High Desert Museum hosts ‘Welcome the Night’ event for nocturnal wildlife enthusiasts
BEND, OR (KTVZ) --- The High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon will host "Welcome the Night" on July 15, an after-hours event celebrating nocturnal wildlife, astronomy and the importance of protecting dark skies.
The event offers hands-on discovery and activities designed to engage visitors in the wonders of the dark.
"Welcome the Night" runs from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., inviting visitors to explore the Museum after dark alongside community partners, Museum experts and local naturalists.
Tickets for the event are $10 for adults and children ages 3 and older, with Museum Members receiving a 20% discount. Children two and younger are admitted free.
Guests will receive an adventure card and a map to guide them through 20 stations located across the Museum. Participants can collect a stamp at each stop before turning in their card for a chance to win a raffle prize.
This year features the new Ribbits and Hoots Station, where visitors can create frog hand puppets or owl finger puppets. At the Twilight Art Station, guests of all ages can make stenciled twilight art using scratch paper. A local face painter will also be on-site, offering designs inspired by favorite twilight creatures.
Three 15-minute owl encounters are scheduled to take place at the E. L. Wiegand Pavilion in the Donald M. Kerr Birds of Prey Center. During these sessions, Museum wildlife staff will share information about how owls use their large eyes, silent flight and keen hearing to hunt by day and by night.
At Cheney Pond, experts from the U.S. Forest Service will lead the Bat Detectives Station. This station will explore bats and their role in the High Desert ecosystem, teaching visitors why bats dip and dive over water and how researchers track these remarkable flying mammals.
Experts from Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory will guide visitors at the Mighty Meteor Station, uncovering the science behind falling stars, shooting stars and meteorites. Guests will also have the opportunity to peer through telescopes and explore a model solar system.
Representatives from Pollinator Pathway Bend will introduce visitors to the world of nighttime pollinators, including moths, at the Pollination Station. They will teach attendees how to create outdoor spaces that support these important pollinators. In the Desertarium, visitors can view a collection of insects and examine specimens under magnification.
DarkSky Oregon will share information about how light pollution affects not only our view of the stars, but also the health and well-being of nocturnal wildlife.
The Rimrock Café will be transformed into the Crepuscular Café, featuring food available for purchase from Luckey's Woodsman. No-host bars will offer alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages.
The High Desert Museum, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, opened in Bend, Ore., in 1982. It brings together wildlife, cultures, art, history and the natural world to convey the wonder of North America's High Desert. The Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and the Association of Zoos & Aquariums and is a Smithsonian Affiliate. It received the 2025 Autry Public History Prize from the Western History Association and was a 2021 recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service.
Visitors are encouraged to bring a flashlight or headlamp, as outdoor trails will be unlit.
To learn more and purchase tickets, visit highdesertmuseum.org/welcomethenight26.
