Experience the wonders of the season 🌌
For as long as people have looked upward, the night sky has inspired our curiosity, guided our journeys, and helped us understand our place in the universe. Many of our stories are rooted in rare and remarkable sights overhead. Every so often, a rare event in the heavens becomes more than just a sight, it becomes a symbol of a season.
Join us under PARI’s dark skies, surrounded by mountain peaks and forest, as we explore the astronomical phenomena woven into our traditions and history. This season, Holidays at PARI invites you on a journey through time to uncover the science behind these celestial events.
You can choose from two ways to attend this event.
Evening & Dinner Ticket
This ticket allows one person to attend the guided event, plus:
- Enjoy a PARI provided dinner.
- Self-guided tour of our museum and operations center.
- Stay later if you wish to observe the sky.
- Arrival and departure times can be found in the ticket description.
Cabin Package
This ticket allows two people to attend the two-hour guided event, plus:
- Stay overnight in one of our well-appointed private cabin rooms. Rooms include private bathrooms, individually controlled heating and cooling, microwave, mini-fridge, Keurig pod compatible coffee maker, and complimentary bottle of wine.
- Enjoy a PARI provided dinner.
- Self-guided tour of our museum and operations center.
- Stay up late if you wish to observe the night sky.
- Enjoy a PARI provided breakfast the following morning.
- Arrival and times can be found in your ticket description. Departure is at 10am the morning after the event.
Additional attendees may join you in your cabin room by purchasing the ticket Cabin Additional Adult or Cabin Additional Child as appropriate. These must be purchased with the Cabin Package ticket. If you need to add them after your purchase, please contact us for assistance.
Available Upcoming Events:
Event dates are chosen throughout the year to highlight different aspects of the night sky.
Saturn’s Rings & Galileo’s Moons – Friday, September 22nd 2023
Seeing the rings of Saturn with your own eyes for the first time is a memory that never leaves you. The light reflected by those delicate bands of dust and ice travels across our solar system to enter your eyes, light that can never be seen exactly that way again. Pair that with the giant of a planet, Jupiter, with its four largest moons making their slow march around it, and you have a night to remember.
The Star of Bethlehem – Friday, December 12th, 2025
For centuries, people have wondered if a celestial event could be found that explains the story of the Star of Bethlehem. Was it a brilliant conjunction, a rare planetary alignment, a comet, a nova, or something else entirely? Join us as we examine the sky of two millennia ago using modern astronomical tools and historical records.
Together, we’ll explore several scientific possibilities, recreate what the night sky may have looked like at the time, and consider how a real astronomical event could have left such a lasting mark on human stories and traditions.
As a bonus, this event aligns with the annual Geminids meteor shower. After the program, and weather permitting, we’ll step outside into the darkness to watch Geminid meteors streak across the sky, an unforgettable way to end the evening.
PARI events are rain or shine. The majority of the event takes place indoors; outdoor portions will be offered only if weather and sky conditions allow. No refunds will be issued.
The viewing portion of the event is outdoors, please dress accordingly for the season and weather. Viewings are adjacent to a building with heat and restroom facilities. Outdoor seating is available, though you are welcome to bring your own outdoor folding or camp chairs if you like.
If you add multiple tickets to this purchase, you will see them appear below as Ticket #1, Ticket #2, etc. You may need to click on each one to expand it and fill out the details for each attendee.
Food allergy questions apply only to packages that include meals.
