On Monday, the moon and sun will take a path they haven’t crossed in nearly 150 years. For three minutes and twenty seconds, Arlington residents and visitors will witness the sky go dark, as onlookers look up — hopefully wearing appropriate eyewear — to witness the once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. 1878 was the last time the Metroplex experienced a total solar eclipse, where the moon completely covers the sun, and there won’t be another until 2317 in the area. Arlington will reach totality at 1:40 p.m. for almost four minutes, but residents will notice a difference about ninety minutes prior, as the partial eclipse begins at 12:22 p.m. and ends at 3:02 p.m. Fourteen states observed the last total eclipse in the United States in 2017, with Great American Eclipse — a website dedicated to documenting these events — estimating that at least 1.85 million people traveled to places in the line of totality. That eclipse was only seen in its totality by roughly 12 million Americans, while Monday’s is estimated to affect over 31 million people, according to the American Red Cross. As a result, hotels are filling up. Lisa Garland, public relations area director for Loews Hotels in Arlington, said in an email that both Loews hotels in the Metroplex — Live! By Loews and Loews Arlington Hotel— are hosting eclipse celebrations for guests. “It’s going to be out of this world,” she said in the email. Live! By Loews will host a members-only Solar Eclipse Viewing Party on their pool deck from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. With people booked in hotels, they won’t be staying in their rooms Monday afternoon. Arlington hosted many historical events the last few years, from World Series games to pop superstar concerts and everything in between, but Monday’s spectacle will bring a different atmosphere to the city. While tickets to the aforementioned events could range into the thousands, Monday’s eclipse is an all-inclusive moment. Whether you watch with friends or watch alone, you will witness history. The city will have multiple events, as previously reported by The Shorthorn. Levitt Pavillion is expecting thousands to flood their lawn Monday afternoon for the historic day. LeTatia Teykl, executive director of Levitt Pavilion, said the gathering at the park is intended to feel like a backyard party. She’s been the director since right before COVID-19 hit and said they pride themselves in having a comfortable and spacious feel, despite Arlington’s urban growth in recent years. “It can feel like a small town but our deliverables on the experience tend to go higher, meaning the production quality of what we do on our stage, to bringing in the vendors, and the way we manage the space in general,” she said. Teykl expects a big crowd, though she couldn’t pinpoint an exact number. She said it’s not unusual for a big Levitt event to have over 5,000 people, so they’re preparing for any outcome. Levitt will provide over 4,000 pairs of eclipse glasses to people at the park Monday, Teykl said. Additionally, vendors will pack the Levitt with food and drink options for spectators. When it comes to vendors, Arlington’s newest business fits right in with the eclipse experiences happening throughout the Metroplex, and speaks to Arlington’s growing reputation within North Texas. CosMc’s, an experimental restaurant by the owners of McDonald’s, is driven by coffee and quick bites rather than the franchise’s famous burgers. Teykl said that the Pavilion knows guests may not make it to the store’s new location Monday, and to make up for it, CosMc’s is bringing a sampling setup to the event. “I think it makes for a better experience for everyone,” Teykl said. Texas will be flooded with visitors from all over and Brent DeRaad, Arlington Conventions and Visitors Bureau president, said he wants to ensure everyone has a great experience. “It is an amazing opportunity, I think, for all of us in Texas and in other cities throughout Mexico and the United States and Canada to be able to experience, again, just an influx of visitors who get to see something that most likely they won't get a chance to experience again in their lifetimes,” he said. DeRaad said that the thrill around the eclipse is an opportunity to unite the community in celebration, commending city apartments like Parks and Recreation on their ability to create entertaining and enlightening events. ”We want to make sure that there's plenty of bandwidth for [people] to be able to move through Arlington and to get where they'd like to go,” he said. The city will have its operations command center open Monday, ensuring everything runs smoothly, DeRaad said. They will be studying traffic impacts throughout the day and responding accordingly. “The nice thing about a big event in Arlington is that our police department, our city staff, everybody's very used to handling over 100,000 people at a time for Cowboys games, and especially when there's Cowboys and Rangers games happening simultaneously. So this won't be anything new for the city,” he said. UTA announced street closures for Monday, with over one million people expected to travel to the state to see the eclipse. The campus has asked that visitors be patient and prepare for said road closures, including Spaniolo Dr. from 1st through 3rd St. from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. They have also allocated Parking and Transportation staff to assist vehicles and visitors in finding parking and alternate routes. Traffic is expected to be at its peak congestion immediately following the total eclipse at roughly 2 p.m. Even though traffic may be volatile, there is no shortage of entertainment throughout the day. Teykl said she remembers last year’s partial solar eclipse in the Metroplex as she sat in her backyard with a piece of paper and a hole punched through it. People do this during eclipses to see the crescents that may form on the ground. This year, she’ll be with “more knowledgeable people” as she celebrates the moment at Levitt Pavilion. “We're just going to all experience this history-making moment and so I think it's cool,” Teykl said. “I love to see high energy. I love to see something unique and different, and we get to be a part of it. It's pretty cool.” @isaacappelt @marierenea.journal news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu