Prepare to be amazed at World Science Festival Brisbane 2026

By Ashleigh Howarth

Curiosity will take centre stage when the hugely popular World Science Festival Brisbane returns for 2026, uncovering everything from distant galaxies to the hidden systems that keep us human.

Held over 10 big days from March 20-29, the festival will deliver a vibrant program of more than 100 events, celebrating the powerful meeting point of science, art, technology and storytelling.

Packed with exciting events and inspiring guest speakers - including Australian of the Year and Australia’s first astronaut, Katherine Bennell-Pegg - this year’s festival promises fun and discovery for visitors of all ages.

Queensland Museum CEO Renai Grace said the World Science Festival Brisbane reflects the Museum’s role as a place where curiosity is sparked and knowledge is shared.

“Queensland Museum is proud to present a science festival that invites people to look closer at the world around them and further into the universe beyond,” she said.

“This program highlights Queensland’s position as a global leader in science and innovation. By bringing together world-renowned thinkers, local researchers, and diverse communities, the festival creates a unique platform to spark conversations, inspire curiosity, and explore the groundbreaking ideas that will shape our future.”

Here’s what curious minds can expect from this year’s festivities:

An incredible array of activities

Whether you’re young or simply young at heart, the festival offers a wide range of free, family-friendly experiences including hands-on science activities, outdoor installations, pop-up experiences, and interactive talks and demonstrations.

Events will take place across a variety of venues, including Queensland Museum Kurilpa, QPAC, QAGOMA, State Library Queensland, Fish Lane, Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Sir Thomas Planetarium, and the Queensland Museum Rail Workshops, ensuring everyone can take part.

Here’s your complete guide to what’s happening in and around Brisbane and Ipswich:

• Lume at the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium

• Bat Night Market at Queensland Museum Kuripla*

• Digital Detox: Fantastic Flying Foxes

• Digital Detox: Dawn Soundwalk with Clocked Out

• Digital Detox: Science Social Meetup

• Ask an Astronaut with Katherine Bennell-Pegg

• The Microverse

• Robots and Rocketry

• Robowars

• Wildlife Encounters

• Science that Matters: Katrina Wruck on Creating Change for Australia’s Future

• Digital Detox: Birdwatching Walk with Hugh Possingham

• Smelly Science

• Study Queensland World Science Festival: Innovation Challenge

• Challenge Accepted: Science Shaping the Next Generation

• Stelarc and Daito Manabe: Creative Development and Prototype Demonstration

• Game Changers in conversation with LYRO Robotics

• Australian Youth Orchestra: Beautiful Equations

• Artist Talk: Stelarc

• Brian Greene: Listening to the Big Bang

• Science by the Bay

• Digital Detox: Slow Drawing Tour with Sienna van Rossum

• Digital Detox: Herpetology (snake) walk with Corey Tutt

• GOMA Film Series: Matango (aka Attack of the Mushroom People)

• Dr Karl: Live

• GOMA Film Series: Cells at Work!

• A Pollen Odyssey

• Citizen Science Fair

• Digital Detox: Emu Egg Carving Workshop with Maurice Mickelo

• The Feminist Collective: Powering Climate Justice

• Dr Karl: Amazing Moment in Science

• The Science of Sex: Big Ideas with Natasha Mitchell

• LIVE: What the Duck?! With Ann Jones

• GOMA Film Series: Microcosmos

• Julia Baird: Healthy Microbiome, Happy Brain?

• LIVE: What’s That Rash? With Norman Swan and Tegan Taylor

• GOMA Film Series: The Truman Show

• Leigh Sales AM and Annabel Crabb: An Afternoon with Science

• Researchers on Tap at Fish Lane

• National Geographic Live: Cosmic Adventures with Tracy Drain

• Science Smackdown: The Ultimate Debate!

• Moss Piglet

• Digital Detox: Native Botanical Mocktail Workshop with Three Little Birds

• Big City Birds: The Secret Lives of Urban Avians

• Blast Off: Exploring Other Worlds

• Meet the Scientists: Life and Extinction at Queensland Museum with 612 Brisbane

• GOMA Film Series: The Incredible Shrinking Man

• Forensics: The Science of Blood, Body Bags and Biohazards

• Artificial Intelligence, Country and Culture

• GOMA Film Series: Fantastic Voyage

* In 2026, the festival will showcase the Australian debut of Bat Night Market, an extraordinary experience from Taiwan, commissioned by LIFT and the Taipei Performing Arts Centre. This futuristic night market fuses science, creativity, and imagination to create a vibrant, sensory celebration of culture and innovation.

Outstanding line-up of international and Australian talent

Little Einsteins will have the opportunity to learn from some of the world’s leading thinkers, with a standout line-up of Australian and international guest speakers in attendance. These include:

• World Science Festival Co-Founder Professor Brian Greene exploring the nature of reality and the universe in Brian Greene: Listening to the Big Bang

• Aerospace engineer and National Geographic Explorer Tracy Drain along with some special guests sharing first-hand insights from NASA’s Mars missions in Blast Off: Exploring Other Worlds!

• Australian of the Year and Australia’s first astronaut, Katherine Bennell-Pegg, reflecting on space, ambition, and discovery in Ask an Astronaut?

• Australia’s favourite science communicator Dr Karl Kruszelnicki delivering his trademark mix of humour and insight in Dr Karl: Live!

• Leigh Sales and Annabel Crabb in conversation on science, society and the stories that shape us in Leigh Sales AM and Annabel Crabb: An Afternoon of Science.

• Julia Baird examining humanity, ethics and the future Healthy Microbiome, Happy Brain?

Find out more

Tickets are on sale now. For more information, visit www.worldsciencefestival.com.au or follow the World Science Festival Brisbane on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.

Images supplied by Queensland Museum.