SoMa in the Dark: Path of Totality Eclipse Watch Party

The main event! The SoMa in the Dark: Path of Totality Eclipse Watch Party provides a viewing space for downtown Little Rock residents and visitors on historic South Main Street. The event will educate and entertain residents of all ages through a variety of activations.

About the Total Solar Eclipse
Begins: Mon, Apr 8, 2024 at 12:33 p.m.
Maximum: Mon, Apr 8, 2024 at 1:52 p.m. 1.005 Magnitude
Ends: Mon, Apr 8, 2024 at 3:11 p.m.
Duration: 2 hours, 38 minutes
Totality: 2 minutes, 29 seconds

What you can expect at the SoMa Watch Party:
👀 A viewing area from 12th to 17th Streets complete with seats, telescopes, refreshments, viewing glasses and other amenities down the center of Main Street.

✂️ A diorama contest where entrants will create a diorama of what happens in a total solar eclipse. Adults and students alike are invited to participate in the diorama contest … a throwback for adults and a school project for students. Entrants will be able to enter the contest starting January 1, before the eclipse, and work on it until the watch party, when they will go on display for viewing and judging. With three categories, 5–10 yrs, 11–17 yrs, 18+ yrs, all ages can take part in the fun. Build the best representation of what occurs during an eclipse. Prizes and trophies will be awarded for each bracket.

☀️Astro Market: The local scientific community will come out and set up booths in the heart of SoMa for visitors to explore and learn. The only thing for sale is the enjoyment of science! The science market will have hands-on astronomy workshops that make learning about the eclipse and celestial wonders both fun and enlightening.

-Shoebox Eclipse Simulator – Measuring angular size and distance to understand the solar and lunar proportions that result in solar eclipses. Create a shoebox eclipse simulator using triangles and proportions, and then apply what’s learned about angular size to predict the diameter and distance of one object that can be eclipsed by another.

-Exploring size and distance – How can the moon hide the sun? Using balls, patrons will explore how distance affects perception.

-Eclipse models – Residents will inspect and judge the entrants of the diorama contest.

-A Look Through a Tiny Hole in a Cardboard Box Down Memory Lane – An exhibit of how eclipses have been viewed and experienced over the years including both the fact and myths.

🌙 Eclipse Photography Contest: Residents and visitors can capture the awe-inspiring moments of the eclipse and participate in the photography contest, celebrating the beauty of this celestial phenomenon.

Be sure to join us Friday, April 5, for SoMa (After Dark) In The Dark Night Shopping and 5k Glow Run and Saturday, April 6 for the SoMa in the Dark: Path of Totality Eclipse Festival.