StarFest 2026
Dates: November 6-8, 2026
Where: Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium
Registration Rates:
- Registration: $240
- BMAC Members: $225
- Full-time Student Rate (Grades 6 and above) : $168
- Please note this is for full-time students of any age. Sorry, “student of life” doesn’t count.
- Young Astronomer (Grades K – 5) : $96
- Proto-Astronomer (Grades up through Pre-K) : $48
To be fair to our registered delegates, there are no walk-ins nor “visits.” Please register each person.
If you would like to be added to the StarFest mailing list, please click here.
Important Update: The registration deadline has been extended to midnight on Friday, October 16. However, any registrations received after Monday, October 12 are not guaranteed to receive a commemorative T-shirt in their size.
Registration for StarFest 2026 is now open!
Attendance will be limited and registration must be received by the deadline, October 16, 2026, 11:59pm.
How to Register:
Online Registration – Click the link below.
- This will take you directly to the StarFest 2026 event in CivicRec, the City of Kingsport’s interface for all activities and rentals.
- If you already have a user account, just log in. If you are not in the system, you’ll set up a new user account with password. You can add additional family members to your account.
- Once logged in, you will find the event on the Catalog page – Click on the Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium button near the top of the page, then scroll down to BMP Astronomy/Observing and click on BMP Astronomy Ticketed Events to see the StarFest 2026 event.
- Scroll down to select the Account Member and Quantity to add a registration to your cart. If registering additional family members, please add them to the cart individually. Also, please remember that you must register each individual that will be attending meals and activities, even if they are a small child.
- To complete the registration process – click the Checkout button in your cart.
- Make your personalized choices like T-shirt size, vegetarian options, additional T-shirt orders, etc. for each registrant.
- Click on the Submit Responses button to complete the payment process.
- When complete, you’ll receive an email with your receipt for registration.
To Pay by Check – Click the button below to download the registration form.
- Please complete a separate sheet for each person registering.
- Send in the registration form(s) along with a check to the address listed on the bottom of the form.
- We’ll send you a confirmation to your email when we receive your registration form.
Bays Mountain StarFest 2026:
“Back to the Moon…To Stay”
Greetings Everyone!
The 41st StarFest at Bays Mountain Park is soon upon us. Expect beautiful fall colors, cooler weather, and lots of astronomy fun for this astronomical convention / star party. The event is hosted by the Bays Mountain Astronomy Club (BMAC) and the Bays Mountain Park Association. It is being held November 6-8, 2026. StarFest is run as a non-profit event, so the registration fee is as low as possible to cover our expenses.
The theme of this year’s event is “Back to the Moon…to Stay.” With the success that we saw with Artemis II and the recent changes to the Artemis program missions, this is an exciting time for human exploration of the Moon! NASA’s current schedule is for the Artemis III orbital rendezvous mission to take place sometime in 2027, and the Artemis IV lunar landing at the Moon’s south pole in 2028. Each of our four speakers is a contributor to humankind’s efforts to explore the Moon and expand our knowledge of Earth’s nearest neighbor.
This year’s speaker lineup will give us an amazing overview of the Artemis program, telling us how astronauts will get to the Moon, and what we hope to learn by maintaining a presence there for an extended period. Over the weekend we will also enjoy five great meals, door prizes, and telescope viewing*.
In addition to all the StarFest activities, public programs and activities will be available at the park, such as the wildlife exhibits, planetarium shows, barge rides, and plenty of trails to explore. Admission to all public programs is included in the StarFest registration fee. A unique facet of StarFest is a commemorative T-shirt with one-of-a-kind artwork that is included with each registration. Extra T-shirts can be pre-ordered.
This three-day long gathering is filled with great activities but also makes sure there’s quality free time for you to explore the Park and enjoy the camaraderie of your fellow StarFesters.
SPECIAL NOTE – Check-in at the park will begin at noon on Friday, which will give registrants free access to all Bays Mountain programs from Friday afternoon through Sunday!
Registration includes everything. There are three levels of student discounts available. The student discount is quite generous to continue our long-term support of student involvement. If you cancel your registration by the October 9, 2026 deadline, you will receive a full refund. No refunds after that date.
Greg Penner – StarFest 2026 Chair
*Note: We’ll have public observing sessions in the fall, including the Saturday of StarFest. Delegates wanting to share day or night observing with other delegates or the public do so at their discretion. Personal observing is always an option.
