Celebrating the Night Sky

Thanks to generous grant support from the North Carolina Space Grant, the 2023 North Carolina Science Festival will again feature the Statewide Star Party as a signature initiative.

During this 11th annual Statewide Star Party, 35 hosts will offer public skywatching events across North Carolina. Star Party hosts include state and local parks, colleges and universities, planetariums, science centers, nature centers, and libraries. About 3,500 visitors are expected to participate.

The 11th annual North Carolina Statewide Star Party, a signature event of the 2023 NCSciFest will be held Friday, April 21, and Saturday, April 22, 2023. This year’s theme is “Celebrating the Night Sky.”

 

2023 Statewide Star Party Locations

Click here to find a Statewide Star Party event near you.

 

County	City	Organization
Alamance	Graham	Three College Observatory
Buncombe	Asheville	University of North Carolina Asheville
Cabarrus	Harrisburg	Cabarrus County Public Libraries
Camden	South Mills	Dismal Swamp State Park
Carteret	Harkers Island	Crystal Coast Star Gazers
Craven	Havelock	Craven Community College - Havelock Campus
Cumberland	Hope Mills	Cumberland County Public Library
Dare	Nags Head	Jockey's Ridge State Park
Duplin	Beulaville	Science Alliance of Eastern NC
Durham	Durham	City of Durham
Forsyth	Winston-Salem	Kaleidium North
Granville	Creedmoor	Triangle Land Conservancy
Guilford	Greensboro	Greensboro Science Center
Guilford	Jamestown	Guilford Technical Community College
Iredell	Troutman	Lake Norman State Park
Jackson	Dillsboro	Southwestern Community College
Lee	Sanford	Lee County Libraries
Mecklenburg	Charlotte	UNC Charlotte
Montgomery	Mount Gilead	Town Creek Indian Mound State Historic Site
Nash	Nashville	Town of Nashville
New Hanover	Carolina Beach	Cape Fear Museum of History and Science
Onslow	Swansboro	Hammocks Beach State Park
Orange	Chapel Hill	Chapel Hill Public Library
Pasquotank	Elizabeth City	College of the Albemarle
Pitt	Grifton	NC Museum of Natural Sciences at Contentnea Creek
Robeson	Lumberton	Robeson County Planetarium and Science Center
Rowan	China Grove	Rowan Public Library System
Surry	Pinnacle	Pilot Mountain State Park
Vance	Henderson	Kerr Lake State Recreation Area and Perry Memorial Library
Wake	Raleigh	NC Museum of Natural Sciences at Prairie Ridge Ecostation
Wake	Garner	Garner Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources
Wayne	Seven Springs	Cliffs of the Neuse State Park
Wilkes	Purlear	Appalachian State University Dark Sky Observatory
Wilson	Wilson	Imagination Station Science and History Museum
Yancey	Burnsville	Mayland Earth to Sky Park

 

For more information, please contact:
Amy Sayle
Coordinator, NC Statewide Star Party
Email: starparty@unc.edu 

The Statewide Star Party is made possible with the support of NC Space Grant and the NC Science Festival.

Click here for Star Party kit materials (including previous years)

Illustration Credit: Tyler Nordgren