On Saturday, April 26, Valles Caldera National Preserve will make National Park Service history by hosting a silent disco. Located in Jemez Springs, NM, the park will showcase Puebloan, Tribal, and Native Hawaiian artists along with other New Mexico DJs.
Artists performing include Burn the Disco, Mr. Biggs, Swift Money, Midnight Wolf, Pocket Elephant, Fission Project, and TrillBot.
These musicians will bring a new artistic medium to the caldera as part of Art in the Park, an event aimed at celebrating the many ways nature and the outdoors can inspire unique art. Not only will there be music inspired by the DJs’ love of the outdoors playing through headsets, there will also be lessons on digital photo editing, pottery demonstrations, a bioblitz, and the art of data collection. Visitors will also be able to participate in community painting and writing activities!
Having a silent disco instead of a traditional speaker setup promotes a dramatic decrease in sound pollution to avoid disturbing wildlife and the serene natural soundscape of the park while also creating more accessibility for individuals with hearing impairments to listen to the music.
Fifty headsets have been graciously donated by Phoenix-based event planners Satyr Entertainment to allow for this event to take place.
If this silent disco experiment in the National Park Service proves successful, the staff of Valles Caldera National Preserve hopes to host more in the future to highlight the music and sounds of the Southwest and to welcome new visitors who may have never thought of visiting a national park unit before.
Follow along using the links below!
