Montreal's Planétarium is hosting a free Mars-themed party with stargazing and fire pits

Montreal's annual AstroFest is coming back bigger than ever. And this year, the red planet is the star of the show.

Set for June 7 and 8 at the Planétarium in Olympic Park, the fifth edition of the festival is completely free and open to all ages. The theme this year is Mars, la vie en rouge, with programming split across two days and capped by a full-blown space party on Saturday night.

During the day (10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and until 6 p.m. on Sunday), the site will be packed with hands-on science activities, solar observations, workshops, storytelling, and space-themed creative stations for families and kids. Highlights include water rocket launches, DIY meteorites, a Mars rover obstacle course, and a stamp-collecting scavenger hunt.

On Saturday night, the Planétarium will stay open until midnight for an immersive evening of Mars-themed programming. Expect marshmallows toasted over fire pits, telescope viewing of Mars and the Moon (weather permitting), and a DJ set by Vincent Lemieux. There will also be a double feature of space talks in the immersive dome theatre, including a session on the ethics of human space travel.

Visitors can also explore the ROUGE 2100 exhibit — an immersive look at future life on Mars — for free all weekend. Organizers note that while most AstroFest programming is free, regular Planétarium film screenings remain ticketed.

AstroFest takes place at 4801 Avenue Pierre-De Coubertin and is accessible by Viau metro, BIXI, and multiple STM bus lines. Food vendors will be on-site, and telescope viewing will move indoors if it rains.

The full festival schedule is available at espacepourlavie.ca.

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