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Well over 1,000 people attended one of the more than 50 events that made up our Dark Sky Star Bright festival this year – art exhibits, candlelit dinners, astronomy programs, author talks, film-screenings, saunas under the stars, and more. “The response to our first-ever festival was out of this world,” says Jeff Rennicke, Executive Director of Friends of the Apostle Islands.
Festival goers enjoy the indoor planetarium and other activities in the Bayfield Pavilion – Jon Okerstrom photo
Inside the planetarium – Bob King photo
Aurora corona display – Bob King photo
The success of the new event, a partnership between Friends of the Apostle Islands, the Bayfield Chamber of Commerce, and Travel Wisconsin, is a testament to the deep public interest in the stars. “People have been enthralled by looking up at the stars for thousands of years,” Rennicke says. “That desire is still within us as humans however with 80 percent of the world’s population living where light pollution has dimmed their view of the sky, people are beginning to realize that our night skies are not only important, but fragile.”
That is why purpose of the Dark Sky Star Bright festival is both a celebration of the beauty of the skies over the Apostle Islands and a raising of awareness of how to protect it. “We still have some of the darkest night skies in the world here in the Apostle Islands,” Rennicke says, “and through our Starry Skies Initiative, of which the Dark Sky festival is a part, we hope that you will join us in helping to keep it that way. There are easy ways to help simply by following the Five Principles of Responsible Outdoor Lighting at your own home or business and urging your community to do the same.”
Friends of the Apostle Islands would like to thank all the people who attended the first Dark Sky Star Bright festival. We look forward to doing it all again next year January 15-24, 2027 and in the meantime, please join our Starry Skies Initiative to keep the stars shining bright over the Apostle Islands.
For information on how you can support our efforts, click below. Or click here for our Dark Sky Star Bright Festival coverage.

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