Join us in SoMa Little Rock for our Total Eclipse celebration! SoMa in the Dark is comprised of a weekend of fun:

Friday, April 5, 2024 – SoMa (in the Dark) After Dark 4 – 9 p.m.

A celestial-themed take on our popular, standing first-Friday-of-the-month “SoMa After Dark” series, our shops and restaurants will be open late with specials and pop-ups for a night of wonder under the stars.

Saturday, April 6, 2024 – SoMa in the Dark: Path of Totality Eclipse Festival 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Presented by Subaru of Little Rock, embrace the mystery of the cosmos as we celebrate the upcoming eclipse in a vibrant and engaging atmosphere educating residents and visitors about the solar system through the arts. WiFi provided by our People’s Pulsar Sponsor Xfinity!

Astro Entertainment provided by People’s Pulsar Sponsor Xfinity: In the same Main Street-fronting parking lot, enjoy mesmerizing live performances, interactive art installations, and cosmic-themed activities that will delight audiences of all ages:
- 1 p.m. Sinclare w/ 3daysinLA
- 3 p.m. SeanFresh
- 5 p.m. Butterfly From New Orleans

Support for SeanFresh and Butterfly from New Orleans is provided, in part, by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Nighttime Parade at Sundown (7:30 p.m.): Nighttime Parade: Be part of a luminous procession as we light up South Main Street with a dazzling nighttime parade, celebrating the upcoming celestial event. Floats will be celestial in nature with points awarded to scientific accuracy. Local clubs, schools, churches and organizations are invited to participate in creating a float. The winner and runner-up will receive a $500 & $250 cash prize, respectively, and display the highest level of unity between science and creativity. $250 cash prize for best decorated Subaru!
Artistic Illumination: The art installations will remain for enjoyment on Monday, April 8, for the watch party.
Stellar Street Market: Wander through a bustling marketplace in the most prominent block of Main Street occupied by a parking lot fronting Main Street filled with local vendors offering celestial-themed merchandise, crafts and delicious treats. Residents will enjoy a new, lively experience in the parking lot.

Register for the Parade

Submit to the Artistic Illumination

Monday, April 8, 2024 – SoMa in the Dark: Path of Totality Eclipse Watch Party, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Our watch party aims to provide a viewing space for downtown Little Rock residents on historic South Main Street. The event will educate and entertain residents of all ages through a variety of activations. Wifi will be provided by our People’s Pulsar sponsor Xfinity. We will close the street, have branded, FREE certified eclipse glasses available thanks to Rock Town Distillery, and have:

A viewing area from 12th to 17th Streets complete with seats, refreshments, viewing glasses and other amenities down the center of Main Street.
A special area will be designated for residents. The welcoming environment will allow for residents to step out of their homes and onto Main Street as an inclusive community to come together for this momentous event.
Collaboration with Lost Forty Brewing
Live music with Of Three Strands playing celestial-themed Classic Rock and 90’s Grunge Hits!

Astro Market

An interactive science market located in The Bernice Garden along Main Street.

The only thing for sale is science! The Astro Market is brought to you by a grant from the Simons Foundation in partnership with Main Street America. This grant is part of the Simons Foundation’s 'In the Path of Totality' initiative, and is specifically tailored for Main Street communities located within the April 8 total solar eclipse path of totality to support science-based community programming.

This market will host booths from the scientific community, offering hands-on astronomy experiences that make learning about the eclipse and celestial wonders both enjoyable and enlightening. Highlights include:

The LightSound Project – a solar eclipse sonification tool designed and developed in 2017 by Harvard & Smithsonian Astrophysicists, so that the Blind and Low Vision (BLV) community can experience a solar eclipse with sound. The device uses a technique called sonification which is the process of converting data (or light intensity in this case) to sound. As the moon eclipses the sun during a solar eclipse, the sunlight begins to dim and the LightSound device will output a change in musical tone.

The Citizen Continental-America Telescope Eclipse (CATE) 2024 Project – In collaboration with about 40 teams of citizen scientists, Citizen Continental-America Telescope Eclipse (CATE) 2024 will make polarized observations of the Sun’s corona during the 2024 total solar eclipse as it crosses the United States from Texas to Maine. These relay teams of trained volunteers with identical telescopes along the eclipse path will allow us all an extended observation of the lower to middle corona. Stop by their table to learn more about the project, see the telescopes the citizen scientists are using, and engage in some eclipse-related fund!

SoMa will transform into a scale version of the solar system starting with a 12 ft sun. Travel the solar system and visit each planet and its selfie station. Complete the sticker card and win one of 230 prizes!
DIY Solar System Scale Model with yarn and colored beads that represent the temperature on planets. Each kit contains a card with a grid to show participants how to make the distance between each planet.
DIY Solar System Bracelet for kids.
Coloring book featuring eclipse art.
Journaling exercise to reflect thoughts aspects of the eclipse. What did the moon do? And what about the sun?
Cultural Understandings of Eclipses Booklet that talks about how past civilizations view the eclipse.
Solar System Puzzle for littles.
Eclipse haikus for all ages.
Artistic Illumination – a gallery of eclipse or celestial-themed art of all mediums from local artists ranging from school-aged to professional.

To submit an idea for the Astro Market

ECLIPSE 2024 SPONSORS

Total SoMa Eclipse Package

You will find the information for your online reservation link below. If you have questions or need help with the link, please do not hesitate to ask. We appreciate your business and look forward to working with you in the future.

Participating properties: