HOT SPRINGS, Ark.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Atlas Obscura, the media and entertainment company dedicated to inspiring wonder and curiosity about the world, today announced Ecliptic, its second festival celebrating the rare total solar eclipse, which this year falls on April 8.
The Atlas Obscura Ecliptic Festival will run from April 5 to April 8, welcoming 4,000 attendees to Hot Springs, Ark., for musical performances and events with renowned artists, philosophers, astronomers, and other speakers—along with unparalleled views of the astronomical wonder that is a full solar eclipse. Attendees will have the option to stay in luxe glamping tents, camp on their own, or arrange accommodations locally or in nearby Little Rock and the surrounding area.
Atlas Obscura has partnered with the international indie music festival Valley of the Vapors for an eclectic lineup that includes acclaimed artists Allah-Las, Blonde Redhead, Shannon and the Clams, Deerhoof, and Mary Lattimore; mythologist and storyteller John Bucher; theoretical physicist Dr. Kelly Reidy; and author and astronomer Rebecca Boyle, who will conduct a guided stargazing session. The full list of performers and speakers can be found here.
“Over the course of four days, we’ll come together to celebrate this rare astronomical event with an all-out festival of wonder featuring celebrated scientists, legendary musicians, curated vendors, artists and explorers,” said Megan Roberts, Atlas Obscura’s VP of Experiential, “culminating with the Total Eclipse itself—3.5 minutes of otherworldly midday darkness.”
The Path of Totality—where one can experience the eclipse in full—is quite narrow, making the festival site, near Hot Springs National Park, a rare vantage point and the only one to offer a full viewing along with world-renowned musical performances, state-of-the-art classes, and an outstanding campground. There won’t be another opportunity to see this rare cosmic phenomenon within the continental US for the next 20 years.
In 2017, the last time North America experienced a total eclipse of the sun, Atlas Obscura held its first eclipse festival, taking hundreds of people to Oregon’s rural Snake River Valley for a weekend of cosmic music, interactive science experiences, and awe-inspiring talks by leading astronomy experts (see video). Based on the success of that event there was significant demand for a larger, more expansive festival for the global Atlas Obscura community, longtime Valley of the Vapors attendees, and fans from the region.
Festival partners Low Key Arts have been producing the Valley of the Vapors festival for 20 years in Hot Springs. This year offered an opportunity to join forces with Atlas Obscura for a spectacular combined event.
The festival will offer a variety of camping and glamping options for guests wishing to stay onsite. Glamping accommodations are provided by Shelter Co., a California-based company that specializes in bringing comfort and style to outdoor events with their line of luxury sleeping tents and furnishings. For 12 years they have been creating pop-up hotels for events across the country and continue to be the premier outfitter of mobile glamping service in the United States.
B&H is excited to partner with Atlas Obscura for their second Total Eclipse together. The New York-based photo, video, and audio emporium will be onsite with educational breakout sessions that will help attendees capture the eclipse in all the stages. They will offer telescopes, trackers, and cameras with both long and short lenses to use during the event, tracking the sun and offering valuable insight on filters, exposures and techniques to make the eclipse experience more enlightening.
Festival tickets, parking passes, camping/glamping options, and the full talent lineup are available on the festival website here.
