Culture

Holland Aims to Bring Back Its Starry Nights

Campaigners want government agencies and companies to turn off the lights so citizens can rediscover the beauty of darkness.
The sky above Middelburg in the Netherlands on a past 'Night of the Night'Jesse Meliefste/Nacht van de Nacht

AMSTERDAM—As winter creeps across the Northern Hemisphere and daylight hours dwindle, it can be hard to appreciate the long, dark nights. But in the Netherlands, there’s a national campaign to embrace the darkness.

Nacht van de Nacht (Night of the Night) culminates in an annual event—this year, it was on October 26—during which local governments and companies turn off their lights and people gather in towns and woods to savor the absence of artificial light.