Sleeping Accommodations
Marriott MeadowView Conference Center & Resort
Special Room Rate – $145.00/night
For those wanting a little more comfort in the evening, we have arranged for a special rate at the Marriott MeadowView Resort located just 3 miles from the park. This is the closest and also the most luxurious amenity in the Tri-Cities region. It is a four+ star facility. Use the button link below or call the MeadowView Hotel (423-578-6600) and ask for the StarFest rate. This $145.00 + tax rate is guaranteed up to October 19, 2026. There are also five other hotels within a quarter mile of MeadowView for more options.
Sleeping at Bays Mountain Park
If you want to sleep within the Park grounds (at no additional charge!), you can bring a small camper / popup, sleep in your car, pitch a tent or use a hammock. StarFest is the only event of the entire year in which we allow non-primitive camping.
The Park does NOT have showers, but the bathrooms will remain open and camp fires are NOT allowed in the Park.
RV/Camper:
- You can set up in the large lot just above the observatories.
- For those using a generator, please set up in the overflow parking by the Maintenance Building which is located up past the Farmstead Museum.
Tent Camping:
- If you want to pitch a tent or use a hammock, a great area is uphill, back behind the Zip Line up towards the Maintenance Building. This space will be out of the way of the general public and more secluded.
- Please, do not pitch a tent anywhere near the parking lots nor observatory.
- Also make sure tree damage does not occur.
Keynote Speakers & Activities:
Kent Criswell
Title: “Artemis: Return to the Moon”
Abstract:
Through the Artemis program, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly complex missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, establish an enduring human presence on the lunar surface, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars. Kent Criswell with NASA’s Human Landing Systems Program at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama will discuss upcoming Artemis missions and the landers that will safely carry astronauts from lunar orbit to the Moon’s surface and back.
Bio:
Lead systems engineer and Blue Origin integrator for NASA’s Human Landing System Program at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. In this role, he integrates the HLS technical experts and the Blue Origin team members together to assure the government requirements are successfully met for certification of Blue Origin’s lunar landing systems for NASA’s future crewed missions to the Moon. Criswell has 18 years of experience with NASA providing technical expertise and project management for a variety of agency initiatives, including work on the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket as the core stage intertank subsystem manager and Exploration Upper Stage integration lead.
Sarah Elizabeth McCandless
Title: “Moonbound Again: Artemis II and the Return of Humans to Deep Space”
Abstract:
We’re back! The successful Artemis-II mission returned humans to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years in early April. Come learn more about this historic mission, how you navigate a spacecraft to the Moon, and how humans make that a little tricky! If that wasn’t cool enough, you’ll be able to see some incredible photographs and learn more about the crew that made this all possible. Join us!
Bio:
Sarah Elizabeth McCandless works for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) as a navigation engineer. She has flown thirteen different missions exploring our solar system, including Artemis I & II, the Mars Perseverance rover, and Europa Clipper. Working as an “interplanetary Google maps”, she ensures we know a spacecraft’s location and can precisely predict its trajectory to ensure successful orbit insertion about or landing on another planet or body. In 2024, she was selected for NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) Campaign 7 Mission 3 and served as an “analog astronaut”, simulating a 45-day mission to Mars at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. McCandless earned a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering and minor in French at the University of Kansas, and earned a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, focusing on orbital mechanics. Outside of work, she enjoys running, camping, piloting Cessna 172s and traveling with friends and family. She is active in STEM outreach, volunteers with the Junior League of Pasadena, and serves at Church of Our Saviour.
Planetarium Program
“Living Worlds”
Earth is a planet shaped by life. From the forests that help stabilize our climate, to the winds carrying life-sustaining water and oxygen to far-flung parts of the globe, the fingerprints of life are visible even from many light years away.
Whether earthly or alien, all life leaves a trace. Join narrator Daveed Diggs on a journey through space and time to discover how life makes Earth liveable, where it could be found elsewhere in the cosmos, and what new technologies we might use to find it. Along the way, you’ll learn how light and color can help us spot other living worlds even from vast distances—and develop a new appreciation for the one-of-a-kind planet right beneath our feet.
Show length ~25 min.
This program is followed by a quick look at the constellations, planets and other celestial wonders visible in the night sky from our region.
Panel Discussion
This presentation will be a guided discussion with our keynote speakers. Its purpose is to give insight into the people behind the professional titles. It will be quite interesting to see how each responds to the questions posed!
Paul Crawford
Title: “Moon Base: Living and Working on the Lunar Surface”
Abstract:
The Moon Base is humanity’s first lunar outpost, a place where astronauts will live, work, and explore near the Moon’s South Pole. Through a series of crewed and uncrewed missions, NASA and its partners will build the infrastructure needed to support an enduring human presence on the lunar surface while advancing science, technology, and exploration for the benefit of all.
