With temperatures rising and school doors closing, many of us are already daydreaming about vacations, beach days, cookouts… all the highlights of the season. However, as far as our astronomer friends are concerned, summer has yet to truly begin. On June 20, the sun will reach its northernmost point in the sky and shine down on an earth maximally tilted on its axis for the Northern Hemisphere’s longest day of the year—the summer solstice. Cultures around the world have celebrated the change of seasons since before we understood the delicate dance of the solar system. Here are some of the ways people mark the occasion across the West.
1. Nighttime Hike in Colorado Springs, CO
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Wonder as you wander the Garden of the Gods on the shortest night of the year. The Colorado Springs Astronomical Society is hosting a Summer Solstice Hike beginning at 8:30 p.m., offering a unique opportunity to experience the park at night and stargaze with the guidance of astronomers. Tickets can be purchased for as little as $5.
2. Exploring an Art Installation in Box Elder County, UT
The ancient tradition of crafting art which captures the symmetry of the astronomical calendar has continued into our modern era. Nancy Holt’s 1976 installation “Sun Tunnels,” which lies in the Great Basin Desert, is one of these pieces. It consists of four concrete tubes, large enough to stand in and pierced with holes representing major constellations, arranged in a cross to align with the sun’s rising and setting on the Summer (and Winter) Solstice. The Utah Museum of Fine Arts created this guide for visitors.
3. Sunrise Viewing in San Juan County, NM
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Welcome the summer solstice just as ancient, Indigenous people did in New Mexico. Aztec Ruins National Monument will welcome visitors at 5:30 a.m. on June 20 to watch the sun rise in perfect alignment with the north wall of the Aztec West great house. Afterwards, visitors can enter the Great Kiva to observe the sun shine from the building’s east doorway into a niche on its west wall. On June 21, Chaco Culture National Historical Park will host a sunrise viewing at Casa Riconda to watch the sun burst through a window directly into a niche on the opposite wall. Be sure to arrive early, as only the first 100 people to arrive will be able to participate.
4. Summer Solstice Celebration in Santa Barbara, CA
The Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Celebration is one of the United State’s most famous solstice events. This year, the festivities begin on the afternoon of Friday, June 20, and lasts till Sunday evening. It features three stages with performances from favorite local artists, a special area with activities geared toward kids, and myriad food and shopping vendors. The festival’s main event, however, is its Summer Solstice Parade, which begins Saturday midday and travels through the streets of Santa Barbara to arrive at the festival grounds.
5. Visiting a Petroglyph in Petrified Forest National Park, AZ
Markings left by Indigenous peoples to commemorate annual astrological events are scattered across the Southwest. One such example is the solar petroglyph in Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park. The small spiral shape was carved into a boulder by ancestral Puebloans, before they had to abandon the village of Puerco Pueblo due to changes in the climate in the late fourteenth century. Each year, for a two-week period around the summer solstice, a shaft of sunlight passes across the boulder to touch the center of the spiral.
6. Solstice Parade in Fremont, WA
This year, the 34th Annual Fremont Solstice Parade will take the streets of Seattle on the afternoon of Saturday, June 21. It features more than 60 local ensembles, including stilt walkers, floats, giant puppets and more. The parade’s destination is the Fremont Fair, or “Seattle’s biggest summer welcome party!”
7. Midnight Sun in Fairbanks, AK
Due to its proximity to the North Pole, Alaska sees more daylight hours during the summer solstice than any other U.S. state. And what else to do with up to 24 daylight hours, but play baseball? On June 20, the Alaska Goldpanners will play their 120th Annual Midnight Sun Game. Despite the game’s hour, zero artificial lighting is needed—so don’t forget to pack sunscreen. Before the first pitch, enjoy live music, food, and shopping at the nearby Midnight Sun Festival in downtown Fairbanks.