Cambridge Science Festival Sept. 23-29 Celebrates Ingenuity, Creativity & Innovation: Over 200 Free Events

The MIT Museum and the City of Cambridge announce the return of Cambridge Science Festival, an annual week-long celebration of ingenuity, creativity and innovation featuring more than 200 free programs across Cambridge and Greater Boston between Monday, September 23 and Sunday, September 29, 2024. 

This year’s festival has a focus on our shared humanity – how humans interact, explore, and discuss together. It will also be the first festival under the leadership of the newly appointed MIT Museum Director, Michael John Gorman.  

The full program guide is now available at https://cambridgesciencefestival.org/festival-guide-2024/. 

A guide specific for kids, teens and families during the festival is available at https://cambridgesciencefestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/CSF24-Free-Events-for-K-12-students.pdf.

“Science festivals have the power to bring together a staggering and inspirational variety of people and ideas,” says Michael John Gorman, Director of the MIT Museum. “I couldn’t be more pleased to be joining an institution which has such a strong legacy in producing the Cambridge Science Festival, and I look forward to welcoming the community to our exciting line-up of over 200 free events.”

The Cambridge Science Festival showcases the newest ideas and innovations in science, art, technology, engineering, design, and more, that spark conversations about the role of science and innovation in our society and for all humankind. The festival includes four thematic days as well as a slate of one-time events that are presented by organizations and venues across Greater Boston during the 7 day event. Among the 200+ events are events aimed at adults, workshops and demonstrations for students and graduates, activities for children and families, professional networking events and open houses, walking tours, nature walks, keynote lectures, expert panels and more.

All Cambridge Science Festival events are free of charge, and in addition, the MIT Museum will also provide free admission to all during the week of the festival, providing a complementary opportunity to explore the museum. Cambridge residents who enjoy their time at the MIT Museum are encouraged to sign up for a free membership at the museum’s welcome desk or online. Free admission to the museum is extended year round to active military, EBT cardholders, members of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, and MIT ID holders. 

This is the 17th year of the Cambridge Science Festival, and the City of Cambridge has partnered with the MIT Museum throughout the Festival’s history. 

“The Cambridge Science Festival represents an opportunity for inquisitive visitors of all ages to celebrate our diverse, creative community and experience our rich innovation,” said Yi-An Huang, Cambridge City Manager. “This has become one of Cambridge’s signature events of the year and we are thrilled to once again partner with the MIT Museum for this special week-long showcase.”

Of special note for 2024’s Festival, curated thematic days will bring a focused set of programs. 

• For the Win: Games, Puzzles, and the Science of Play includes multiple afternoon and evening events clustered around Kendall Square on Thursday September 26. 

• Frontiers: A New Era of Space Exploration showcases our need to explore the unknown, with programs throughout the City on Friday, September 27 and Saturday, September 28, co-curated by The Space Consortium, organizers of Massachusetts Space Week. 

• Electric Skin: Wearable Tech and the Future of Fashion offers a full program of day and evening events at the intersection of science, fabric and fashion, taking place at The Foundry and co-curated by Boston Fashion Week and Advanced Functional Fabrics of America on Saturday, September 28. 

Festival Producer Brooke Ciardelli says “As we enter a politically charged fall, we put a lot of thought into how Cambridge Science Festival can be a week of connection, community, and discussion. Our themes for 2024 reflect deep, shared human needs: how we play, how we explore, and how we dress. We can’t wait to share our full program guide later this month.”

Series for this year include In the Neighborhood – celebrating the full range of talent and expertise across the City of Cambridge with many topics, formats, and venues; Lunch & Learn – a program of events scheduled daily between 12-1pm; and Carnival, the family-friendly science extravaganza, returning to the Kendall/MIT Open Space on Sunday September 29 from 12p-4p. As just one example of our exciting line up, the program Democracy in the Age of AI will feature Audrey Tang, the recent inaugural Minister of Digital Affairs of Taiwan, Claudia Chwalisz, the Founder and CEO of DemocracyNext, and Deb Roy, the Director of the MIT Center for Constructive Communication. This program will be at the MIT Museum on Tuesday, September 24 from 7p-9p. 

The full program guide is now available at https://cambridgesciencefestival.org/festival-guide-2024/. 

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CAMBRIDGE SCIENCE FESTIVAL
Monday September 23 - Sunday September 29, 2024
CambridgeScienceFestival.org

IMAGERY
A selection of images from CSF 2023

FACTS & FIGURES

• 200+ events and activities in 7 days

• 90+ venues across Cambridge and beyond

• More than 500 programmatic partners

• Every event free and open to the public

• Many events aimed at adults, as well as families