Keep the momentum going! The closing weekend of National Science Week 2026 brings another stacked lineup of free, interactive, family-friendly events across New South Wales. From First Nations astronomy and agricultural science to hands-on university expos and life-sized roaming dinosaurs, there are endless opportunities for curious minds to explore.
All of these events are free, but some require advance registration due to venue capacities. Here is your essential weekend guide for Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 23.
Saturday, 22 August 2026
Indigenous Science Experience at Redfern
Time: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Where: Redfern Community Centre, Sydney
What to expect: Opening with a traditional smoking ceremony and welcome, this drop-in event celebrates over 60,000 years of Indigenous scientific knowledge. Learn about Aboriginal astronomy, bush foods and medicines with Elders, seaweeds for environmental sustainability, Torres Strait Islander virtual reality, and hands-on physics and chemistry demonstrations with Questacon and university leaders.
What to expect: Explore agricultural and environmental science at this hands-on open day. Kids can make seed bombs, study leaf-litter insects under microscopes, create sun print artwork, learn about beneficial pollinators, take a farm tour, and pot a seedling to care for at home.
Sydney Science Trail: Community Day at Mount Annan
Time: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Where: Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan
What to expect: Go behind the scenes at PlantBank, the National Herbarium of NSW, and the plant nursery with expert science and horticulture teams. Enjoy guided family walks, interactive workshops, and hands-on plant science activities across the gardens.
What to expect: A full community science day featuring immersive planetarium shows by Starr’s Planetarium, interactive STEM activities with the University of Newcastle’s SMART Team, and full access to Singleton Library’s STREAM resources.
Science, Visual and Performing Arts: A Multilingual Confluence
Time: 12:30 pm – 6:00 pm
Where: S P Jain School of Global Management, Lidcombe
What to expect: Discover where science meets creativity! This family event bridges science with story-telling, visual arts, and performance. Enjoy interactive experiment displays, public speaking activities, math and science quiz contests with on-the-spot prizes, and chats with inspiring researchers.
What to expect: Western Sydney Parklands transforms into an outdoor lab! This year features the UNSW SciFest Village and Meet a Sciencetist, bringing scientists out of their labs to share experiments, interactive challenges, microscopes, and live chemistry. Plus, don’t miss the famous life-sized roaming dinosaur!
What to expect: Newcastle’s biggest annual science playground returns to take over Newcastle Museum. Thousands of visitors flock to this event for a massive day of hands-on experiments, interactive STEM stalls, and engaging science demonstrations for all ages.
Keep the momentum going! The closing weekend of National Science Week 2026 brings another stacked lineup of free, interactive, family-friendly events across New South Wales. From First Nations astronomy and agricultural science to hands-on university expos and life-sized roaming dinosaurs, there are endless opportunities for curious minds to explore.
All of these events are free, but some require advance registration due to venue capacities. Here is your essential weekend guide for Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 23.
Saturday, 22 August 2026
Indigenous Science Experience at Redfern
Sydney City Farm Open Day
Sydney Science Trail: Community Day at Mount Annan
Celebration of Science at Singleton Library
Science, Visual and Performing Arts: A Multilingual Confluence
Sunday, 23 August 2026
Science in the Scrub
Hunter Science Festival
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