Dark Skies: The City Dark (PG*) with introduction and post film talk by Simon Thorp

Building on the success of 2024, Dark Skies will be back in 2025! 

This Hertford Town Council community event celebrates the night skies by switching off artificial lights to allow the stars to be seen without glare or local upward light. Groups of experts and enthusiasts, including LAPD Lighting Design, The University of Hertfordshire: Bayfordbury Observatory and the Hertford Astronomy Group, will come together at Hertford Castle to raise awareness of the effects of lighting at night on humans and the surrounding ecology.

As part of the event, between 3-6pm, BEAM will be showing “THE CITY DARK” – a feature documentary about light pollution followed by a related talk by lighting designer Simon Thorp, from LAPD Lighting.

The City Dark premiered at the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival. After moving to New York City from rural Maine, filmmaker Ian Cheney asks a simple question “Do we need the stars?”. Featuring stunning astrophotography and a cast of eclectic scientists, philosophers, historians and lighting designers, the film is the definitive story of light pollution and the disappearing stars.

Simon Thorp will then provide further insight into the effects of artificial light at night on our surrounding ecology and the steps we can take to minimise our impact.