Glasgow Science Festival

Glasgow Science Festival 2026

2026 marked a significant milestone for Glasgow Science Festival as we reached 20 years old! This years theme ‘Cheers For 20 Years’ celebrated two decades of world class research in Glasgow, whilst looking ahead to what the next 20 years may hold. We enjoyed events such as cocktail classes, our sustainably powered music festival with a ceilidh and our ‘Cheers for 20 Years’ party night. 

Here are some highlights from our festival report:

Infographic containing information and statistics about the 2026 Glasgow Science Festival.

With thanks to our headline sponsors University of Glasgow and the Scottish Government. 

Cartoon image of a large group of people with balloons and cakes celebrating. Text reads Cheers for 20 Years where the 20 is a large balloon.

GSF 2026 Photo Gallery

 

Photograph of the GSF team holding a cake with a '20' candle.

The Glasgow Science Festival Team celebrated our 20 year anniversary with a party at the University of Glasgow Advanced Research Centre (ARC), welcoming partners from the past two decades.

Photograph of the GSF director and the Lord Provost of Glasgow.

Glasgow Science Festival was proud to be offered a Civic Reception by Glasgow City Council to celebrate the work we do bringing people into the city.

Photograph of Benji the Play, Talk, Read bus.

Glasgow Science Festival partnered with the Smart Play Network to bring Benji the Play, Talk, Read Bus to four libraries including a feature day for ASN. The bus was packed full of activities for families with children 0 to 4 years old.

Photograph of an author event in a library for schoolchildren.

Glasgow Science Festival partnered with Glasgow Libraries to deliver ten storytelling workshops for school children across the city including four sessions with Alan Windram author of One Button Benny.

Photograph of a child using a computer.

The partnership with Glasgow Libraries reached 31 libraries in Glasgow including supporting coding workshops for the public developed by the Mitchel Library, also delivered in the Gorbals Library.

Photograph of a group of people with Glasgow Science Festival branded t-shirts.

University of Glasgow Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences (MVLS) Staff and Students doing an MSc in Medical Genetics and Genomics formed Gorbals Heritage Investigators to deliver STEM in the Gorbals, part of their community fair.

Photograph of a man holding a plate at a buffet.

Participants at The Big Science Lunch enjoyed a human biology creative writing workshop followed by a ‘Big Lunch’, part of The Eden Project’s Big Lunch hosted by the University of Glasgow Byres Community Hub.

Learn more about this event on the School of Health and Wellbeing's YouTube channel.

Photograph of two people at a stand with flyers and activities.

The Living Laboratory delivered activities celebrating the people and healthcare innovations of Govan at the Govan Fair.

Photograph of people watching the Finding Nemo film.

Glasgow Science Festival celebrated World Ocean Day with ocean themed film screenings and a panel discussion with panellists from the University of Glasgow and the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), hosted at the ARC.

Photograph of a GSF volunteer with a child on a sports mat.

Glasgow Science Festival celebrated the return of the Commonwealth Games to the city with an evening exploring the science of sport, including testing balance with parents from Glasgow Caledonian University at the ARC.

Photograph of the stage at the Dear Green Music Scene festival.

2026 brought the third outing of Dear Green Music Scene, a sustainably powered music and spoken word festival in St Mungo Square, University of Glasgow.

Photograph of a GSF volunteer with an instrument at the Dear Green Music Scene festival.

As part of Dear Green Music Scene, Glasgow Science Festival hosted activities exploring sustainability within the ARC delivered with partners from the University of Glasgow, Strathclyde and Edinburgh.

This event included the creation of an animation which can be viewed on the GSF YouTube Channel.

Photograph of a dog in front of a GSF banner

Glasgow Science Festival hosted Dogs with Jobs, in the Kelvin Hall, exploring the science behind what makes dogs good at their jobs. Including speakers from Guide Dog Scotland, University of Glasgow, Trossachs Search and Rescue and Therapy Dog Nationwide.

Photograph of two GSF volunteers at the event of the Botanics.

Glasgow Science Festival popped up in the Glasgow Botanic Gardens for 10 days with 50 tabletop activities from the 5 to 14 June 2026, including exploring Child Dental Health with dentists from the School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing at the University of Glasgow.

Photograph of a GSF volunteer with a woman and a robot.

Glasgow Science Festival reached over 43,000 people popping up for 11 days in the Riverside Museum with activities including robots from the University of Strathclyde.

Photograph of a GSF volunteer at the Kelvingrove museum event.

Every year Glasgow Science Festival partners with The Open University to bring two days packed full of activities at the Kelvingrove Museum.

Watch a selection of videos from our YouTube Channel

Photograph of a flag with a hand drawn GSF logo
Photograph of members of the GSF team celebrating.
Photograph of an activity at Strathclyde Science.
Photograph of a man taking part in a robotics activity
Photograph of a member of the GSF team.