ROCHESTER, NY, February 8, 2023 – On Monday, April 8, 2024, at 3:20pm, Rochester will sit directly in the path of a total solar eclipse and experience 3 minutes and 38 seconds of complete totality.
The RMSC will be celebrating the eclipse with a 3-day festival, ROC The Eclipse, filled with hands-on activities, speakers, live entertainment, eclipse merch, food trucks, and more.
After totality on Monday, rising country singing sensation and Columbia Nashville Recording artist Dylan Marlowe, will take center stage on the RMSC campus. Dylan Marlowe is known for his hit singles “Boys Back Home,” “Record High,” and “I Will (When You Do)”.
Eclipse Weekend Confirmed Activities:
Notable Keynote Speakers:
- Phil Plait: American astronomer, skeptic, and popular science blogger, otherwise known as The Bad Astronomer
- Cate Larsen: TikTok influencer and educator (also known as the Groovy Geologist),
Dates and times for these and additional speakers are to be announced soon!
Events:
- After Dark–Galactic Getdown (Saturday, April 6 | 6:30–10:30pm): This 21+ event will give visitors a chance to celebrate the Total Solar Eclipse with friends and will feature a Silent Disco at the RMSC Strasenburgh Planetarium. NYC Astronomy on Tap will be hosting space bar trivia and featuring two local astronomy researchers. Eclipse-themed drinks will be available for purchase.
- Eclipse 2024!: The RMSC Strasenburgh Planetarium will present a captivating new show, Eclipse 2024! designed to enlighten audiences about the awe-inspiring phenomena surrounding a total solar eclipse. Shows throughout the festival weekend will be on a first-come, first-served basis and are included with festival admission.
Programs:
- Electricity Theater shows
- Science on a Sphere 3D projection shows
- Hands-on activities
- Science experiments
- Solar telescope viewing
- Survival of the Slowest live animal encounters
Historically, the last time the Rochester region experienced a total solar eclipse was in 1925. After April 8, 2024, the next time our region will experience totality will be in 2144. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the people of Western New York.
“ROC the Eclipse is part of a culmination of celebrations that we’ve been working towards for years,” said Daniel Schneiderman, Eclipse Partnership Coordinator at the RMSC. “From community partnerships that we’ve been building up to immersive hands-on experiences that you won’t find anywhere else, ROC the Eclipse will have something for everyone under the sun”
Tickets, eclipse glasses, and eclipse merchandise for the ROC The Eclipse Festival are now on sale. Visitors will have the choice to purchase 1-day passes or 3-day passes at a discounted rate. Tickets include admission to the RMSC Museum & Science Center + the Strasenburgh Planetarium.
Visitors can use their admission to the Festival towards the purchase of a full-year membership to the RMSC. RMSC Members will have free access to everything happening during the festival weekend, including the Planetarium shows. Space is limited on a first come, first served basis.
For more information about the 2024 eclipse, and other activities happening on the RMSC Campus or at the RMSC Cumming Nature Center, and to learn how to get involved, go to rmsc.org or rochestereclipse2024.org, rmsc.org, or follow the official Rochester Solar Eclipse pages on all social media platforms (@rocsolareclipse). You can sign up for ROC 2024 Total Solar Eclipse e-mails here.
The ROC the Eclipse Festival could not have been made possible without the support of Audio Images, Empire State Development, GreenSpark Solar, Karpus Investment Management, L3Harris, Optimax, and SUNY Brockport.
The mission of the RMSC is to inspire a better future for all through curiosity, exploration, and participation in science, culture, and the natural world. The RMSC includes the RMSC Museum & Science Center, the RMSC Strasenburgh Planetarium, and the RMSC Cumming Nature Center. Offering experiences at the Museum & Science Center with more than 200 interactive exhibits, the Planetarium with a 65-foot dome screen and several hands-on exhibits, and the Nature Center on 900 acres of land and 14 miles of trails, the RMSC stimulates community interest in exploration. In addition, the more than 1.2 million RMSC collection items tell the story of the Rochester Region's past and present, including its rich history of social and technological innovation. RMSC receives major funding from Monroe County, where it is one of the top five most visited attractions serving children and families.
For more information about the RMSC, visit rmsc.org. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
Please contact Lyndsay Compitello if you plan on attending an RMSC event or would like to receive free admission for a story and/or photography. This ensures that the appropriate personnel will be available on the day of your visit.
