Solar eclipse viewing parties: Where to watch in Memphis
The huge shadow known as the “path of totality” that will cut across the continental United States on April 8 will miss Memphis by about 70 miles to the west.
But if the Bluff City won’t experience a total solar eclipse, it will experience something close to it: a solar eclipse in which close to 97% of the sun will be obscured by the moon, as it orbits the Earth. Expect dim, strange light and weird shadows.
At least five public events related to the eclipse are scheduled for Memphis. They are:
The Museum of Science and History: Eclipse Preview Weekend
The Museum of Science and History (which includes the Pink Palace) at 3050 Central gets a jump on the cosmological competition when it hosts two days of pre-eclipse prep, with its “Eclipse Preview Weekend” on April 6 and 7. (The museum is closed April 8, the day of the actual eclipse.)
Throughout the two days, staffers with the museum will be on hand, to answer eclipse questions, preview the eclipse in the Sharpe Planetarium, and help visitors make safe eclipse viewers from cereal boxes; “bracket toys,” to demonstrate the positions of the moon, Earth and sun in space; and “moon cookies,” to model the lunar phases. Glasses and other eclipse paraphernalia will be on sale in the gift shop.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art and Overton Park Conservancy: Total Eclipse of the Park
The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art and the Overton Park Conservancy win the “clever name” award for their “Total Eclipse of the Park,” a public
watch party set for 12:30-3 p.m. April 8 on the museum plaza and greensward of Overton Park. Free eclipse glasses will be handed out, and lunch will be available from the museum restaurant, Feast & Graze.
Memphis Botanic Garden: Solar Eclipse Drop-in
The Memphis Botanic Garden at 759 Cherry Road is inviting Memphians to bring a blanket and a picnic basket and hang out among the flowers and plants during an event it has dubbed
the “Solar Eclipse Drop-in,” which will run from about 1-3 p.m. April 8. Children will be able to plant a moonflower or sunflower to take home. Viewing glasses will be on sale in the gift shop. The event is free with garden admission.
Peabody Hotel:
Solar Eclipse Watch Party
Putting a cosmic spin on the Downtown hotel’s long-running rooftop party tradition, a “Solar Eclipse Watch Party” will take place on the roof of The
Peabody from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 8. A deejay will contribute musical “celestial vibes,” and concessions, snacks and beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic alike) will be available for purchase. Admission is $20 for adults, $10 for kids, ages 5-12.
Post-eclipse party
After the eclipse, at 4 p.m. April 8, the Memphis Public Libraries’ Randolph branch at 3752 Given will host eclipse-related craft activities for children ages 6-12.