“ROC the Eclipse” Festival is the Best Place to View the Eclipse in New York

Rochester, New York is the largest city on the eastern part of the path of totality and the nearest city to New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. To celebrate, Rochester is hosting a three-day “ROC the Eclipse Festival” and many other viewing parties and events. In fact, Rochester has been named one of the best cities to watch the 2024 eclipse by National Geographic, Fodor's and Thrillist.

WATCH THE ECLIPSE IN THE PATH OF TOTALITY: WHY ROCHESTER, NY IS THE PLACE TO BE

A total solar eclipse happens when the moon covers the sun, turning day into night. The “time of totality” in Rochester, NY will last 3 minutes, 38 seconds and give total darkness. That’s twice as long as the total solar eclipse from 2017.

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You have SO many options throughout the Rochester region. Rochester will have 3 days of festivities the weekend of Saturday, April 6th through Monday, April 8th. Make sure to stop by and learn more about the eclipse or join them on the day of the eclipse (April 8) to celebrate 3 minutes and 38 seconds of complete totality.

Look forward to the ROC the Eclipse Festival events:

• A FREE concert after totality with rising Columbia Nashville sensation, Dylan Marlowe.
• Live stage performances
• ️ Extraordinary speakers
• Hands-on activities
• Food trucks
• And SO much more!

Members of the Rochester Museum and Science Center receive free admission to the festival! Please call 585.271.4320 or email info@rmsc.org to register with your membership, or become a member TODAY!

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I got to speak with Hillary Olson, President and CEO of the Rochester Museum and Science Center and Debra Ross, Co-Chair of the Rochester Eclipse Task Force and American Astronomical Society National Eclipse Task Force, and they were able to share all the details on the solar eclipse, how to watch and why Rochester may be the best viewing location.

Check Out My ROC the Eclipse Interview HERE:

Website: www.visitrochester.com

Debra Ross is the founder and publisher of the community websites KidsOutAndAbout.com (for parents who want to know what’s happening locally for families) and BeyondTheNest.com (for older adults who want to learn about local arts, culture, and recreation events). This network started in Rochester 23 years ago and now serves 52 regions in the U.S. and Canada, with 15 million visitors per year and 800,000 subscribers to a weekly e-newsletter. After the American Astronomical Society’s Solar Eclipse Task Force held its meeting in the Rochester area in 2022, they asked Debra to co-chair the national task force to help other communities learn from how Rochester has been preparing.

Hillary Olson is President and CEO of the Rochester Museum and Science Center. Hillary has more than 24 years of experience working at science museums and informal learning institutions across the United States. When she was 11 years old, her elementary school class took a field trip to the Strasenburgh Planetarium. That trip changed her life. While her classmates had a fine time on the trip, it stuck with Hillary in a larger way—she couldn’t stop thinking about the size and scale of the solar system, the Milky Way Galaxy, and the universe. She earned a degree in Space Sciences and has spent each day since that field trip thinking about it. Hillary came to RMSC from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she served as Vice President of Audience and Community Engagement at the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM), a natural and cultural history museum that includes the largest planetarium in Wisconsin.

Solar Eclipse in the Hudson Valley

There are a number of awesome ways to enjoy the solar eclipse in the Hudson Valley! Many schools in New York are taking off school on April 8th in observance of the natural phenomena. That could be a good time to take the kids to the Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum, which is holding a Kids Solar Eclipse Viewing in Poughkeepsie that day!

Prime Print Shop in Poughkeepsie is handing out free solar eclipse glasses all month long, until April 8th. They are also offering a coupon code for customers - mention "solar eclipse 2024" for 10% off your next order. On April 8th, during the solar eclipse (from about 2:30pm - 3:30pm) Prime Print Shop will have their shop tent set up outside in their parking lot (43 Vassar Road) with some refreshments and free swag (and of course, free solar eclipse glasses)!