Schedule:

Thursday, February 16, 2023

6:00 p.m: Cheers to Pluto Special Astronomy on Tap with Custom Pluto Brew at Downtown Flagstaff, Arizona
The festival kicks off at Mother Road Brewing Company, a local Flagstaff favorite Mother Road will unveil its limited-edition beer, brewing exclusively for this year’s festival Stick around learn about Clyde Tombaugh’s handmade telescope, a precious historical artifact that will soon be on display in Lowell Observatory’s Rotunda Museum.

Mother Road: Special Lowell Observatory Beer Unveiled
Astronomy on Tap:
Learn About the Tombaugh 9″ Telescope – with Al Tombaugh, Clyde Tombaugh’s Son

Friday, February 17, 2023

6:00 p.m: Pluto Pub Crawl

Explore Flagstaff’s finest pubs, bars, and brewhouses — in the shape of the Pluto symbol After receiving a map of all participating destinations, you’ll be turned loose to enjoy historic downtown alongside fellow Pluto-lovers, and custom-made Pluto drinks and specials at all the stops. Along the way, you’ll find educators giving science talks, trivia, and more.

Check out our Pluto Pub Crawl page for the map, or look at any participating location:
Dark Sky Brewing
Hops on Birch
Rendezvous
Drinking Horn Meadery
Lumberyard Brewing Co
The Annex
Historic Barrel + Bottle Co
NiMarco’s Pizza
Mother Road Brewing Co
Flagstaff Brewing Co

Saturday, February 18, 2023

10:00 a.m - 10:00 p.m: Enjoy all-day festivities at Lowell Observatory

All Day: Bingo Scavenger Hunt
Can you find five items in a row. Play our all-day scavenger hunt game to get in the running for fun prizes like stickers, Pluto toys, notebooks, and more. The more items you hunt down, the cooler prizes you are eligible to get

Food Trucks:
All Day: Single Speed Coffee Roasters
11:00 a.m - 1:00 p.m: Wil’s Grill
1:00 p.m - 8:00 p.m: Boricua Luna Caribbean Cuisine

11:00 a.m - 3:00 p.m: Pluto Tours
Get a special Pluto Tour of the Pluto Dome where Pluto was discovered, the Tombaugh Apartment (where Clyde Tombaugh lived when he discovered Pluto) and the blink comparator, which was recently returned from the Smithsonian.

12:00 p.m- 4:00 p.m: Pluto Activity Station
Pluto Bubbles Want to know what that is (hint: dry ice is involved)? Come find out Enjoy this fun activity by Lowell Educators.

4:00 p.m - 4:30 p.m: Special Science Show
Learn through cryoscience at this special science show.

5:00 p.m - 7:00 p.m: Live Music by Simon Cunningham
Go to the visitors center and enjoy live music by local artist Simon Cunningham, where he will be playing for two hours.

VIP Tour
10:00 a.m - 12:00 p.m
Get a star-studded VIP experience at the 2023 I Heart Pluto Festival. A VIP ticket grants single-person admission to all IHP activities at Lowell Observatory and the Orpheum Theater.
The Lowell VIP Tour Schedule:
Check In at the Steele Visitors Center
10:00 a.m: Tour of Lowell Observatory Archives
10:45 a.m: Talk by Dr. Will Grundy, Co-Investigator of the New Horizons Mission
11:30 a.m: Talk by Al Tombaugh (Clyde Tombaugh’s Son)
12:30 p.m: Dedication of the 9″ Tombaugh Telescope
The events conclude at 12:50pm.
4:30 p.m - 6:00 p.m: VIP Reception. Get an exclusive meet and greet, and enjoy hors d’oeuvres, axe-throwing, book signing, free samples of Pepsi’s brand new Starry drink
6:00 p.m: Doors Open. Enjoy axe-throwing, craft Pluto beer from Mother Road Brewing, IAAA art show, food truck, free samples of Pepsi’s brand new Starry drink
7:00 p.m: Show Begins with Astronaut Nicole Stott

12:30 p.m: Unveiling the 9" Tombaugh Telescope at The Rotunda at Lowell Observatory
Witness Lowell history being made at the Rotunda Museum as the Tombaugh Telescope exhibit is unveiled! The exhibit will feature Clyde Tombaugh’s fully-functional homemade telescope, which was hand-assembled from scraps found around his family’s farm in Burdette, Kansas.

6:00 p.m: Night of Discovery at The Orpheum Theatre

Enjoy a night with Astronaut Nicole Stott, a NASA astronaut, aquanaut, and space artist who creatively combines the awe and wonder of her spaceflights and undersea adventures with her artwork to inspire people around the world.

Our I Heart Pluto Festival VIP Ticket-Holders will also enjoy an exclusive VIP Meet and Greet/Book Signing and Reception with Astronaut Nicole Stott ahead of the show.

