Science4All 2026 in numbers

From Friday 25 to Sunday 27 September the researchers of the University of Padua met with the public at the fifth edition of the science festival Science4All.

Compared with the previous edition, there was a significant increase in attendance and participation: the estimated total number of participants was more than 32,000 people (last year there were 28,000), of whom 10,029 visited the sites of the Orto botanico, Villa Parco Bolasco and Museo della Natura e dell’Uomo (compared with 8,000 last year), and 3,500 attended the University’s other venues across the area.

The guided tours at Palazzo del Bo numbered 1,248 (in 2025 there were 1,002).

In particular, 4,430 people registered for bookable activities (there were 3,000 in the previous edition), although most activities ran continuously and did not require booking.

Science4All organised 309 activities in total (in 2025 there were 257), spread across 81 gazebos, of which 67 were in the centre of Padua alone, with 12 shows and special events over the weekend.

The total number of facilities involved was 75, of which 65 belonged to the University of Padua, not only in the city centre but also at the University’s external venues. The festival saw the participation of 32 departments, 9 museums, 7 libraries, 6 university centres, 3 library hubs, 4 central administration offices, 10 partner organisations, the “Due Palazzi” penal institute in Padua, the Galilean School of Higher Education, the Orto botanico and Villa Parco Bolasco.

6 municipalities were involved: Padua, Legnaro, Chioggia, Rovigo, Conegliano and Castelfranco Veneto.

Compared with the previous edition, in addition to greater overall participation, there was also a marked increase in visitors coming from across Italy, as well as numerous international visitors.

The official Science4All T-shirt was worn by 1,550 people from Unipd, and 2,000 balloons walked through the city streets.

There were 328 festival T-shirts sold in support of climate change research, but the T-shirt is still available both online and in the three Unipd stores at Palazzo del Bo, Orto Botanico and Museo della Natura e dell’Uomo for the entire duration of Science4All for schools (from 9 to 20 November).

During the festival, around 1,000 researchers, lecturers, specialist trainees and PhD students communicated science to the public side by side, and more than 400 people were involved in the festival’s various organisational aspects. In particular, this year there were more than 80 volunteers active in the festival across the University’s various venues in Padua.

A large team from the University of Padua succeeded in presenting its studies and research results by adapting its language according to who approached each activity: families, children, teenagers and adults of all ages.