Carnival Day for Kids at UCCS (Oct. 3)
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Brains On! LIVE: Your Brain is Magic! (Oct. 17)
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The 2026 Colorado Springs Cool Science Festival • Oct 3 - Oct 18
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, October 3rd from 10 am to 4 pm. We'll have dozens of exciting science magic shows, laboratory tours and demos, rockets, slime, telescopes, live animals, race cars, solar (and kid-powered) energy, virtual reality, robots, liquid nitrogen treats, 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!
We don't forget the folks without young children either. If you aren't going to Carnival Day on October 3rd, you can join the Restoration Crew, then take in a cool science talk on "Landlocked Hydrology- How Colorado Water Reaches the Ocean" at Bear Creek Nature Center. Either way the entire family will enjoy an evening of stargazing with the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society at Florissant Fossil Beds Dark Sky Program.
Once Carnival Day is over, the festival really kicks into high gear. New events this year include Dry Panning for Gems and Minerals every day at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry, Da Vinci After Dark (for adults, Oct. 16) and Spooky Science (for kids, Oct. 17) at the new Leonardo da Vinci Museum in Pueblo. You might also enjoy a Mineral Springs Foundation Walking Tour in Manitou Springs (Oct. 10), an Engineering Open House and Stargazing Night at Pikes Peak State College (Oct. 14), Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum STEM Day (Oct. 17), and a cool Ultraviolet Evening Experience at Cave of the Winds (Oct. 8). There are actually three more different tour days at Cave of the Winds (Oct. 6, 7, and 11), all deeply discounted just for the Cool Science Festival, so be sure to get your tickets early!
It's not all traditional science either, adults will enjoy real scientists and engineers performing stand-up comedy sets with Science Riot at Ivywild School (Oct. 7), or Nerd Night COS Presents: Could You Survive a Horror Movie?, while kids can learn real engineering skills at Creative Building Using Real Power Tools with Colorado Tinkering School, or baking skills at Boo-tiful Cupcakes or Ghoulishly Gooey: Lava Cakes & Caramel Apples with Chef's Kitchen's We're Cookin' Now (Oct. 17), and tweens/teens can acquire video skills at Video Production Foundations at Library 21c (Oct. 9).
Many festival favorites are back again this year, including Space Science Shows at the USAFA Planetarium (Oct. 8), STEAM Nights at Foothills Elementary School (Oct. 8) and Mathnasium Rockrimmon (Oct. 9,16 and 17), a Water Wise Garden Tour at the CS Utilities Demonstration Garden (Oct. 6), National Fossil Day at Garden of the Gods Visitor Center (Oct. 10), Fly Model Rockets with COSROCS, and Second Saturday Science at Challenger Learning Center (Oct. 10), and Thomas MacLaren School's Community Stargazing Night (Oct. 10). Finally, our own favorite Dr. Ron Furstenau will perform his very popular "Chemistry Magic" show for kids at PPLD Penrose Library (Oct. 17).
This is just a sample of the dozens of special events this year. Some do charge a small fee (often deeply discounted from normal prices) and many require online pre-registration. Check out the schedule below for all the details.
Once Carnival Day is over, the festival really kicks into high gear. New events this year include Dry Panning for Gems and Minerals every day at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry, Da Vinci After Dark (for adults, Oct. 16) and Spooky Science (for kids, Oct. 17) at the new Leonardo da Vinci Museum in Pueblo. You might also enjoy a Mineral Springs Foundation Walking Tour in Manitou Springs (Oct. 10), an Engineering Open House and Stargazing Night at Pikes Peak State College (Oct. 14), Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum STEM Day (Oct. 17), and a cool Ultraviolet Evening Experience at Cave of the Winds (Oct. 8). There are actually three more different tour days at Cave of the Winds (Oct. 6, 7, and 11), all deeply discounted just for the Cool Science Festival, so be sure to get your tickets early!
It's not all traditional science either, adults will enjoy real scientists and engineers performing stand-up comedy sets with Science Riot at Ivywild School (Oct. 7), or Nerd Night COS Presents: Could You Survive a Horror Movie?, while kids can learn real engineering skills at Creative Building Using Real Power Tools with Colorado Tinkering School, or baking skills at Boo-tiful Cupcakes or Ghoulishly Gooey: Lava Cakes & Caramel Apples with Chef's Kitchen's We're Cookin' Now (Oct. 17), and tweens/teens can acquire video skills at Video Production Foundations at Library 21c (Oct. 9).
Many festival favorites are back again this year, including Space Science Shows at the USAFA Planetarium (Oct. 8), STEAM Nights at Foothills Elementary School (Oct. 8) and Mathnasium Rockrimmon (Oct. 9,16 and 17), a Water Wise Garden Tour at the CS Utilities Demonstration Garden (Oct. 6), National Fossil Day at Garden of the Gods Visitor Center (Oct. 10), Fly Model Rockets with COSROCS, and Second Saturday Science at Challenger Learning Center (Oct. 10), and Thomas MacLaren School's Community Stargazing Night (Oct. 10). Finally, our own favorite Dr. Ron Furstenau will perform his very popular "Chemistry Magic" show for kids at PPLD Penrose Library (Oct. 17).
This is just a sample of the dozens of special events this year. Some do charge a small fee (often deeply discounted from normal prices) and many require online pre-registration. Check out the schedule below for all the details.
Magnets, Motors, Microcontrollers & Monsters (Oct. 5 & 12)
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Discount Cave of the Winds Tours (Oct. 6, 7, 8, & 11)
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Boo at Bear Creek! (Oct. 16)
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Creative Building Using Real Power Tools (Oct. 16)
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Spooky Science at the da Vinci Museum (Oct. 17)
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Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum STEM Day (Oct. 17)
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2026 Colorado Springs Cool Science Festival Brought to You by
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2026 Colorado Springs Cool Science Festival Sponsor
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 Select Calendar icon 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. You may 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.
2026 Cool Science Festival Events Schedule (Oct. 3 - Oct. 18)
Download a printable version (4.2MB PDF) (note that not all events appear on the print version- full schedule below)
Download a printable version (4.2MB PDF) (note that not all events appear on the print version- full schedule below)
Week 2: Oct. 11 - 18
