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Exmoor Dark Skies Festival Marks 10 Years Celebrating Night Sky Wonders

Exmoor Dark Skies Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary from 16 October to 1 November 2026, featuring 80 events across the national park. The festival showcases the region's Dark Sky Reserve status and has become a major draw for autumn tourism.

By The UK Pulse Editorial Team·Source: BBC News··4 min read·How we work
A group, intentionally blurred by the long exposure of the camera, is walking out of frame on the bottom left of the picture. They are walking through a green, hilly landscape in the dark. In the sky, hundreds, if not thousands, of stars shine, while a bright line shoots across frame from the right into the middle of the sky.

Stargazers and astronomers are preparing to experience a festival dedicated to showcasing the beauty of the night sky. The annual Exmoor Dark Skies Festival runs from 16 October to 1 November 2026, marking its 10th anniversary with an expanded programme of events. According to BBC News, the celebration spans villages and towns surrounding Exmoor National Park, offering walks, talks and shows that place the dark, clear night sky at the centre of attention.

The festival has grown significantly since its inception, with organisers expecting more than 2,500 attendees across the two-week period. The event's expansion reflects both the region's commitment to preserving its astronomical heritage and the growing appeal of dark sky experiences among visitors from across the UK.

What does the festival celebrate?

The event centres on Exmoor National Park's designation as a Dark Sky Reserve, a status granted by the International Astronomical Union in 2011. This recognition aims to protect citizens' right to enjoy the night sky by working to reduce light pollution across the region.

Festival organiser Julie Colman explained the scope of the celebration:

We bring together lots and lots of events across the two-week period, celebrating the skies, the wildlife, the wellbeing elements of it.
The programme features approximately 80 events, ranging from moonlit swimming and astronomy sessions to bioluminescence walks and planetarium shows. Activities also include UV rock pooling and the "Wonders of Our Universe" show at Minehead's Regal Theatre on 25 October, according to Hello Rayo.

The sky is filled with stars and natural light, while a man stands in silhouette on a hill, with the peak also in silhouette.
Photographers and astronomers can enjoy clear views of the stars during the festival

Why is Exmoor an ideal stargazing destination?

Exmoor's suitability for astronomical observation stems from its minimal light pollution. Colman noted that the reserve contains

an area where there is no light at all in a huge area - and that just makes the sky so much clearer and you're able to see some incredible constellations.
This darkness enables visitors to observe the Milky Way with exceptional clarity, creating views that photographs from previous festivals demonstrate with striking vividness against the dark backdrop.

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The reserve's core area, where artificial light is entirely absent across vast stretches, allows the night sky to display its full splendour. Colman added:

You can see the Milky Way - it really is fantastic.

A group of people all sit in coats on logs and camping chairs around a smoking fire. One man at the back is pointing a green laser into the sky. The group, which is facing away from the camera, is surrounded by trees.
Locations such as Wimbleball Lake are big draws

How has the festival benefited local tourism?

The National Park designed the event in 2017 partly to support local businesses during the quieter end of the traditional tourism season. The strategy has proven successful, with the festival now attracting visitors from throughout the UK.

Antony Brunt, manager of the Yarn Market Hotel in Dunster on Exmoor's edge, observed that awareness has grown considerably:

it has become much more widely known - and now we literally have people ringing us up to book
. The hotel hosts special trips during the festival led by a local astronomer and arranges visits to various sites and events across the park.

Brunt highlighted the festival's appeal to repeat visitors, noting:

It's getting to a quieter time of year and these people, they really enjoy coming down. We have a group that come each year, in fact, twice a year. For people to come regularly twice a year to the same hotel, they must be enjoying the stargazing part of the weekend.
The festival's growing popularity has led to many events selling out before the opening day, demonstrating strong demand from both new and returning visitors.

What special experiences are available?

The Lynton and Barnstaple Railway has added a special steam train service to the festival programme, according to Rail Advent. A 17:00 departure on 1 November allows passengers to travel through the moor in near-darkness aboard Victorian-era carriages, combining heritage transport with the unique experience of observing the night sky from a moving train.

What happens next?

The festival concludes on Sunday 1 November 2026, with the heritage railway's special steam service scheduled for 17:00 that final day. This closing event offers visitors a distinctive way to experience Exmoor's dark skies as the festival draws to a close.

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