The Ballycroy Visitor Centre will be closing for the season on Sunday October 31st. To mark the occasion and coincide with Halloween and what would normally have been the Mayo Dark Sky Festival weekend, some special events have been organised as below and in the image.
Friday – 29th October
7pm – Dark Sky Social evening with Night themed Music and reception
Mulranny Arts School, The Old Convent, Mulranny, Co. Mayo, Ireland, F28 N2Y5
This event is organised by the local community in Mulranny.
Please note this is an Over 18s event and the organisers will ask to see COVID vaccine certs
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Saturday – 30th October
7.30pm Lantern Walk at Letterkeen
Halloween stories and local tales. All ages welcome but prior booking required.
Please bring along your own lantern if you have one (pumpkin, turnip, or jam jar all good ideas for making your own).
The 2km walk at Letterkeen will be in the dark. High viz vests and/or red light torches welcome if you do not have a lantern, most importantly sturdy footwear and layers of clothing to keep warm.
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Sunday – 31st October (REMEMBER CLOCKS GO BACK!!)
From 4.30pm – Dark Sky Social & Halloween Traditions at the Ballycroy Visitor Centre
Something for all the family with Pumpkin Carving Demonstration, Circus 250 Light Jugglers, Guided Walk, Magic followed by a small reception to close the evening.
Feel free to bring your own lanterns and/or home-made Halloween masks as part of the fun.
Guided walk will be in darkness – high vis vests and/or red light torches welcome (please avoid white light). Dress warmly with lots of layers and wear sturdy shoes.
Annoucement re Mayo Dark Sky Festival 2021
We just wanted to let you know that this year’s Mayo Dark Sky Festival, which was due to take place 29-31 October, will not go ahead as originally planned.
We have been trying to find a way to proceed with a hybrid festival of online and physical events, but, with the ever-evolving landscape of Covid restrictions, this has just proven unworkable.
The 2020 Virtual Dark Sky Festival was a great success, with over 1,300 people registering for our one-day online event. The stunning natural skies of Mayo, home to Ireland’s first internationally recognised dark sky park, were celebrated in 25 countries across the globe, which brought us such joy in the midst of strict lockdowns.
We are sad not to be hosting a festival this year, but feel it is the right decision and that we need to play our part as the world transitions slowly out of this global pandemic. We cannot wait to welcome people back to our communities and share our passion for unpolluted dark skies with as many people as possible. I am delighted to say that all of the speakers we had lined up for virtual talks have already signed up to speak in person at our 2022 Festival, which will take place 4 – 6 November 2022 across many venues along Mayo’s coastline, including Newport, Mulranny and Ballycroy.
If you do happen to be in Mayo next weekend, we have organised some low-key social events in venues around the Park. These events will adhere to prevailing covid restrictions, and more details will be announced in the coming days.
Wishing you all good health and clear skies!
Fiona, Georgia, and all the Festival committee