronomy, night photography, and the increasingly rare experience of seeing the Milky Way with the naked eye.

Joshua Tree sits at the intersection of two distinct desert ecosystems at an elevation that provides exceptional clarity on autumn nights. The national park is an International Dark Sky Park designation, and the October festival takes advantage of ideal conditions: minimal moonlight, stable atmospheric seeing, and temperatures cool enough to stand outside comfortably for hours.

The festival features setup areas for public telescope viewing, sessions run by members of astronomy clubs from across Southern California, and astrophotography workshops for photographers bringing serious equipment. Rangers from the National Park Service host interpretive programs on the cultural significance of the night sky to the indigenous peoples of the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts.

The festival hub is based in the Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms area. Some sessions take place inside the national park (entrance fee applies — bring the America the Beautiful annual pass if you have one). Accommodation options range from camping inside the park to hotels in Twentynine Palms. Register for individual programs in advance — the most popular telescope sessions fill quickly.