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Bill Nye the Science Guy will be in Fredericksburg for 2-day eclipse festival

Eclipse-O-Rama 2024 will include camping, speakers, screenings and viewing party

FILE - Bill Nye the Science Guy attends the Los Angeles Premiere of "You Can Call Me Bill" at the Culver Theater on March 21, 2024 in Culver City, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images) (Amanda Edwards, 2024 Amanda Edwards)

FREDERICKSBURG, Texas – The one-and-only Bill Nye the Science Guy will be in the Hill Country on Monday, April 8 for the total solar eclipse.

The beloved scientist and The Planetary Society are hosting the Eclipse-O-Rama 2024, a two-day camping festival in Fredericksburg, to discuss all things space and have one big eclipse viewing party.

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Fredericksburg — an International Dark Sky Community — is one of the prime viewing locations for the eclipse as it is in the path of totality. Totality in Fredericksburg is expected to start at 1:32:57 p.m. and last for about 4 minutes and 25 seconds.

The Planetary Society’s Eclipse-O-Rama 2024 will celebrate the rare celestial event with celebrity guests, exhibits, vendors and activities from April 7-8.

The two-day festival is open to Planetary Science members. It will be held at the Lodge at Country Inn, a 200-acre ranch.

Tickets are $325 per person, and children 5 and younger are free. Admission includes access to programming for both days.

An add-on for a VIP welcome reception and dinner on Sunday night is $250 per person. Shower passes can also be added on for $30 per person.

Hotels, campsites and RV slots are available for an additional cost.

Besides Nye, who is the CEO of The Planetary Society, other celebrity guests and stars will include:

  • Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut
  • Bob Pflugfelder, better known as Science Bob
  • YouTuber Mark Rober
  • Astronomer Heidi Hammel
  • Planetary Society President Bethany Ehlmann
  • Chief Scientist Bruce Betts

The festival will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday with a welcome ceremony and continue all day with science sessions, screenings and more.

On Monday, the solar eclipse party and livestream will begin at 11 a.m. The festival will end late Monday with a star-watching party.

Click here for the full schedule.

“Don’t miss this eclipse. It’s a big deal. The next one’s not for 20 years. You don’t know where you’re going to be or if you’re going to be able to be there. So catch this one,” Nye said in a social media post from The Planetary Society.

Click here for more information about the event.

Maybe you could spot Nye in San Antonio as well on April 7, as he is a speaker at the Ellucian Live 2024 conference at the Henry B. González Convention Center downtown.

Read more about the eclipse here:


About the Author
Rebecca Salinas headshot

Rebecca Salinas is the Digital Executive Producer at KSAT 12 News. A San Antonio native, Rebecca is an award-winning journalist who joined KSAT in 2019.

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