The 2020 Colorado Springs Cool Science Festival • October 10-18
As always, the festival kicks off with the 2020 Cool Science Carnival Day for Kids on Saturday, October 10th from 9 am to 4:30 pm. This year due to COVID-19 the Carnival Day will be going completely virtual (online), webcasting live from the Space Foundation Discovery Center (where will also have a few socially-distanced activities for kids).
In addition to Cool Science Carnival Day the CSCSF features 9 days of exciting, educational and engaging special events designed to showcase STEAM where it's taking place in Colorado Springs and around the Pikes Peak Region. While many of this year's events will also be virtual (online), we will still have several in-person special events and programs that are able to follow COVID-19 social distancing requirements. That's good news for those of you that like to get outside for your science, as we have a full slate of nature hikes and star-gazing nights., including paleo hikes at Corral Bluffs Open Space, where ground-breaking discoveries may finally solve the mystery of why mammals survived even after the asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs. [BTW- the scientists who made those discoveries will also be talking to kids live on Carnival Day!] Also back are the very popular discounted tours at Cave of the Winds and two special Cool Science Nights and the new U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum. You can also build and launch your own model rockets with COSROCS and SCORE or catch a planetarium show at Challenger Learning Center. This year's festival also features the world premiere of drone soccer- that's right flying drones playing a soccer-like game!
In addition to Cool Science Carnival Day the CSCSF features 9 days of exciting, educational and engaging special events designed to showcase STEAM where it's taking place in Colorado Springs and around the Pikes Peak Region. While many of this year's events will also be virtual (online), we will still have several in-person special events and programs that are able to follow COVID-19 social distancing requirements. That's good news for those of you that like to get outside for your science, as we have a full slate of nature hikes and star-gazing nights., including paleo hikes at Corral Bluffs Open Space, where ground-breaking discoveries may finally solve the mystery of why mammals survived even after the asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs. [BTW- the scientists who made those discoveries will also be talking to kids live on Carnival Day!] Also back are the very popular discounted tours at Cave of the Winds and two special Cool Science Nights and the new U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum. You can also build and launch your own model rockets with COSROCS and SCORE or catch a planetarium show at Challenger Learning Center. This year's festival also features the world premiere of drone soccer- that's right flying drones playing a soccer-like game!
This year's virtual events offer some new possibilities: you can try your hand at two online science of cooking classes with Gather Food Studio, tackle a virtual science-themed escape room from Locked In Escapes, watch scientists performing stand-up comedy with Science Riot! or meet the Nature and Wildlife Center's raptors.
For teachers Cool Science is hosting some very special virtual programs during the festival weekdays which has never been possible before: 3 STEM Resources Workshops, 3 daily "School Channel" webcasts of live-streamed STEAM programming for classroom use and real USAFA, NASA and USGS scientists chatting with students live in "Zoom with a Scientist". Interested teachers should check the festival event schedule below to sign up or contact us.
This year's virtual events offer some new possibilities: you can try your hand at two online science of cooking classes with Gather Food Studio, tackle a virtual science-themed escape room from Locked In Escapes, watch scientists performing stand-up comedy with Science Riot! or meet the Nature and Wildlife Center's raptors.
For teachers Cool Science is hosting some very special virtual programs during the festival weekdays which has never been possible before: 3 STEM Resources Workshops, 3 daily "School Channel" webcasts of live-streamed STEAM programming for classroom use and real USAFA, NASA and USGS scientists chatting with students live in "Zoom with a Scientist". Interested teachers should check the festival event schedule below to sign up or contact us.
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New Daily Cool Science Festival Radio Program!
New Daily Cool Science Festival Radio Program!
If you're in Colorado Springs tune into Blazin' 98.5 FM (or 1040 AM) on your radio dial every weekday from 11 am to noon now through the end of the festival for "Lunchbox with Mike". Each program will feature a different special event host or Carnival Day presenter giving you a preview of what's in store for this year's Cool Science Festival! You can also listen online with your computer or mobile phone browser. Check the schedule of upcoming interviews and listen to any you missed- they're interesting enough to be festival events themselves!
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Below is the full calendar of festival events. You can view it as a list (default) or by week or month. You can also select which events are displayed by target audience (that's the little down arrow on the right side at the top). Click on any event title for a detailed description and a link to pre-register or purchase tickets. Note that many events require a reservation (so we know how many people to expect or can send you the link you'll need if it's online) and some may even require a small reservation fee to insure that the reservations only go to those who really intend to show up. [If you wish to bring a school or other group contact us and we may waive part or all of this fee.] You may also choose to show up without a reservation on the day of the event in case there is space available, but we can't promise that you will get in.
2020 Festival Events Calendar
If this calendar is too wide for your mobile phone screen even in landscape mode, try requesting a desktop version of this page or use this mobile-friendly version.