2024 Solar Eclipse Viewing Party Ideas Plus What to Watch For in the Sky

Are you ready for the big solar eclipse of 2024? If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of people who live or will be going to the “Path of Totality” or in an area where part of it will be visible on April 8 then you’ll want to be prepared and make the most of this incredible event.

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2024 Solar Eclipse viewing party ideas

We hosted a solar eclipse viewing party for the 2017 eclipse and it was a blast. Our family, kids and their friends, and neighbors all gathered together to view the event and it was amazing.

If you haven’t seen one and have the chance to view this one, I strongly recommend it. Several of us were brought to tears because it was such a sight to see.

***Be sure to wear ISO and CE certified eclipse glasses to prevent any damage to your eyes! And order them early because they will sell out or go way up in price as the event gets closer.***

There will definitely be heavy traffic throughout the path during the eclipse which means you’ll want to get where you’re going in plenty of time and be prepared to stay for a while. I’m not kidding, our kids were stuck in traffic on rural roads for more than an hour after the eclipse. So plan on hanging out and enjoying each other before and after the event.

What exactly is a solar eclipse?

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, casting the Moon’s shadow on Earth. A solar eclipse can only happen during a New Moon. The Moon’s orbit is titled 5 degrees to Earth’s orbit around the Sun.

weather.gov

What to watch for during a solar eclipse

The solar eclipse itself is extremely awe-inspiring. If you’re in the “path of totality” then you’ll be able to see a total eclipse. All of the sun will be momentarily blocked out by the moon.

During that brief period there are a few things to pay attention Here’s a short list, and you can read more details about these occurrences on the NASA website:

• Partial Eclipse – Before and after the total eclipse, a portion of the sun will be blocked. All of the USA will see at least a partial eclipse. Keep your glasses on during this part. You can damage your eyes if you remove them.
• Shadow Bands – Just before and after the total eclipse, look down at the ground and on any walls or flat surfaces. You’ll see small, faint, rapidly moving shadows that are unique to eclipse events.
• Baily’s Beads – Small bursts of lights will be seen at various points around the shadow of the moon. They’re very short lived and hard to see.
• Diamond Ring – Just before the moon completely blocks out the sun, there will be a brief single bright spot on the edge of the moon shadow. It resembles a giant diamond ring. Keep your glasses on at this point!
• Totality – This is when the sun is completely blocked out by the moon. It will last a few minutes and you can remove your glasses while it’s occurring. Look around you and observe everything. It will be dark everywhere! I tried to imagine what our ancestors thought when this happened hundreds of years ago. I bet they were frightened!
• After totality you can see the diamond ring, Baily’s beads, and the shadow bands again as the moon moves away from the sun. Be sure to put your glasses back on.

Solar eclipse viewing party ideas

Here’s a glimpse at what we had at our viewing party. And you can see more suggestions here: Solar Eclipse Themed Party Ideas

Moon Cheese / Eclipse glasses / Moon Pies / Sun Chips / Eclipse gum / Eclipse tshirt / Blue Moon Beer

Solar eclipse-themed foods

Are you looking for some fun solar eclipse party foods? Here are some more ideas for you:

• Sandwiches on croissants, since they’re shaped like the crescent moon
• Chocolate and vanilla flavor Oreos, because they resemble the sun and moon.
• Swiss cheese slices cut with star-shaped cookie cutter
• Milky way candy bars
• Starburst candies
• Black and white cookies
• Half-moon hand pies
• Empanadas
• “Rocket dogs” – hot dogs wrapped with a crescent roll and placed on stick
• Astro pops
• Cosmic brownies
• Fruit and veggie kabobs with cucumbers and carrots cut into star shapes

Solar eclipse-themed drinks

Here’s a list of fun drink possibilities to have at an eclipse party:

• Sunkist
• Sundrop
• Moonshine
• Blue Moon Beer
• Corona
• Sunny D

Music playlist for a solar eclipse-viewing party

And here’s a very appropriate eclipse playlist:

• Bad Moon Rising
• Blue Moon
• Moondance
• Total Eclipse of the Heart
• Fly me to the Moon
• Dancing in the Moonlight
• Bark at the Moon
• Walking on the Moon
• I’ll follow the Sun
• Island in the Sun
• Rocket man

Will you be watching it? What are some ways you’ll be celebrating? We’d love to know!