When is the PA Firefly Festival?

Friday, June 28 and Saturday, June 29 from 7 pm to Midnight. Subscribe to the PAFF Newsletter at Pafireflyevents.org to get early notification of the online registration links.

Monday, January 1, 2024

Happy New Year!



Happy New Year to our firefly friends and followers! We are looking forward to the 2024 PAFF events. The 12th Annual PA Firefly Festival will be held on Friday, June 28 and Saturday, June 29. The Glow and Know Campouts are scheduled for Saturday, June 22 and Tuesday, June 25.

Once again in an effort to manage the demand to see the fireflies and protect our local habitats, all of the PAFF event registrations are available only through a lottery. The lottery entry application is FREE. Go to this link to complete your application for as many events that you want to be entered. You may enter multiple events, but only enter one time per event. The applications will be available until the drawing takes place on March 31, 2024. Be sure to visit pafireflyevents.org for more information and details.

Saturday, June 3, 2023

Lights Out For Lightning Bugs


Once again, PA Firefly Festival and its partners are promoting a public awareness campaign to reduce and eliminate light pollution across Pennsylvania.  We know that Artificial Light At Night (ALAN) has detrimental effects on the mating of fireflies.  Competing light in the environment interferes with the fireflies' ability to see each other's flashes and be able to find each other to mate.   If they can't mate, then the future generations are lost. 

Anyone can participate in "Lights Out" by simply turning off the outdoor lights or shielding them from shining into the sensitive habitats in your yard.  Try installing motion detectors and timers (if you have security concerns) to at least decrease the impacts.   If you do it for one week, you may find you can do it all summer.  You will be helping not only fireflies, but other nocturnal creatures like moths, bats, turtles and birds. 

Human beings have also been impacted by ALAN, and you will do yourself a favor by allowing yourself to experience darkness.  One night this summer, go outside, sit and enjoy some darkness away from the lights of the city.  You may be surprised at how fast your eyes can adjust and what you will be able to see.  It just may be an extraordinary natural light show of fireflies or the Milky Way.

Monday, May 29, 2023

Winners of the 2023 Glamping with Fireflies Raffle


Two Grand Prize winners were drawn on Saturday, May 27, Keun An and Jennifer Mulcahy were the lucky winners.  They have chosen their prize. One has chosen a night of "Glamping" with fireflies, while the other has chosen the $300 cash prize.  The raffle surpassed our goal of $3000.  The proceeds will benefit our Firefly Educational Programs and help to support students and faculty studying fireflies in our area and around the world.  Thank you to all of those who purchased a chance.  We hope to continue to offer this next year.


Saturday, April 1, 2023

The Lottery is CLOSED

 The 2023 Lottery entry period is now CLOSED.  We had over 1500 applications.  Thank you to everyone who entered.  Congratulations to those whose names have been selected for the 130 available spots at the 2023 PA Firefly Events. 

If your name has been chosen to attend an event you selected, you will be notified by email on Sunday, April 2.  You will receive a link and a code to the ticketing website, so you can register for the event of your choice within 48 hours of that notification.  Only adults need to be registered for the events.  Children 5 to 11 years old are FREE and do not need to be registered.  These events are not intended for children under 5-yo.  If you choose to not register for an event you entered or miss the deadline (April 4, 2023), your space will open to the next person in the queue.  So if you aren't notified on Sunday, you may still be in the queue.  Those notified after April 4, or subsequent dates, will also have 48 hours in which to register, and the queue will remain active until all spaces have been claimed.  We will then announce when all the spots have been claimed.

Stay tuned for announcements about other Private Firefly Tour opportunities and the "Glamping Raffle".  These will be announced once the registration for the events has concluded.

 

Thank you again to all who entered.  We sincerely believe a “lottery” system for registration is the fairest and most equitable solution.  It is PAFF’s mission to educate the public about the fireflies of Pennsylvania in order to protect and preserve the fireflies for future generations.  So, we hope you will appreciate this effort as we strive to provide the most responsible and sustainable firefly tourism programs.

Saturday, March 4, 2023

The PAFF Board Approves Changes for 2023

 The following items were approved at the January 28th Pennsylvania Firefly Festival Inc. board meeting.

  • The 2023 PAFF Officers and Directors were approved, including Jeff Calta as President, Peggy Butler as Secretary; Ken Butler as Treasurer; Rod Daum, Director; Matt Miskie, Director; Sam Butler, Director; Dr. Sarah Lower, Director. 

  • The popular local’s night event will return for the 2023 festival week.  The Local’s Night event will be held on Thursday, June 29th starting at 9 PM.  This exclusive event is free for  the first twenty-five (25) Forest County residents who pre-register and provide their Forest County mailing address.  To protect the habitat, the first twenty-five qualified Forest County residents who register will be notified  and placed on a list for admittance. Register at this link, or at www.pafireflyevents.org/2019-locals-night.

  • The 11th Annual PA Firefly Festival will be held on Friday, June 30th and Saturday, July 1 for a limited pre-registered audience selected by a lottery drawing.  To enter the lottery, each adult must complete the Google Form and register at this link before March 31.  You may enter for more than one event, but each person should only enter once per event.  

  • The Glow & Know Campouts will be another opportunity offered by PAFF for learning more about the fireflies and their habitats while camping overnight in Kellettville.  The 2023 campouts are scheduled for Saturday, June 24 and Wednesday, June 28.  Registration for the campouts are also by lottery drawing.  Use the above link for the Google form or go to this page https://www.pafireflyevents.org/copy-of-10th-pa-firefly-festival-vide on the pafireflyevents.org


Stay tuned for more information on how to enter the “Glamping with Fireflies” Raffle and private tour information coming in April.