Dark Skies Hertford returns for 2026

Dark Skies Hertford was originally conceived in 2022 with the intention to sow seeds among individuals, businesses and the community to make steps towards darker skies and better quality lighting in towns and cities.

It has been a fantastic way of raising awareness about light pollution whilst Hertford Town to come together and celebrate the night sky. Surrounding lights are switched off to remove unwanted glare that inhibits people’s ability to see the night sky clearly.

The event also brings in experts and enthusiasts to share knowledge and inspire each other. Bayfordbury Observatory: University of Hertfordshire, Hertford Astronomy Group, Herts Amphibian and Reptile Group and Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust participated in the first event and have come back every year. In addition, BEAM Hertford, the local theatre and cinema, have added another dimension, while CPRE Hertfordshire have joined too to enable the event to grow.

Cinema Screening 

‘The City Dark’ film by Ian Cheney was shown in 2025 to a sold out audience in Screen 1 of Beam Theatre. This feature documentary about light pollution questions our need to see the night sky and how important the human relationship with the night sky really is.

The film was accompanied by an educational talk from Simon Thorp from LAPD Lighting that expanded upon elements missing from the film – namely the impact of LEDS as the film pre-dated their arrival.

This year the film will be ‘Night Burns Like Cigarettes’ by Elisabeth Felson and it will also be accompanied by a talk by Simon that raises awareness about light pollution.

The Castle

The event plans for the possibility of clouds by including indoor talks and activities relating to light pollution by Bayfordbury Observatory, Herts Amphibian and Reptile Group and LAPD, along with a mobile planetarium from Bayfordbury Observatory.

Hertford Astronomy Group project onto the ceiling inside the castle, produce slide shows on the wall, demonstrate equipment and display amazing astrophotography.

Children have indoor entertainment too. New York Times bestselling author Alice Hemming uses shadow puppets to re-tell some of her stories which have messages about dark skies within them. The Sun Thief and A Walk in the Dark both have educational aspects about them.

Each year has had clear skies and Hertford Astronomy group have various telescopes available for people to look at different stars and constellations.

Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust talk about the effects of artificial lighting on wildlife. They also conduct nocturnal nature walks throughout the event for children and adults to observe nature in darkness.

CPRE Hertfordshire, the countryside charity, provide the opportunity to spot star constellations and measure the clarity of the night sky by doing star counts.

LAPD Lighting conduct visual experiments that demonstrated the human perception of colour after dark.

Stoane Lighting provide a small amount of lighting with a PC Amber LED chip to minimise disruption to the surrounding ecology before the switch off. 

When the lights are switched off Bayfordbury Obervatory talk through the starry night sky. People stand and look up, sit on camping chairs, or just lye on picnic blankets looking up at the stars.

A key factor in creating this event is to ensure that dark skies are not perceived as something to be seen only in remote, rural areas, or further afield. Ultimately, one day, we will achieve dark skies in built up areas too.

For more information and how to attend, visit: https://www.hertford.gov.uk/events-listings/dark-skies-2026/