The 2024 Whole Photo voltaic Eclipse is probably the most spectacular pure occasion of the 12 months – and Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Pageant is among the greatest locations to expertise it. The pageant is a 4-day intriguing mixture of science seminars, music pageant, and day on the public park. However it’s additionally restricted to 4,000 attendees, so you will need to purchase your ticket quick.
The pageant is held at a municipal park in Sizzling Springs, Arkansas. Climate in early April in Sizzling Springs is usually delicate, with a great probability for clear skies.
Learn this information to be taught extra about Atlas Obscura, the Ecliptic Pageant, and see some recommendations on planning and packing for this occasion.
What’s Atlas Obscura?
In 2009, writer Joshua Foer and documentary filmmaker Dylan Thuras launched the Atlas Obscura web site. The web site is a compendium of obscure, intriguing locations usually not present in guidebooks.
Since its founding, one of many core goals of Atlas Obscura has been to create a real-world neighborhood of engaged explorers who do extra than simply add obscure locations to a bucket listing. Atlas Obscura hosts journeys world wide and experiences led by native guides.
In 2016, Foer, Thuras, and Ella Morton revealed Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Information to the World’s Hidden Wonders. Now in its second version, the 480-page e book options a few of the most obscure and attention-grabbing locations to go to world wide. In 2021, Thuras and Cecily Wong revealed Gastro Obscura: A Meals Adventurer’s Information.
What’s the Ecliptic Pageant?
Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Pageant is a 4-day celebration that includes visitor audio system, musical performances, and celestial occasions from April 5 till April 8, 2024.
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The oldsters at Atlas Obscura partnered with Valley of the Vapors organizers, an annual unbiased musical pageant in Sizzling Springs. “We’re bringing the Atlas Obscura strategy to the pageant,” Megan Roberts, Vice President of Experiential, defined. “What we’re making an attempt to do with the programming and the music and the artwork is to raise the eclipse expertise.”
Worldwide musicians carry out in between seminars on eclipse mythology, astronomy, and folklore. Visitor audio system embrace best-selling authors, scientists, and Atlas Obscura’s founders.
The pageant is held at Cedar Glades Park, a small municipal park about 10 minutes from downtown Sizzling Springs, Arkansas. The pageant may have meals, restrooms, and water accessible all through the weekend.
The park’s facilities can be open throughout the pageant, together with:
- An 18-hole disc golf course
- 10 miles of mountain biking and mountaineering trails
- A 3-story treehouse for youngsters
- Two playgrounds
- A climbing wall
A primitive campground can be constructed completely for the pageant – tenting is usually not allowed on the park. In a single day friends can deliver their very own tent, park an RV, or take pleasure in a luxurious canvas tent.
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Roberts added, “Ecliptic is 100% household pleasant. We now have made it accessible to a variety of audiences which might be thrown collectively by this shared pleasure for the eclipse.”
Basic admission to the pageant ranges from $70-$385 for single-day or full weekend passes. Kids aged 10 and below are admitted totally free. The pageant is proscribed to 4,000 attendees to maintain it an intimate expertise. Go to the Ecliptic Pageant web site to purchase an admission cross.
- Partial Eclipse | 12:31 to three:10 p.m. (CDT)
- Begin of Totality | 1:49:29 p.m. (CDT)
- Length of Totality | 3 minutes 37 seconds
Tips on how to use this map | Click on the icon within the top-left nook to open the Map Legend, then click on on any of the legend gadgets to show extra info. In case you have a Google account, click on the (very faint) star on the finish of the map’s title to avoid wasting this map to your account, then entry the map out of your smartphone throughout your journey.
Tips on how to Get There
Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Pageant is held at Cedar Glades Park, a municipal park 3.5 miles from downtown Sizzling Springs, Arkansas. It takes about 10 minutes to drive the scenic route throughout the small mountain vary to the park.
Sizzling Springs is a considerably distant vacation spot – it’s simple to drive there, however flying or driving a prepare is difficult.
