A celebration of dark skies

A NEW ten-day Dark Sky Festival is coming to the the region this October to celebrate the start of the Dark Sky Season.
The South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA) and the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere Partnership have announced the inaugural South of Scotland Dark Sky Festival, running from 9 to 18 October 2026.
It will bring together events, experiences and special accommodation offers across the region, celebrating some of the least light-polluted skies in Europe while making the case for protecting them.
The news comes as planning approval has now been granted for a new Scottish Dark Sky Observatory near New Galloway, a £1.5m facility that will include two observing domes and a 360-degree planetarium built on the site of the former Clatteringshaws Visitor Centre.
David Hope-Jones OBE, alliance chief executive, said: “The South of Scotland has something which most people have never experienced in their lives - true darkness.
“The Dark Sky Festival is about sharing this with the world: informing people about the importance of dark skies and the hundreds of magical experiences that can be had in true darkness, inspiring people to come and experience our dark skies themselves, and establishing the South as Scotland’s leading dark skies destination.
“It’s far more than simply star-gazing; it’s taking time to stop, turn off your devices and immerse yourself in the nature of true darkness.”
Across the ten days, a wide range of events will take place throughout Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders, including dusk red deer safaris at Gledpark near Kirkcudbright, bat evenings at the Crannog Dark Sky Centre in Castle Douglas, events at the Moffat Community Observatory, a dusk wild swim, sauna and storytelling evening.
Further events will be announced over the coming weeks, such as nature-at-night experiences, moonshine distillery tours, and astro-photography workshops.
The festival aims to highlight the value of dark skies and the need to safeguard them, as well as build awareness among visitors, businesses and communities about why those protections matter.
Ed Forrest, of Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere, added: “October’s festival will encompass South Scotland’s immensity of nature, beauty, imagination and innovation, raising awareness of our Gold Tier Dark Sky Park designation and its importance in safeguarding our environments and cultural heritage. The festival will bring positive impacts for local communities and businesses and will encourage people to come and make incredible memories here.”