Celebrate first anniversary as Sweetman Planetarium looks to the future

This paid piece is sponsored by Washington Pavilion Management Inc.

In the past year, visitors to the Washington Pavilion have traveled to the cosmos and back again as thousands have filled the new Wells Fargo CineDome & Sweetman Planetarium.

The planetarium marks its first-year anniversary Labor Day weekend.

“We’re off to a great start,” said Madelyn Grogan, the Pavilion’s director of education and museums. “We tried a lot of new things in the first year, and we’ve learned a lot, and the response from the community has been very positive.”

The Sweetman Planetarium officially will celebrate its first anniversary Saturday, Aug. 31, with offers including a dollar off movies and a dollar off scoops of ice cream at Parlour.

“We just really want to bring people in who maybe haven’t had a chance to experience the planetarium yet or who haven’t discovered all the great films we’re currently offering,” Grogan said.

Plus, through Labor Day you can enjoy a special Pink Floyd-inspired planetarium show. “The Dark Side of the Moon” blends modern technology with breath-taking views of the solar system, played to 42 minutes of the band’s classic hit album. Click here for details on show times.

Other films showing include:

“Cities of the Future”: Step into the future and discover the exciting innovations engineers are working on right now to help meet the challenges of a changing world. From renewable energy to electric flying vehicles, take a glimpse into what the future could hold.

“Magic Globe”: This film tells the story of a young girl named Mia who stumbles upon a mysterious astronomical device while vacationing with her grandpa. 

“Wings Over Water”: The most popular film in the planetarium’s first year, this film shares the epic journeys of three amazing bird families – the sandhill crane, the yellow warbler and the mallard duck – with extraordinary footage of their fascinating behaviors.

“Zodiac Skies”: A Sweetman Planetarium original film, it delves into the mysteries and magic of astrology. Explore the 12 classic zodiac constellations and unveil the story of a 13th as you:

• Learn how your sun sign is determined by the stars.
• Explore the ancient stories behind each constellation.
• Discover what the constellations reveal about our lives.
• Witness the scientific marvels behind the formation of constellations.

“It’s been great to expand into creating our own films, and we’ve seen the content here resonate with all ages,” Grogan said. “School groups love it for field trips, but we also have adults coming in on nights and weekends.”

This fall, look for another popular Cosmos & Cocktails event, offering an adults-only evening at the Washington Pavilion that includes a planetarium show.

Membership add-on, special events

Love planetarium shows? You now can add unlimited access onto your Washington Pavilion membership.

“There’s always something fresh and new at the planetarium, and with this upgrade, you’ll have access to all the shows with your membership,” Grogan said.

The planetarium also is available to rent out and has been a hit with many private events.

“We’ve had some cool date nights under the stars that people have won at fundraisers, and we’ve seen businesses and families rent it for groups,” Grogan said. “Maybe you want to create a really cool experience for a team or you have a lot of family coming home over the holidays and want to use it to watch a movie. We’ve seen all those bookings.”

What’s next

In addition to new shows continuing to debut, expect to see more stargazing opportunities inside the planetarium.

“You’ll come in, and we’ll pull up the night sky while our team talks about what we’re seeing and takes informal questions,” Grogan said. “It’s a good way to see the city night sky without light pollution.”

The Washington Pavilion also plans to continue working with Sweetman Planetarium sponsor Aerostar on unique programming.

“We’ve already been able to lean into their expertise and welcome very knowledgeable presenters who have had successful programs here,” Grogan said. “So we look forward to building on that relationship and just continuing to diversify our offerings.”

For a complete schedule of films at the Sweetman Planetarium, click here.