Professional Journey Tip | The pageant’s campground is primitive, with no showers or provides aside from potable water. I strongly suggest driving to the pageant – both your automotive or a rental.
Invoice & Hillary Clinton Nationwide Airport (LIT) and Amtrak’s Union Station are an hour away in Little Rock, so a automotive rental from the airport is required to complete the journey into Sizzling Springs.
Driving is simpler with Interstate 30, which is about twenty miles away. I-30 connects Little Rock and I-40 to Texarkana and I-49.
One of many perks of staying on the pageant’s campground is free parking. Different attendees should pay for parking – $35 per day or $100 for a 4-day cross. The price contains parking and a roundtrip shuttle. Go to the Ecliptic Pageant web site to purchase a parking cross.
In regards to the Musical Artists
Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Pageant is partnered with the Valley of the Vapors, an annual unbiased musical pageant. The music pageant usually options over 100 artists, however there can be fewer in 2024 due to the partnership with Atlas Obscura.
See the full lineup of musical artists for hyperlinks to their Instagram and Spotify accounts.
The music begins early on Friday with 5 performances. Over a dozen artists carry out between visitor audio system and seminars concerning the eclipse on Saturday and Sunday. Monday culminates with a string of musical performances main as much as totality at 1:49:29 p.m. (CDT).
Attendees ought to deliver their very own chairs to benefit from the music from a short lived soundstage in a big meadow. The Coleman Tenting Chair is a traditional foldable quad chair that’s simple to pack and cheap. The Helinox Ultralight Tenting Chair is a improbable improve with a light-weight, packable chair that’s simple to hold all through the day.
Particular Visitor Audio system
Departing from the everyday music pageant, probably the most attention-grabbing factor about Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Pageant is the spectacular lineup of visitor audio system. The pageant is a couple of 1:2 ratio of visitor audio system to music, permitting attendees to be taught concerning the science of eclipses and revel in music.
The visitor audio system will lead seminars concerning the mythology of eclipses, the folklore of the celestial occasion, and the science behind the spectacular expertise of totality.
The lineup of visitor audio system contains Adam Savage, astrobiologist Dr. Graham Lau, storyteller Dr. Kelly Reidy, and rocket scientist Summer season Ash. Atlas Obscura founders Dylan Thuras and Joshua Foer may also converse on the Ecliptic Pageant.
Function Movie Screenings
One other attention-grabbing function of Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Pageant is a collection of function movie screenings. The movies are an attention-grabbing option to have fun the overall photo voltaic eclipse.
On Friday night time, A Journey to the Moon will possible introduce a recent viewers to their first screening of the 1902 French silent movie. Directed by George Méliès, the movie is a couple of group of astronomers who journey to the moon. Though the particular results will seem foolish by as we speak’s requirements, they had been revolutionary on the time – it was the 1900s model of Jurassic Park.
On Saturday night time, The Arrival is an artwork home movie produced by the Unarius Academy of Science. It’s a curious movie about supernatural occasions revolving round UFO encounters.
On Sunday night time, audiences can be launched to Implausible Planet. The 1973 French animated movie directed by René Laloux is about kidnapped people residing on the planet Ygam amongst gigantic blue humanoid Traags.
Experiencing the Eclipse
The Ecliptic Pageant’s schedule is stuffed with musical performances and visitor audio system. However all the things over the weekend leads as much as the massive present on Monday: the overall photo voltaic eclipse.
Cedar Glades Park options a big meadow the place the pageant’s predominant stage is situated. It’s a superb place to expertise totality – particularly should you’ve already arrange snug chairs for having fun with the dwell music.
The pageant’s attendance is proscribed to 4,000. This ensures an intimate totality expertise as a substitute of a chaotic zoo. The park is massive sufficient for folks to unfold out as a substitute of sitting shoulder-to-shoulder.
Probably the greatest locations to expertise the eclipse is among the mountaineering trails within the park. Friends can head out on one of many trails to a personal location to expertise totality.
