Earth Hour 2022: Activities to Honor the Planet in the Dark

Every April 22, planet-loving individuals from around the world celebrate Earth Day. But about a month earlier, those ~in the know~ celebrate Earth Hour: A 60-minute break from the technicolor day-to-day that most of us are all too familiar with.

If you’re curious about celebrating Earth Hour 2022, we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know about the holiday, when to celebrate, and Earth Hour activities to keep you busy in the dark.

Earth Hour is an annual, global event organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), in which people around the world shut their lights off for one hour in honor of planet Earth. In the darkness (or near-darkness — lighting a candle or keeping a lamp on for safety is encouraged), participants can engage in a number of nature-inspired activities (our suggestions are below) or take action on climate issues.

Earth Hour was founded in 2007, when more than 2.2 million Australians participated in the inaugural event in Sydney, Australia. The organizers turned the event into an annual one, which is now celebrated in over 185 countries and territories, according to the Earth Hour website. And the 2022 Earth Hour will be the 16th annual Earth Hour — and hopefully the biggest yet.

Earth Hour is always held at the end of March. This year, Earth Hour falls on Saturday, March 26, 2022, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., your local time. While it would be cool if everyone all around the world went dark at the same time, sundown is at a different time in each time zone — so no matter where you are in the world on Saturday, start winding down after dinner and shut the lights at 8:30 p.m. for one hour.

Unfortunately, this year marks the third annual Earth Hour taking place during the coronavirus pandemic. For that reason, the Earth Hour team recommends all participants either do Earth Hour at home, virtually, or outdoors in a safe setting while adhering to local COVID-19 guidelines, such as social distancing and wearing a mask.

If you’ll be staying in, here are some indoor Earth Hour activities you can do — either by yourself, with family and friends, or anyone in between:

• Attend an official Earth Hour event, whether virtual or safely in-person — many of which are detailed on Earth Hour’s website.
• Have a late candlelit dinner.
• Go forest bathing stargazing, camping, or anything else that will help reconnect you with nature.
• Play Sardines (aka reverse hide and seek).

• Host your own Earth Hour gathering (either in-person or a livestream) for your friends and/or followers — Earth Hour has a few suggestions on the website.
• Do some candlelit yoga or meditation.
• Journal.
• Set an Earth-related resolution — maybe you want to use less single-use plastic, eat more plant-based, or get involved in climate action over the next year.
• Go stargazing.

• Pick up trash around your neighborhood (as long as it’s well-lit).
• Spread the message about Earth Hour on social media.

Happy Earth Hour!

This article was originally published on March 25, 2021, and was updated on March 26, 2022 to include information on Earth Hour 2022.