At approximately 6.38am on Wednesday, November 14, all eyes will be on the skies in Far North Queensland as the highly anticipated total solar eclipse brings us one of the most amazing spectacles Mother Nature has to offer.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes in between the sun and the Earth, obscuring the sun with its shadow bar a glowing corona of hot gasses and light.

The 140km wide area that the eclipse is visible to the naked eye (using a set of special eclipse viewing glasses) is referred to as the “line of totality” and begins in the Northern Territory east of Darwin, travelling across the Gulf of Carpentaria and over Cape York before crossing the coast near Oak Beach just south of Port Douglas and north of Cairns.

It gives our region the box seat to see the eclipse in its entirety and means that tens of thousands of visitors will descend on the region to share the experience with the locals.

To celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime Far North Queensland experience, a major music, arts and lifestyle festival is headed our way for a full seven days from this Saturday.

Located on a property near Palmer River on Cape York Peninsula, Eclipse2012 is one of the biggest events to ever visit our neck of the woods, a collaboration between some of the world’s most-loved outdoor festival events – Rainbow Serpent in Australia, Glade in the UK, Symbiosis in the US and Mother in Japan, alongside production crews Mosaic Vision and Psyclone Events.

With six massive stages covering both live and electronic music from a broad variety of styles, alongside a huge market and food area, art exhibitions and galleries, workshops, healing areas and all-manner of eclipse-themed fun, Eclipse2012 is nothing short of an epic way to experience the sky’s big show and undoubtedly the biggest festival event we’ll see in the Far North for a long time to come.

More than 10,000 punters from all walks of life and corners of the globe are expected to transcend on Palmer River for the event, making it the “must-do” festival in the Far North this year.

UK headliner Seb Taylor, better known to most as Kaya Project, Hibernation and Shakta, is a veteran of eclipse festival celebrations around the globe and says all the anticipation and hype is warranted.

“This will be the third eclipse party that I’ve performed at over the years, the others being in Zambia, Africa and Hungary, Europe,” he says.

“It’s definitely quite a surreal, spiritual and literally cosmic phenomenon.

“Even from a most simple and practical point of view, having the sun fade away in the middle of the daytime, hearing the birds and wildlife suddenly fall silent and then having the night-time insects and crickets all start up momentarily, only to stop again when the sun re-appears, is quite wonderful. It must be pretty confusing for all the little critters! The actual communal experience of the eclipse itself is pretty magical and intense. Being surrounded by a group of other people who are all excited to be there and are all focused on that moment, it’s really quite an intoxicating buzz.”

Seb says the festival’s location, combined with a truly global crowd, will make it one of the best events in the world this year.

“The electronic music scene is full of people that are predisposed to having the travel bug, however, getting to Australia is quite a tall order for the majority of party-goers in Europe,” he says.

“This eclipse seems to have been the best possible convincing factor in getting over that geographical hurdle. Many of my friends will be making their first trips down under for this event – 2012 is hailed as such a hugely significant year for anyone with even a slightly alternative or esoteric perspective, so to actually experience an eclipse in 2012 will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I think many people who were left unsure about making the long journey were ultimately won over when they saw the complete artist line-up for the festival. It’s going to be an unforgettable event for sure.”

Check Eclipse2012 Festival at Palmer River from Saturday until Friday, November 16. General admission presale tickets are $400, or $500 on the gate. Eclipse viewing glasses are included as part of the ticket price. If you can’t make it to the festival for the actual eclipse, special prices will be available from 10am on November 14 for $150, or $100 from 10am on November 15. For more information or tickets, see eclipse2012.com

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