Tenting & Glamping on the Ecliptic Pageant
What’s a music pageant with out primitive tenting? However this isn’t simply any primitive tenting – it’s Atlas Obscura’s strategy to tenting.
Attendees can BYOT – deliver your personal tent – with small primitive websites in Cedar Glades Park. You can even park an RV, however with out concrete or paved pads, I might not suggest bringing something with slide-outs.
The height of the tenting expertise is glamping in luxurious canvas tents offered by the Shelter Co. These round tents are furnished with 1, 2, or 4 beds, luxurious Egyptian cotton sheets, down comforters, bedside tables, and lounge chairs. The standing top of the tent makes it simpler to spend the night time tenting.
Though no hookups exist within the campground, it’s not solely primitive. Bathe trailers and restrooms can be parked close to the campground. Potable water can be provided. Though a telephone charging station can be offered, I like to recommend bringing a photo voltaic generator just like the Purpose Zero Yeti Energy Station or a big energy financial institution just like the Anker Moveable Energy Station to maintain your units charged all through the weekend.
There are two perks to spending the weekend tenting on the pageant grounds.
In a single day friends within the campground get a complimentary parking cross. However the biggest perk occurs after darkish – stargazing. B&H Picture will deliver high-end telescopes and lead stargazing events observing the night time sky.
Campsites start at $85 per night time for bringing your personal tent, $850 for an RV over the weekend, and $1,450 for a luxurious canvas tent. Go to the Ecliptic Pageant web site to e book a campsite.
Different Locations to Keep
If you happen to’re not a fan of tenting – even in a luxurious canvas tent – there are many different choices in Sizzling Springs. However, lodge costs can be considerably increased due to the one-time occasion. You’ll possible pay about 600% of the typical nightly charge for the weekend.
Listed below are a number of resorts the place you’ll be able to keep whereas attending Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Pageant.
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The Waters is a luxurious boutique lodge owned by Hilton. Spacious rooms with balconies and an on-site restaurant and bar create a cushty environment for spending the weekend. E book now with Reserving.com or Expedia.com
Embassy Suites is a superb place for households to remain inside strolling distance of downtown sights and eating places. The lodge options an indoor swimming pool and rooms with sleeper sofas. E book now with Reserving.com or Expedia.com
The Lodge Sizzling Springs is conveniently situated in the midst of downtown. The lodge options free parking, an on-site restaurant, and spacious rooms. E book now with Reserving.com or Expedia.com
The Vacation Inn Categorical is 5 minutes from downtown Sizzling Springs and quarter-hour from the Ecliptic Pageant. The lodge options an indoor swimming pool and rooms with a sleeper couch for households. E book now with Reserving.com or Expedia.com
TownePlace Suites is the most effective place in Sizzling Springs for households to remain. Every room features a small kitchen with a full-size fridge, permitting friends to organize some meals within the room and lower your expenses. The lodge options an out of doors swimming pool and gasoline grills. E book now with Reserving.com or Expedia.com
The Greatest Western is an affordable small lodge throughout the street from the Oaklawn Racing On line casino Resort. The lodge options an out of doors swimming pool and spacious rooms. A household suite contains two double beds and a sleeper couch that comfortably sleeps a household of 4. E book now with Reserving.com or Expedia.com
Issues to Know Earlier than You Go
Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Pageant and the overall photo voltaic eclipse are two of the largest occasions to occur in 2024. There are plenty of issues to plan and pack earlier than hitting the street to Sizzling Springs.
Listed below are some issues you should know earlier than going to the pageant.
- Commemorative eclipse glasses are included with admission, however I like to recommend you deliver a pair as a backup
- The pageant occasions finish on April 8, however tenting continues till April 9
- No refunds are supplied in case of cloudy climate on the day of the eclipse
- A parking price is required for all drivers, however you’ll be able to keep away from the price should you take a rideshare to the pageant
- This can be a family-friendly pageant
- Deliver chairs or blankets to benefit from the music and totality