Valberg, a mountain village above Nice, has become the region's astronomy capital for the weekend as the seventh edition of Festival AstroValberg opens today, running through Sunday inside the Alpes Azur Mercantour International Dark Sky Reserve.
The free festival, organised by the Alpes-Maritimes departmental council and the Syndicat Intercommunal de Valberg, centres this year on the newly opened DOME, a departmental environment and observation centre housing a 12 metre immersive planetarium, alongside a branch of the departmental media library, the Mercantour National Park's local base, and a teaching garden.
The programme spans night hikes, telescope observation sessions, planetarium shows, talks and creative workshops for children and adults, with most activities free and some requiring advance online booking.
Valberg holds both a "Village Étoilé" designation for its efforts to limit light pollution and sits within the wider Alpes Azur Mercantour reserve, recognised internationally for the quality of its night sky. The Mercantour National Park is running its own programme alongside the main festival, including a Friday evening outing to spot bats and stargaze, and a nightly biodiversity workshop exploring the wildlife that emerges once the sun sets.
Telescope observation sessions run from 9pm to 12.30am each night at the Garibeuil site, with free shuttle buses laid on given road access to the area is closed during festival hours.