Rochester eclipse: RMSC will hold three-day festival ahead of total solar eclipse

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The skies over Rochester will go dark as the shadow of the moon covers the sun on April 8.

The Rochester Museum and Science Center will celebrate the total solar eclipse with a three-day festival that begins Saturday, April 6 and runs through eclipse day, Monday, April 8. The festival will include live music, keynote speakers, food trucks, and oppurinities to learn about the science behind the eclipse.

The celebration also includes Planetarium shows throughout each day, outdoor telescopes, and singing Tesla Coil shows. You can get tickets to the celebration and learn more here.

On Saturday, the museum will host the After Dark–Galactic Getdown, a silent disco with a space bar trivia featuring two local astronomy researchers and eclipse-themed drinks. It will run from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the Strasenburgh Planetarium. You can get tickets for the silent disco here.

After the eclipse’s totality on Monday, rising country music star Dylan Marlowe will perform at RMSC. He’s the singer of “Boys Back Home,” “Record High,” and “I Will (When You Do)”.

The eclipse will begin its totality over Rochester at 3:20 p.m. and will last 3 minutes and 38 seconds. To protect your eyes from the sun while watching the eclipse, you need a pair of eclipse glasses which are available at the RMSC gift shop.