Science4All 2026, the science festival
From 25 to 27 September
different hours
Padua, Legnaro, Rovigo, Castelfranco Veneto, Conegliano and Chioggia
University of Padua
From 25 to 27 September, Science4All transforms Padua into an open-air laboratory. Three days of experiments, talks and discoveries to explore science in a fun way, with more than 300 activities including games, workshops, escape rooms, science cafés and guided tours.
The journey begins on Friday 25 September. Researchers from the University of Padua present, in a live television broadcast from Palazzo del Bo and also via streaming, some of the most innovative research projects developed at our University and funded by the European Research Council of the European Commission, describing not only the results achieved, but also the scientific questions, the challenges and the possible impacts on society.
And to honour the European Researchers’ Night, again on Friday, from 19:00 to 22:00, some University venues open their doors to the public.
On Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September, from 10:30 to 18:30, in the centre of Padua runs the Boulevard of Science with 67 stands, where researchers from the University and partner organisations offer hundreds of interactive activities. Most activities are repeated throughout the day, on a rolling basis, while booking is required to take part in shows, guided tours and escape rooms.
In addition, an expo in the courtyard of Palazzo Moroni hosts a selection of cutting-edge prototypes and vehicles developed by the University’s student teams: sustainable racing cars and motorbikes, a space rover and a sounding rocket.
The science festival takes place not only in Padua but also at the other university campuses in Legnaro (PD), Rovigo, Castelfranco Veneto (TV), Conegliano (TV) and Chioggia (VE). Among the satellite campuses, the Campus di Agripolis offers on the afternoon of Saturday 26 September a rich programme with around 30 activities dedicated to agriculture, the environment, biodiversity, food and animal welfare, together with three guided tours of the Experimental Farm "Luigi Toniolo".
Bookings for shows and activities open from 16 September.
Science4All is organised by the University of Padua, under the patronage of the Comune di Padova and with support from Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo, Crédit Agricole and the Associazione degli Amici dell'University of Padua.
It is a simple gesture that supports research: for every shirt purchased, €1 will go towards research
Science4All for schools
From 9 to 20 November there is still plenty of Science4All with the programme dedicated to primary and lower secondary schools, which this year includes 141 different activities offered by 39 different facilities. In December it will be the turn of upper secondary schools, with a programme that continues to evolve by offering meetings this year with an interdisciplinary approach, allowing participants to discover the ever-lively relationship between scientific research and the historic places of the University. Alongside classroom lessons, many occasions also include visits to the places of Padua Città della Scienza such as Palazzo del Bo, Orto botanico and Museo della Natura e dell’Uomo.
In addition, thanks to the collaboration with CICAP Fest EDU, there will be an online preview that can be followed on 5 November – a lesson on texts produced by artificial intelligence – and a meeting on memory, between ancient history and how the brain works.