Carnival Day for Kids at UCCS
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Library STEAM Events
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The 2024 Colorado Springs Cool Science Festival • Sep 28 - Oct 13
Scroll down for the full schedule of events
The best (and only) science festival in Colorado is back again with 16 days of fun and engaging events designed to showcase STEAM where it's taking place in Colorado Springs and around the Pikes Peak Region. There are events for all ages- adults, kids, teens and families - and most are absolutely free (some events may have a fee to help the hosts cover their costs).
Of course our biggest and most popular event, the Cool Science Carnival Day for Kids at UCCS will be Saturday, September 28th from 10 am to 4 pm. We'll have dozens of exciting science magic shows, laboratory tours and demos, rockets, drone soccer, live animals robots, liquid nitrogen ice cream, Insectapalooza, and lots of other hands-on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math) activities and exhibits for kids (primarily K-8th grades). It's all FREE (even the parking) and fun for all ages!
Once Carnival Day is over, the festival events kick into high gear. If you enjoyed Insectapalooza, you won’t want to miss a chance to check out what might be the world’s largest private collection of Cool Bugs at the May Natural History Museum on Sep. 30th, just before it closes for the season (beware- a live tarantula once crawled into the museum during our event)! And if that’s not enough bugs for you, you can finish off the day with an evening Scorpion Safari at Cheyenne Mountain State Park.
Of course our biggest and most popular event, the Cool Science Carnival Day for Kids at UCCS will be Saturday, September 28th from 10 am to 4 pm. We'll have dozens of exciting science magic shows, laboratory tours and demos, rockets, drone soccer, live animals robots, liquid nitrogen ice cream, Insectapalooza, and lots of other hands-on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math) activities and exhibits for kids (primarily K-8th grades). It's all FREE (even the parking) and fun for all ages!
Once Carnival Day is over, the festival events kick into high gear. If you enjoyed Insectapalooza, you won’t want to miss a chance to check out what might be the world’s largest private collection of Cool Bugs at the May Natural History Museum on Sep. 30th, just before it closes for the season (beware- a live tarantula once crawled into the museum during our event)! And if that’s not enough bugs for you, you can finish off the day with an evening Scorpion Safari at Cheyenne Mountain State Park.
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New events this year include science themed CodeBusters Escape Rooms on Sep. 30 and Oct. 2nd, Rewilding Our Community with Seed Balls and a Tour of Flying Pig Farm on Oct. 1st and 3rd, Math Game Nights at Mathnasium Rockrimmon on Oct. 4th and 11th, and Invisible Waves in Action at Pikes Peak Makerspace on Oct. 12th. You can also try indoor sky diving at iFly Colorado Springs' Fly with Physics on Oct. 8th, or choose one of two Astronomy Night Hikes at Cheyenne Mountain State Park on Oct. 10th. A great way to introduce kids to chemistry experiments is with some kitchen science, and the Sand Castle Cakes Baking Class for Kids at Chefs' Kitchen on Oct. 12th is a great opportunity.
A lot of favorite events from past festivals are back for this year too, like our Space Science Shows at the USAFA Planetarium on Sep. 30th and Challenger Colorado on Oct. 2nd, and several events for kids and families in PPLD libraries and El Paso County Nature Centers. If you enjoyed- or missed- Carnival Day, don't pass up Foothills Elementary's STEAM Night on Oct. 9th, it's smaller but just as much fun. The Cool Science Festival is always the best time to explore Cave of the Winds' with a great discount price on the Family Friendly Bats and Cave Tour Oct. 3rd., and get a chance to peek behind the scenes on the Pikes Peak Summit House Tours Oct. 1st or 9th. Adults will enjoy the Chemistry of (Citrus) Fermentation and Winery Tours at Evergood Adventure Wines each weekend, and our best brewery tour is also back this year with a twist- so don't miss An Electrifying Bristol Beer Tour and Tasting on Oct. 3rd that caps off with a demonstration of their giant Tesla Coil. You can also learn more about its inventor at the Manitou Springs Heritage Center on Oct. 5th for Nikola Tesla in Colorado Springs. Finally, if you like comedy (and we already know you like science), you'll enjoy real local scientists and engineers performing stand-up for Science Riot at the Space Foundation Discovery Center on Oct. 5th.
A lot of favorite events from past festivals are back for this year too, like our Space Science Shows at the USAFA Planetarium on Sep. 30th and Challenger Colorado on Oct. 2nd, and several events for kids and families in PPLD libraries and El Paso County Nature Centers. If you enjoyed- or missed- Carnival Day, don't pass up Foothills Elementary's STEAM Night on Oct. 9th, it's smaller but just as much fun. The Cool Science Festival is always the best time to explore Cave of the Winds' with a great discount price on the Family Friendly Bats and Cave Tour Oct. 3rd., and get a chance to peek behind the scenes on the Pikes Peak Summit House Tours Oct. 1st or 9th. Adults will enjoy the Chemistry of (Citrus) Fermentation and Winery Tours at Evergood Adventure Wines each weekend, and our best brewery tour is also back this year with a twist- so don't miss An Electrifying Bristol Beer Tour and Tasting on Oct. 3rd that caps off with a demonstration of their giant Tesla Coil. You can also learn more about its inventor at the Manitou Springs Heritage Center on Oct. 5th for Nikola Tesla in Colorado Springs. Finally, if you like comedy (and we already know you like science), you'll enjoy real local scientists and engineers performing stand-up for Science Riot at the Space Foundation Discovery Center on Oct. 5th.
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This is just a sample of more than 80 events taking place during the Cool Science Festival. Check out the full schedule below. There are events for all ages, pre-K to adults, and most are free. Some do charge a small fee (often deeply discounted from normal prices) and many do require online pre-registration.
2024 Colorado Springs Cool Science Festival Sponsors
Colorado Springs Cool Science Festival Partners
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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 online pre-registration, and some may even require a small reservation fee (to discourage no-shows). 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.
If you have trouble registering for any events contact us at [email protected] .
You can find more information about the special events and let us know what you think about the festival on our Festival Facebook page, and join our mailing list to keep updated on the festival.
2024 Festival Events Schedule
Download a printable version (2.5MB PDF) (note that not all events appear on the print version- full schedule below)
Download a printable version (2.5MB PDF) (note that not all events appear on the print version- full schedule below)
