now you see it
Hill Country festival hosts eclipse watch with camping and Texas music
![Utopia, Texas sign](https://fortworth.culturemap.com/media-library/utopia-texas-sign.png?id=51022841&width=2000&height=1500&quality=65&coordinates=89%2C0%2C135%2C0)
Music lovers will flock to Utopia to watch concerts and the eclipse in nature.
Plans are being laid across Texas to watch the eclipse occurring on Monday April 8, when the sky will darken and the sun will disappear except for a glowing backlight.
Utopia, Texas, about 300 miles southwest of Fort Worth, lies right in the center of the eclipse path and will provide a ringside seat via UtopiaFest, the long-running 14-year-old music festival which in 2024 will capitalize on the eclipse with a specially-timed rendition taking place April 5-9. (Previous renditions took place in the fall.)
The five-day festival will be located at the Four Sisters Ranch, a 1000-acre countryside stay with hiking and camping facilities in the Hill Country between Garner State Park and Lost Maples State Natural Area.
The festival offers a variety of passes, ranging from a short three-day pass to the full five days. Every person attending needs one of the following passes:
- Sunday-Tuesday, $350
- Saturday-Tuesday, $400
- Friday-Tuesday, $430
- Sterling Pass, $600, spanning the full Friday-Tuesday stay with expedited entry, entrance for any vehicle, premium camp site, and access to Sterling lounge
All passes include free parking and tent camping, with available park-and-unload by campgrounds.
There are also passes if you want to drive in and "car camp" or if you want to bring an RV, with limited power hookups available, and separate passes for kids and teens ($20 to $40). Dogs are an additional $150.
The festival recently released its lineup of nearly 50 acts spread across two stages, dominated by Texas artists including Dallas band The Texas Gentlemen, who will perform on "eclipse day," Monday April 8, along with acts such as Ghostland Observatory, Phoebe Hunt, and The Mighty Orq.
In the U.S., eclipse "totality" will begin in Texas at 1:27 pm (and will end in Maine at 3:35 pm Eastern time, or 2:35 Texas time).
The act who gets the honor of performing during the magic moment: Austin funk/soul ensemble Sir Woman, who will "soundtrack the eclipse," says Utopiafest co-founder Travis Sutherland.
This was meant to be the festival's last year, but the announcement hints that the camping festival may return. "We can't wait for one last Four Sisters Ranch party (for now)!" it says.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brianna Caleri contributed to this story.