Tickets won in lottery now required to see fireflies flash in sync at Congaree swamp
Thousands of people have visited Congaree National Park to see the synchronized fireflies in the past.
This spring the amount of visitors to the swamp just outside of Columbia will be restricted. Only those who win a lottery will be able to buy tickets to see the flashy annual ritual in Hopkins.
Viewing will be limited to 120 vehicles per night, the National Park Service said.
The restriction is being put in place “to protect critical firefly habitat and provide optimum visitor experience,” according to the National Park Service.
For about two weeks each spring, usually in mid- to late-May or early June, hordes of fireflies light up in unison, rather than twinkle individually as they would at other times of the year. Congaree swamp is one of only a handful of places in the world where this phenomenon, thought to be an annual mating ritual for a particular lightning bug species, can be seen by humans.
The 2022 synchronous fireflies viewing event will be held from May 20-22 and May 27-29, according to recreation.gov, the website that is the home of the ticket lottery.
The lottery will open on March 31 at 10 a.m., and registration will close on April 6. Only one application per household will be accepted and results from the lottery will be announced on April 14.
Winners will be awarded a parking pass for one of their specified dates which can’t be changed. The event will be held rain or shine, organizers said.
Prior to last year, there was no fee for visitors coming to see the rare synchronized flashing of fireflies. That changed in 2021, when a similar lottery was held, but only 25 vehicles per night were allowed in the park.
Once again this year, a non-refundable service fee of $1 will be charged to enter the lottery, and winners will be required to pay a $19 non-refundable event fee, according to the National Park Service.
Tickets will only be issued for passenger vehicles up to two axles that can fit in standard parking spaces, the National Park Service said. So motor homes, vehicles with trailers, buses or mini-buses, and other larger vehicles will not be allowed to enter the park.
There will be limited access to the park in the days leading up to the annual event, “to further protect critical firefly habitat,” according to the National Park Service.
Beginning May 15, the park entrance road will be closed to all visitors at 4 p.m. daily. The closures will occur through May 29, and visitors also won’t have access to the Harry Hampton Visitor Center, front country trails or the boardwalk after 4 p.m.
Additionally, the exhibit area and auditorium in the visitor center are still closed as a COVID-19 safety precaution.
During the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, the park canceled the 2020 synchronous fireflies viewing event.
In the last synchronous fireflies viewing event before the pandemic, when there were no limits on the number of people who could attend, more than 12,000 people visited the national park to see the fireflies.
While the lightning bugs have been observed at the park for years, the first Fireflies Festival was held in 2017 as a one-night event. It expanded to 10 days in 2018, when a designated Fireflies Trail is created, and visitors are coming from outside the Columbia area.
Lottery winners are asked to keep noise levels to a minimum, stay on the designated trail, and only use flashlights when absolutely necessary. Capturing fireflies is not allowed within Congaree National Park.
Prohibited
The following are prohibited on the Fireflies Trail:
▪ Dogs (service dogs allowed)
▪ Strollers or wagons
▪ Backpacks and coolers
▪ Flash photography and using cell phone cameras for photos and/or videos
▪ Headlamps
▪ Using smartphones as flashlights
▪ Chairs, hammocks or blankets
▪ Smoking/vaping
▪ Alcoholic beverages
▪ Grills or camping stoves
▪ Applying insect repellent (please apply prior to arriving at the park)
SOURCE: National Park Service
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