Edinburgh International Science Festival 2026
Schedule
Sat, 04 Apr, 2026 at 09:00 am to Sun, 19 Apr, 2026 at 09:00 pm
UTC+01:00Location
Multiple Venues | Edinburgh, Scotland
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The Edinburgh International Science Festival is Europe's longest-running science festival, launched in 1989, and runs each year during the Easter school holidays across venues throughout Edinburgh. The 2026 festival brings hundreds of events to the city: live science shows, hands-on experiments, talks by world-leading scientists, interactive exhibitions, workshops, and family activities. Events span all ages and disciplines — from astronomy and ecology to robotics and neuroscience. Many events are free; ticketed events require advance booking.Key venues include the Royal Museum of Scotland (free entry), Dynamic Earth, the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, and various pop-up locations across the city. The festival has a particular strength in family programming: drop-in experiments, science theatre performances, and discovery zones make it one of the best Easter holiday activities in Scotland for children.
Edinburgh itself is spectacular in April — the castle, the Royal Mile, Arthur's Seat, and the city's parks are at their best in spring.
Getting there: Edinburgh Waverley station (direct trains from London King's Cross, approximately 4.5 hours; from Glasgow Queen Street, 50 minutes). The festival venues are spread across the city centre, all walkable from Waverley.
FAQs:
Are events free? Many events are free; some require paid tickets. Check the programme at edinburghscience.co.uk.
Do I need to book? Recommended for popular events and workshops — book via the festival website.
What ages? Programmes for all ages, from toddlers to adults.
Where are the main venues? Royal Museum of Scotland, Dynamic Earth, and the City Art Centre are the main hubs.
When does it run? Check edinburghscience.co.uk for 2026 specific dates — typically runs across the two-week Easter holiday period.
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Where is it happening?
Multiple Venues, Various venues, Edinburgh, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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