For ten nights each October, the Alberta Rockies town of Jasper looks up. The Jasper Dark Sky Festival runs Friday, Oct. 16 to Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, and it's a fitting setting: Jasper National Park is the second-largest Dark Sky Preserve on the planet, designated by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada back in 2011 for its exceptionally low light pollution. It's also one of just 17 such preserves in Canada.

The programme spreads across the townsite and the park rather than one central site, with dozens of listings beyond the six featured events. Highlights for 2026 include the Slooh Airstream, a free mobile astronomy hub parked at 635 Connaught Dr. daily from noon to 9 p.m., where you can learn about remote telescopes. If you want elevation with your astronomy, the Sun to Stars evening pairs a Jasper Planetarium presentation with a Jasper SkyTram ride up Whistlers Mountain to the Upper Station's telescope stations — running Oct. 16, 17, 23 and 24 from 5 to 11 p.m., from $87.75 for kids and $135 for adults, plus fees.

There's culture too. On Saturday, Oct. 17, strings from the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra perform under the stars at Fairmont Jasper Lodge ($135, or $399 with dinner, plus fees). On Friday, Oct. 23, downtown Jasper hosts Art After Dark, a free evening of live music and performances from 6 to 9 p.m., and CTV science specialist Dan Riskin breaks down the Artemis II mission at Evil Dave's Grill ($75 plus fees). The finale is a free Bahamas concert — Canadian folk-rocker Afie Jurvanen — at Commemoration Park on Saturday, Oct. 24 from 5:30 to 8:15 p.m., followed by a drone show.

Practicalities: some events are free but may still need advance registration, so check individual listings. Indoor events are general admission; for outdoor ones bring a chair. Terrain can be uneven for wheelchair users, so organisers suggest contacting them ahead about accessibility. And this is the Rocky Mountains in October — pack proper winter layers, mitts and a warm hat for evening sessions.

Getting there is part of the trip. Highway 16 runs through the park, and the scenic Icefields Parkway links Jasper to Lake Louise and Banff — check road conditions in autumn. Prefer not to drive? Sundog Tours runs buses from both Calgary and Edmonton.

October is usually shoulder season in the Rockies, so pairing dark skies with quieter trails and lower accommodation rates makes this a smart autumn trip — and Dark Sky Month means the whole park leans into the theme. Whether you're an astronomy nerd, a classical music fan or just want to see a drone show over mountain silhouettes, the festival's mix of free and ticketed events works for most budgets.