March 29, 2017
Philadelphia Science Festival/Flickr
Trash cans exploded during this 2016 Science Festival demonstration.
The Philadelphia Science Festival's massive outdoor carnival will return on Saturday, April 29, to the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., close to 180 exhibitors will participate in the annual event. Attendees can join in making slime, extracting DNA from a strawberry and other experiments, games and demonstrations.
As a buildup to the carnival, venues across the city will host celebrations of science, technology, engineering and math from April 21-28. Tickets for each event are currently available. While many are free, reservations are still required.
There are more than 80 events this year. To help narrow down the 2017 standouts, we've listed the top family-friendly and adults-only events to check out.
Family-Friendly:
• Be A Scientist Day – On April 23, kids can discover what it's like to be a CHOP audiologist, a marine biologist and an inventor, among other professions. Many museums, hospitals and other institutions will offer hands-on activities and behind-the-scenes tours.
• Citywide Star Party – Local astronomers will bring their gear to 24 sites across the city and suburbs for stargazing on April 28. Locations include Battleship New Jersey, Awbury Arboretum and Haverford College.
• Science in the Park – Head to the Schuylkill Center, Clark Park or Hunting Park for a full day of science activities on April 22.
• Tinker Lab – Try activities like 3-D printing and laser cutting alongside experts on April 22.
Adults-Only:
• Science After Hours: '80s Prom – At this prom, the punch will definitely be spiked. The Franklin Institute will host a night of science, dancing and drinking on April 21.
• Fishtown Science Crawl – Enjoy science demonstrations and participate in hands-on activities while enjoying specials at each bar. The crawl will take place on April 23.
• Cookie Lab – R2L's pastry chef Peter Scarola and The Franklin Institute's resident food scientist Shanna Caste will lead a demonstration and tasting on April 25.
• Gross Anatomy: Sex – The cabaret-meets-science program returns on April 27. This year, explore the science behind sexual health and reproduction.
More activities can be viewed on the new Philadelphia Science Festival mobile map, which offers a way to search for events by time, date, category and location.
Friday, April 21 through Saturday, April 29
