Dark Sky Star Bright Festival Articles

Celebrate the night sky, the stars and the northern lights, over Bayfield and the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore during this event in January 2026.

Silent night, starry night: Photographer Travis Novitsky on the Lake Superior night sky

Silent night, starry night: Photographer Travis Novitsky on the Lake Superior night sky

“Oftentimes the most notable quality of the night is the silence,” photographer Travis Novitsky told the crowd at a recent program in Bayfield. “To hear that silence you need to push everything out of your mind and let yourself truly be in that moment. That's why I like the night sky so much. It's the easiest way I can quiet my mind and just be there in the present. When I'm gazing up at the sky, especially on such a quiet night, I feel utterly and completely relaxed and refreshed.”Spirit Tree under the Milky Way - Travis Novitsky photoTravis Novitsky’s program, a part of our Dark Sky Star...

The stars aligned: After a successful Dark Sky Star Bright event, planning begins for next year

The stars aligned: After a successful Dark Sky Star Bright event, planning begins for next year

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 photoInside the planetarium - Bob King photoAurora corona display - Bob King photoThe success of the new event, a...

How smart lighting choices can protect our precious night sky, save energy and money – a Dark Sky Star Bright Festival event

How smart lighting choices can protect our precious night sky, save energy and money – a Dark Sky Star Bright Festival event

The Dark Sky Star Bright Festival celebrates our precious night sky, and as the crowd gathered at the Honest Dog Books event space on Tuesday learned, it's more than that. Friends of the Apostle Islands Executive Director Jeff Rennicke put it this way. "We also wanted to make sure that when people got inspired and learned about the sky, they could take that next step. And the next step is okay, what can I do about it? In my home. In my business. In my community. How do I help, one lightbulb at a time?" To answer that question, outdoor lighting expert, Electrical Engineer and Dark Sky...

Stories, songs and science fill day two of Bayfield’s Dark Sky Star Bright Festival

Stories, songs and science fill day two of Bayfield’s Dark Sky Star Bright Festival

It was standing room only at Apostle Islands Booksellers on day two of the Dark Sky Star Bright Festival in Bayfield. The nine-day festival organized by the Bayfield Chamber of Commerce and Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore features more than 50 events tied to celebrating and preserving our precious night sky. During his bookstore appearance, Michael Laughing Fox Charette told stories, sang and performed with a variety of flutes and a drum to present "Dark Skies from the Asnishinaabe Perspective." He is a Native American storyteller, poet, and member of the Red Cliff Band of...

First-ever Dark Sky Star Bright Festival is off to a stellar start in Bayfield

First-ever Dark Sky Star Bright Festival is off to a stellar start in Bayfield

An indoor planetarium, night sky painting and other activites drew hundreds of people to Bayfield's Lakeside Pavilion for the kick-off of the first Dark Sky Star Bright Festival. They came from as near as Bayfield, Washburn and Ashland to as far away as St. Paul, Duluth, Cloquet and Virginia, Minnesota. The nine-day event organized by the Bayfield Chamber of Commerce and Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshor features more than 50 events designed to celebrate and draw attention to the spectacular night sky we are fortunate to enjoy on the Bayfield peninsula.In just three hours, 170...

The stars aligned: After a successful Dark Sky Star Bright event, planning begins for next year

Enjoy your weekend with the stars as the Dark Sky Star Bright Festival kicks off

The stars are aligning in Bayfield beginning this weekend (Jan. 17th) and running through Sunday, January 25th. Over fifty events for kids and adults, from films to food and fun to programs with astronomers and pizza with photographers. Saturday, January 17th 1-4 p.m. there will be an indoor planetarium at the Pavilion and star painting for kids and adults. A FREE event for all ages.Saturday, January 17th 2:00 p.m. there will be a free discussion and book signing at Apostle Islands Booksellers (112 Rittenhouse Ave) with photographer Jeff Pfaller moderated by Jeff Rennicke, Friends Executive...

A shared commitment to wonder: Apostle Islands Booksellers joins Starry Skies Initiative

A shared commitment to wonder: Apostle Islands Booksellers joins Starry Skies Initiative

Demaris Brinton and Theron O’Connor have stood under starry skies from the high Atacama Desert in Chile to the Wadi Rum in Jordan, but no stars mean more to them than the brilliant sky above their cottage on Mawikwe Bay on the south shore of Lake Superior.“Years ago our then eight-year old Los Angeles grandson, Ishmael, led us blindfolded out of the cottage to see the Milky Way,” they told us recently. “As we watched in awe it was suddenly cut by a falling star and we told him to make a wish. He replied that he was too happy to wish for anything.”Apostle Islands Booksellers exterior and...

Reaching for the stars: Bayfield gallery sponsors Starry Skies Initiative

Reaching for the stars: Bayfield gallery sponsors Starry Skies Initiative

For Dale and Mary Whittaker, the inspiration to become major sponsors of our Starry Skies Initiative came from above, literally.“We lived for seven years in a small cabin on Madeline Island,” they said recently. “Most nights were silent except for wind, water, and wildlife — and above us, a sky full of stars. Those dark, quiet nights kept us grounded, reminded us of our place in a much bigger story and sparked so much of our creativity. Preserving the night sky is both a conservation effort and a creative one — it protects a source of awe that humans have looked to for inspiration for...

The stars aligned: After a successful Dark Sky Star Bright event, planning begins for next year

Dark Sky Star Bright celebration schedule of events for January 17-25, 2026

Bayfield’s winter has always had a quiet kind of magic — the kind that shows up when the lake is still, the nights are long, and the sky finally has your attention. Dark Sky, Star Bright was created to celebrate exactly that. From January 17–25, 2026, we’re inviting you to slow down, look up, and experience winter on Lake Superior in a whole new way. This nine-day event will bring together stargazing, photography, wellness, and night sky education — all designed to help you reconnect with nature and yourself in the calm beauty of Bayfield’s winter landscape. In collaboration with the...

The art of aurora: Local artist inspired by the northern lights

The art of aurora: Local artist inspired by the northern lights

We all know that keeping our skies dark can be important to migrating birds and to scientists who study the stars. But, looking up at the night skies over the Apostle Islands can also be an inspiration to artists like Lissa Flemming of Silverwaves Jewelry. “I stepped out and looked up into the velvet inky sky as pink tourmaline, blue topaz and emeralds danced around a diamond dusted night,” she says of a recent night spent stargazing. “Orion winked as I gazed into an unpolluted and pristine night where the Milky Way formed a hazy arch.”Inspired by that beauty, Flemming created a work of art...