The Perseid Meteor Shower Meets a New Moon

The Perseid meteor shower is one of the most prolific annual meteor showers, peaking every August with up to 100 meteors per hour. In 2026, the peak aligns with a new moon on August 13 — meaning zero moonlight interference and maximum visibility of even the faintest shooting stars and fireballs.

Badger Music & Arts Festival sits at 9,000 feet in Park County, Colorado — one of the darkest sky corridors in the state. No city lights. No light pollution. Just the Milky Way stretched overhead and the Perseid radiant point blazing through Perseus all night long.

Our Thursday pre-party is built specifically around this cosmic event. Live music gives way to ambient soundscapes at 11 PM, the dance floor looks up, and the sky becomes the stage. This is the only music festival in the country designed around the Perseid meteor shower.

The Perseids are visible to the naked eye — no telescope needed. At our elevation and darkness level, expect to see 80–100+ meteors per hour during peak activity, including bright fireballs with persistent trains. The radiant rises in the northeast after midnight, but meteors streak across the entire sky.