World Space Week is the one week a year when the whole planet is invited to talk about space, and the invitation is open. The UN General Assembly created it in resolution 54/68, adopted on 6 December 1999, and it runs every year from 4 to 10 October. There is no gate and no central venue. Anything space-related that happens inside those seven days counts, from a school rocket launch to a backyard observing night.
Why the dates are 4 to 10 October
The week is bracketed by two anniversaries. It opens on 4 October, the day in 1957 that Sputnik 1 became the first human-made satellite, and it closes on 10 October, when the Outer Space Treaty entered into force in 1967. The UN calls that treaty the "Magna Carta of Space". Each edition also gets a theme: 2024 was Space and Climate Change, 2025 was Living in Space, and 2026 is Rocket Revolution.
Who runs it, and how big it is
The World Space Week Association coordinates the week and picks each year's theme in coordination with UNOOSA, the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs. For 2024, its 25th anniversary, the Association told a UN committee it had counted more than 15,000 events. It gave the country count as 90 in one statement and "80+" in another, so treat that figure as approximate. I could not verify a total for 2025, so I am not quoting one.
How it differs from International Dark Sky Week
The two are easy to confuse and they are not the same thing. International Dark Sky Week is the April observance about light pollution. World Space Week is an October celebration of space exploration and outreach. The dark sky is simply the best place to spend it.
How to mark it under a dark sky
The organisers' own list of ideas includes a stargazing night, so an observing evening is a legitimate way to take part. I found no dark-sky site that officially hosts a World Space Week event, so this is a pairing, not a festival you can book. Pick the darkest site you can reach in an evening, arrive before full dark and use red light only. The full reasoning, including three October-ready sites (Mauna Kea, Tenerife and La Palma), is in World Space Week: what it is and how to stargaze for it. If it is your first night out, stargazing for beginners covers what to bring.
For a trip rather than a night, the best dark sky parks in the world is the better starting point.
