Darkness is important, precious and becoming rare in the Netherlands. Due to light pollution, many places are never really dark anymore. To highlight the importance of darkness, the last Saturday in October has been proclaimed the Night of the Night. On October 27, you can choose to participate in all kinds of ‘shady’ activities. Also on Texel, where it’s really dark outside of the villages. Let’s go outside during the Night of the Night and enjoy the darkness!

Photo Eelco Cramer

Lure moths

The butterfly club will hang up a large white sheet by Ecomare. By shining a strong lamp on the sheet and spreading sweet things in the vicinity, they are able to lure moths. They carefully capture them using glass jars in order to get a closer look and identify them. Naturally, at the end of the evening, all the insects are released. Are you interesting in seeing what they catch? They start at 7:30 p.m. as long as it doesn’t rain.

Bats, masters of the night

Arthur Oosterbaan will give a short talk about bats. Why are they active at night and not during the day? How do they find their way around in the dark? Discover the secret life of this captivating flying mammal. Starts at 6:30 p.m. and is in Dutch. Free entrance.

Ecomare excursions in the dark

An excursion in the dark through woods, dunes and beach begins at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m, departing from Ecomare’s parking lot. Notice how the darkening sky awakens all your senses! The excursions are in Dutch. The earlier excursion is meant for families with children between the ages 5 and 11 years old. The later one focusses more on adults and older children. Tickets cost €9.50 for adults and €6.50 for children, for sale via the (Dutch) guided tours page.

Star gazing with the Star Gazing Club ‘De Jager’

The Observatory at Ecomare opens its doors at 7:30 p.m. When the sky is clear, you can look at the stars through telescopes. If it is overcast, there will be a planetary presentation. Attention is paid to the moon, planets, star nebulae and distant galaxies. Entry is free.