After this program, Nicole will sign copies of her book, Back to Earth: What Life in Space Taught Me About Our Home Planet?And Our Mission to Protect. Copies of this book will be available for purchase at the Orpheum throughout the evening.

Enjoy our Keynote Speaker, a book signing, custom-crafted Pluto beer by Mother Road Brewing, an art show, axe-throwing, and more!

4:30 p.m - 6:00 p.m: VIP Reception (learn more about our exclusive VIP experience on the VIP tab of this website). Get an exclusive meet and greet, and enjoy hors d’oeuvres, axe-throwing, book signing, free samples of Pepsi’s brand new Starry drink

6:00 p.m: Doors Open. Enjoy axe-throwing, craft Pluto beer from Mother Road, IAAA art show, food truck, free samples of Pepsi’s brand new Starry drink.
7:00 p.m: Show Begins with Astronaut Nicole Stott

Sunday, February 19, 2023

10:00 a.m - 10:00 p.m
Enjoy all-day festivities at Lowell Observatory

BINGO Scavenger Hunt | All Day
Can you find five items in a row? Play our all-day scavenger hunt game to get in the running for fun prizes like stickers, Pluto toys, notebooks, and more. The more items you hunt down, the cooler prizes you are eligible to get!

Food Trucks:
All Day: Single Speed Coffee Roasters
1:00 p.m - 8:00 p.m: Boricua Luna Caribbean Cuisine

10:30 a.m: Pluto Tours , Noon, 1:30pm, 3pm
Join Lowell Educators for our once a year, special Pluto tour! Follow in the footsteps of Clyde Tombaugh on the day of discovery, visit the less known relics of the search for planet X on Mars Hill, and learn what exactly it takes to find Pluto.

12:00 p.m - 4:00 p.m: Pluto Activity Station
We will be using Clyde Tombaugh’s crow jokes as a lead in to talking about flight and aerodynamics, we will be providing paper airplane making supplies along with a few variables (paperclip weights, folded wing tips) to guide participants through making their best, most aerodynamic airplane.

1:00 p.m - 3:00 p.m: Live Music by Black Lemon
Go to the visitors center and enjoy live music by local band Black Lemon.

4:00 p.m - 6:00 p.m: Henna Art
“Henna by Jenna” on site for fun henna art

4:00 p.m - 6:00 p.m: Facepainting
Facepainting by Radiant Art.

6:15 p.m: Cosmic Cart
Join Lowell educators for a series of hands-on, family friendly activities exploring the most extreme, coldest environments in our solar system. Experience ice on fire, dry ice like you’ve never seen before, and liquid nitrogen so cold that it shatters living material.

7:00 p.m: Livestream, “The Future of New Horizons: An Interview with Dr. Alan Stern”
An interview by Melissa Sevigny (Science Reporter at KNAU) with Dr. Alan Stern about the future of New Horizons. Q&A and chat questions encouraged.

8:00 p.m: Science Talk
The Latest News From Pluto and Arrokath
Introductions by Dr. Stephen Levine
Hear from Lowell’s Dr. Will Grundy about the latest updates scientists have on Pluto and Arrokath, the second celestial object that New Horizons flew by after its trip to Pluto.

Monday, February 20, 2023

10:00 a.m - 10:00 p.m
Enjoy all-day festivities at Lowell Observatory

All Day: Bingo Scavenger Hunt
Can you find five items in a row? Play our all-day scavenger hunt game to get in the running for fun prizes like stickers, Pluto toys, notebooks, and more. The more items you hunt down, the cooler prizes you are eligible to get!

Food Trucks:
All Day: Single Speed Coffee Roasters
1:00 p.m - 8:00 p.m: Boricua Luna Caribbean Cuisine

1100 a.m - 3:00 p.m: Pluto Tours
Get a special Pluto Tour of the Pluto Dome where Pluto was discovered, the Tombaugh Apartment (where Clyde Tombaugh lived when he discovered Pluto!) and the blink comparator, which was recently returned from the Smithsonian.

12:00 p.m - 4:00 p.m: Pluto Activity Station

5:00 p.m - 7:00 p.m: Live Music by Eric Caroffino
Go to the visitors center and enjoy live music by local artist Eric Caroffino, where he will be playing for two hours (with some special Pluto-focused songs as well!).

6:15 p.m: Cosmic Cart
Join Lowell educators for a series of hands-on, family friendly activities exploring the most extreme, coldest environments in our solar system. Experience ice on fire, dry ice like you’ve never seen before, and liquid nitrogen so cold that it shatters living material.

7:00 p.m: Livestream: New Horizons: NASA’s Mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt
Interview with Alice Bowman, Engineer/New Horizons Mission Operations Manager, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

8:00 p.m: Science Talk
Dr. Amanda Bosh, Planetary Scientist/Chief Operating Officer, Lowell Observatory

Date: February 18 - 20, 2023

Location: Various Venue, Flagstaff, AZ 86001

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