Scottish Dark Sky festival expands with events including 'sauna and the stars'

The festival has been organised by the South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA) and the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere Partnership to mark the start of the region’s five-month Dark Sky Season. It celebrates some of the least light-polluted skies in Europe, including Galloway Forest Park, which in 2009 became one of the first places in the world to be named a Gold Tier International Dark Sky Park.

Among the newly added events is Whisky in the Dark at Moffat Distillery, where guests taste the distillery’s new Dark Sky Festival whisky without the distraction of sight. In the Borders, Sauna and Stars at Monteviot House near Jedburgh pairs a sauna session with the night sky. At Glentrool Hive, the team behind the new Scottish Dark Sky Observatory will give talks on solar exploration and astrophotography, and in Newton Stewart, folk band Kissing the Flint will play a concert under the stars.

They join previously announced events including dusk red deer safaris at Gledpark near Kirkcudbright, evening openings at the Moffat Community Observatory and a stargazing evening at Kailzie Estate near Peebles with the Tweeddale Astronomical Society. Several events are free, including an astronomy night at Dumfries Museum.

David Hope-Jones OBE, Chief Executive of the SSDA, said: “More than 50 events in the festival’s first year is a brilliant response from businesses and communities across the South of Scotland. Our dark skies are among the best in Europe, and they’re right on our doorstep.

“Whether it’s a whisky tasting, live music or a sauna on a cold night, I’d encourage people to come out this month and enjoy them.”

Full listings and booking details for the festival which begins on Friday are at scotlandstartshere.com/darksky/darkskyfestival.