Bio:
Paul Crawford currently serves as the Chief Safety and Mission Assurance Officer for the Multi-Purpose Habitat, a pressurized lunar habitat developed in partnership with the Italian Space Agency in support of the Moon Base Program. Crawford studied applied physics at the University of Utah. Now stationed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, he brings 36 years of experience supporting NASA in various roles. Starting in 1990 as a co-op student, he has served at a manufacturing plant for the Space Shuttle Program, as a diver in MSFC’s Neutral Buoyancy Simulator, as an integration lead for the Space Shuttle’s solid rocket motors, and as the Chief Safety and Mission Assurance Officer for the Space Nuclear Propulsion Project. Most recently, Crawford was the safety lead for the team that human-rated the Flacon 9 and Atlas V rockets for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
Molly McCanta
Title: “Geologic Lessons from the Moon: Applying 50 Years of Apollo Sample Analysis to Upcoming Artemis Missions”
Abstract:
The return of samples from known locations on the Moon during the Apollo program resulted in the development of new geologic paradigms to interpret the data. Although the rocks were returned over 50 years ago, they continue to be mined for geologic information due to the advent of new analytical tools. Multiple geologic paradigms were developed as a result of Apollo observations that fundamentally changed our understanding of planetary formation and evolution. New scientific questions have arisen in the years since which require additional exploration and sample return to be accomplished during the Artemis missions. I will present information regarding lunar geology, geologic discoveries of the Apollo program, and what future geochemical exploration holds.
Bio:
Molly McCanta received her BS in Geological Sciences from the University of Oregon and MS and PhD in Geological Sciences from Brown University. Following postdocs at the Lunar and Planetary Institute and Caltech, she’s currently the Gerald Sisk Professor of Mineralogy and Petrology at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Her research is centered on analytical and experimental petrology and focuses on constraining volcanic processes in terrestrial subduction zones and throughout the solar system, including the Moon, Mars, Venus, and several meteorite parent bodies.
Meals:
What’s StarFest without great food? [Dare we call our event StarFeast?] We think you’ll be excited about our menu. Please pay attention if you want the vegetarian option for any specific meal in case you don’t want the main dish.
Friday Dinner
- Pulled pork sandwiches
- Vegetarian- Black Bean burgers
- Beans, Mac and Cheese, Salad with dressings, Grilled Veggies, Sweet and Unsweetened Tea and Lemonade.
Saturday Breakfast
- Biscuits & Gravy
- Potato Casserole, Eggs, Bacon, Fruit Trays, Juice and Coffee
Saturday Lunch
- Delicious deli sandwiches on freshly baked authentic New York sesame, whole wheat and plain bagels with Boar’s Head brand roast beef, turkey, or black forest ham. All with cheese, tomatoes and lettuce.
- Vegetarian: vegetable cream cheese spread on a bagel, topped with thinly sliced cucumbers lettuce and tomato
- Antipasto Salad, Garden Salad, Special Cupcakes from Little Cake Bakery (Blackberry, Apple Crunch & Red Velvet), Sweet & Unsweet Iced Tea
Saturday Dinner
- Chicken Penne Alfredo
- Vegetarian – Vegetable Lasagne with Marinara Sauce
- Salad with dressings, Garlic bread, Cookies and Brownies, Sweet and Unsweetened Tea
Sunday Breakfast
- Pancakes
- Sausage, Fruit Trays, Pastry Trays, Juice and Coffee
Bays Mountain Park Public Programs & Activities
As always, the schedule allows for many opportunities to enjoy other park programming. Note, with your StarFest badge, you can receive free, on November 6-8, 2026, entrance to the Park and passes to planetarium shows, nature programs and barge rides. Yes, you need your stinkin’ badge! Check the Park’s scheduling calendar for details.
Barge rides are a 45 min. tour of the lake and its natural habitats. Nature programs are different for each time provided, so check the Park’s scheduling calendar for details.
The Bays Mountain Astronomy Club and Bays Mountain Park Association look forward to seeing you for StarFest 2026!
For Questions:
- About StarFest registration, activities, etc. – Greg Penner; StarFest 2026 Chairman
- Related to Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium – Jason Dorfman; Program Coordinator; 423-245-3176
Pets
The park allows dogs, but they must be on a leash at all times, cleaned up after and not allowed near any of the animal habitats nor in any of the buildings.