Credit: Starmus Festival
Today, at the World Travel Market in London, STARMUS and the Canary Islands proudly revealed the line-up of the highly anticipated STARMUS La Palma festival. The announcement was made during a special presentation led by the co-founder and director of STARMUS, Prof. Garik Israelian, in the presence of the President of the Cabildo de La Palma, Sergio Rodríguez.
Under the title “The Island of the Stars”, STARMUS La Palma will focus its attention on the main challenges we face in protecting the skies from pollution and space debris. Therefore, within the framework of the “Starlight Declaration or La Palma Declaration” in defense of the night sky and the right to starlight, promoted by the Starlight Foundation and the IAC and drafted and signed by international institutions such as UNESCO, UNWTO and IAU among others, with the Starlight Foundation as the responsible body: this edition will be a fundamental step to generate greater visibility and awareness on this topic.
A stellar meeting of eminent personalities
With this shared goal, in partnership with the Starlight Foundation, the festival will bring together an extraordinary array of luminaries, including renowned ethologist, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, United Nations Messenger of Peace and STARMUS Advisory Board, Jane Goodall, DBE, STARMUS co. -founder and legendary musician Brian May, eight Nobel Prize winners, world-famous astronauts and a host of other world-class experts in science, technology, environment and space.
The STARMUS La Palma festival will present a notable list of speakers, including Nobel Prize winners such as John Mather, Kip Thorne, Michel Mayor, Steven Chu or Donna Strickland; famous astronauts such as Colonel Chris Hadfield, Terry Virts, the first private space explorer and entrepreneur Anousheh Ansari or ESA reserve astronaut Sara García; famous scientists and communicators such as Jim Bell, David Eicher or Javier Santaolalla, who is also a Starmus collaborator; world-renowned inventors and entrepreneurs such as Tony Fadell, the inventor of the iPod and co-creator of the iPhone; environmental experts such as Maureen Raymo and Chris Rapley; and scientific luminaries such as Rafael Yuste, Juan Luis Arsuaga, Carlos Briones, Xavier Barcons, Juan Ignacio Cirac, Jesús Martín-Fernández, the main representatives of the prestigious IAC, Valentín Martínez and Eva Villaver, or Miguel Alcubierre.
This massive meeting will conduct a spectacular multidisciplinary scientific program with the main focus on protecting the sky, serving as a crucial call to action against threats such as pollution and space junk. As we rapidly enter a new space age, transcending all known boundaries, the discussions in La Palma will be crucial in defining our approach to safeguarding the skies for future generations.
In addition to becoming the epicenter of the science and future of sky protection, this edition in La Palma also has a very special objective: to support the recovery of the island after the disaster caused by the great volcanic eruption of 2021.
Festival highlights and programming structure
STARMUS La Palma will present:
- STARMUS X2 CAMPS: Located in the historic capital of Santa Cruz de La Palma and Los Llanos de Aridane. Comprehensive 5-day program with exhibitions, workshops, musical performances and a variety of scientific shows.
- MAIN CONCERTS X2: The opening concert in Santa Cruz de La Palma on April 25th and The Island of the Stars Concert in Puerto de Tazacorte on April 26th.
- KEY LESSONS AND PANEL DISCUSSIONS: A four-day program of keynote talks and unique roundtables from 25 to 29 April (venue to be announced with full programme)
Open and free to the public
This edition of STARMUS will be 100% open and free to the public. While keynote lectures will require accreditation due to limited venue capacity, they will be live streamed at STARMUS CAMPS. Most keynote speakers will also give special talks at the camps. Pre-registration for those wishing to participate in the core lecture program is now open on the STARMUS website (visit www.starmus.com).
Transforming La Palma into the world epicenter of science and sky protection
Prof. Garik Israelian, co-founder and director of STARMUS, shared his thoughts: “La Palma is the birthplace of STARMUS, the place that inspired its creation. We are thrilled to bring the festival back to this island, which is not only a natural paradise but also a beacon of scientific and technological innovation. It is a center of many advances, home to numerous milestones and significant facilities such as the world’s largest optical-infrared telescope, which offers unprecedented opportunities for research and discovery.”
He added: “With its unique volcanic and Atlantic landscape, rich cultural heritage and many natural attributes, La Palma, together with the celebration of STARMUS, will definitively position itself as the Island of the Stars, becoming a center of awareness on the protection of the sky and with the aim of creating the most inspiring call to action in this regard.”
Representing the island of La Palma, Sergio Rodríguez, president of the Cabildo de La Palma, declared that “The Starmus Festival positions our island as a global reference in the scientific and cultural fields. La Palma, with its privileged sky and rich astronomical history, saw the birth of this international event, and is the perfect setting for a festival of this magnitude. Starmus is not just a gathering of scientists and astronauts; it is a bridge that connects knowledge with art, music and philosophy. It is a unique opportunity to inspire new generations and spark scientific vocations.”
Furthermore, he added, “by bringing back Starmus, we reaffirm our commitment to research, innovation and scientific dissemination. We demonstrate to the world that La Palma is an island that looks to the future, committed to knowledge and that aims to be a driving force for the development of the Canary Islands and Spain.”
The director of the Starlight Foundation, Antonia Varela, communicated to the organization that “It is an honor and also a great responsibility to participate in the organization of a festival of this scale, which will bring so many internationally renowned scientists and artists to La Palma, a island that has seen the birth of the most significant initiatives in defense of the sky. This festival will help us promote the environmental, cultural and scientific values associated with protecting our skies and raise awareness in society of the urgent need to protect this resource for present and future generations, as we do at the Starlight Foundation.’”
The musical line-up and full program of STARMUS La Palma will be revealed in January 2025. This announcement promises to reveal the spectacular range of shows and events, increasing the excitement and anticipation surrounding this extraordinary festival.
STARMUS welcomes Nobel Prize winner Steven Chu and astronaut Chris Hadfield to its esteemed board
In addition to sharing the incredible lineup for its next edition, STARMUS is thrilled to announce the addition of two extraordinary members to its prestigious advisory board: Nobel laureate Steven Chu and former astronaut Chris Hadfield. Steven Chu, physicist and former US Secretary of Energy, is renowned for his pioneering research on laser cooling and atom trapping, which earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997. Colonel Chris Hadfield, famous for his command of the International Space Station and his contributions to space exploration, he is also known for his engaging educational work as a writer and public speaker.
Both figures will join an illustrious group of scientific and musical luminaries, including Brian May, Peter Gabriel, Jane Goodall, Jean-Michel Jarre, Richard Dawkins or Jill Tarter, further enriching the STARMUS community with their expertise and passion.
With these surprising announcements the countdown begins for the Canary archipelago which, in addition to being a globally appreciated tourist destination, will transform into a global hub for science and innovation with the celebration of STARMUS La Palma. This edition is generating immense excitement, as it returns to its roots in the Canary Islands after traveling to countries such as Norway, Switzerland, Armenia and, most recently, Slovakia in May. This extraordinary event promises to elevate La Palma’s status on the world stage, showcasing its unique blend of natural beauty and scientific excellence.
