Gather your friends after dark to feel small, magical, and connected
Even though I grew up in a pretty rural area, I didn’t see my first shooting star till I was around 30. I remember feeling totally delighted, surprised, and in awe, laying in the backyard of a BnB in the far northwest corner of Connecticut, watching the Perseid meteor shower in August.
I wish everyone could have that experience. Looking out into the galaxy really puts minor things into perspective, and helps you tap into the sense of wonder. You'll make great memories with your guests, and you'll all get a healthy dose of reconnecting with nature too.
So I have some suggestions for a night sky-theme party for even the least-outdoorsy host.
What you need for a grown-up stargazing party
Dark skies
This works best if you can celebrate the cosmos in a spot with little to no light pollution from a nearby city or freeway. Check this map to see the night sky quality your location, or plan a getaway.
Even if you have a tough time seeing the stars because of where you live, you can still plan a lovely backyard gathering or space themed party any time of year with these tips.
Here’s a list of meteor showers visible from the Northern Hemisphere throughout the year.
Plan to stay awake: meteors give the best show after midnight.
And plan your gathering around the new moon, so the meteors can take center stage.
Backyard gear
You’ll need the usual outdoor party basics, including probably mosquito and tick repellant.
I recommend guests bring a jacket or sweater— depending on where you are, it can get surprisingly chilly after dark, even in the middle of summer. And as the temp drops, dew will start to form on the grass and outdoor furniture and you, making it feel even cooler.
For the same reason, you’ll want to lay a waterproof tarp under your blankets or air mattresses on the grass.
Fully-reclining lounge chairs will be nice to have for anyone who doesn’t want to get right down on the ground.
And it’ll be nice to have extra, lightweight blankets for guests to wrap up.
Night vision
This is the one time you’ll want to keep the fire pit cold, or at least put it out early in the evening.
And you’ll want to keep outdoor lighting to a minimum once the sun goes down, so your eyes can adjust to the dark naturally and really see the stars and planets in high contrast.
Use green-shaded lighting if possible (it’s easier on your night-adjusted eyes), and of course use common sense to provide a safe way for guests to go back and forth to the house as needed.
You can easily repurpose a few blue or green wine bottles, and DIY a set of bottle lights for some sparkle.
Starlight snacks
Plan a menu of your summer dinner favorites. Then provide space-inspired desserts and snacks for after dark.
Gather Journal (RIP) offered this celestial menu a couple of years ago (scroll down to the Space section).
Here’s a recipe for Ebinger's Bakery-style Blackout Cake, and instructions for Moon Phase Cookies, also from Gather.
Music of the spheres
Put together a soundtrack of starry, spacey tunes. Here’s one suggested track list from NASA.
Who would you invite to your stargazing soiree? Send them the link to this article.
If you plan a stargazing party after reading this, please let me know! Tag @GreenLady.GreenArts on Instagram
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