Solar Celebration

Ecliptic brings music, more to Hot Springs

Adventurous music, knowledgeable speakers, a little comedy, great scenery — oh, and a total solar eclipse — are all part of the Ecliptic Festival at Cedar Glades Park in Hot Springs.

The April 5-8 event is presented by travel website Atlas Obscura and Hot Springs-based nonprofit Low Key Arts. More than 20 acts, ranging from experimental noise to free-form jazz, garage rock, alternative rock, Americana and more will perform.

Among the headliners will be Deerhoof on April 5, Blonde Redhead on April 6, Allah-Las on April 7 and Angel Olsen on April 8, the day of the eclipse.

Other acts include:

April 5 — Dengue Fever, Molly Lewis, Sonny and the Sunsets and Expo 70;

April 6 — Ana Roxanne, Adam Rubin, Discovery Zone, Video Age, U.S. Girls;

April 7 — DJ Elias Agogo, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, Hailu Mergia, ESG, Shannon & the Clams, Alessandro Cortini;

April 8 — Craig Colorusso, Mary Lattimore, Quintron (Solo Weather Warlock), Sun Ra Arkestra, Holy Wave and Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith.

Comedian-musician Fred Armisen (“Saturday Night Live,” “Portlandia”) will bring his “Comedy for Musicians but Everyone Is Welcome” show for an April 7 performance. Also on that day former “Mythbusters” host, author and special effects designer Adam Savage will be a special guest.

Journalist and author Rebecca Boyle (“Our Moon: How Earth’s Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are”) will give presentations and other speakers — including Beth Willman, Michael Jones McKean and Torri Yates-Orr — are scheduled to attend.

And there will be movies, with screenings of 1902’s “A Trip to the Moon,” 1973’s “Fantastic Planet,” “The Arrival” from 1980 and “Welcome Space Brother” from last year (followed by a Q&A with director Jodi Wille). Festivalgoers can take part in stargazing with telescopes provided by New York-based camera retailer B&H, yoga, meditation, sake tasting and more.

Music and other events will be put on hold during the eclipse, which will start at 12:32 p.m. April 8, with totality beginning at 1:49 p.m.

The festival is “something we are incredibly proud of,” says Sonny Kay, executive director of Low Key Arts. “This is happening at Cedar Glades Park, the place where I walk my dogs, and we’re having artists here that I’ve been listening to for nearly 30 years. It’s an amazing opportunity.”

Usually at this time of the year Low Key Arts is hosting its beloved Valley of the Vapors, the music festival that has been bringing indie and underground acts to Hot Springs for 19 years and that has in recent years been held at bucolic Cedar Glades.

With the eclipse, however, the Low Key board of directors was looking to do something different and announced plans for Ecliptic on April 8 of last year. Atlas Obscura came onboard a few months later, and the event expanded.

Kay says about 4,000 people are expected. Camping and glamping packages are available with furnished tents, or participants can bring their own tents, RVs, pop-ups, vans, etc. A free shuttle will also run from the park to downtown Hot Springs.

(Courtesy Photo/Marc Walker) Brothers Zac and Ethan Holtzman were in separate countries when they discovered 1960s-era Cambodian rock ‘n’ roll. Both musical, they decided to start a band, and since then Dengue Fever has released 11 albums and still regularly perform covers of Cambodian rock ‘n’ roll. They’ll be at the Ecliptic Festival April 5-8 in Hot Springs.