Genoa Science Festival 2026

What is on

Topics range from sustainability and energy to the environment and the sea, from space exploration to particle physics, from health to genomics, and on to the links between science, art and society. Announced guests include Barbara Mazzolai of the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, the Nobel Prize in Physics winner Arthur McDonald, Fabiola Gianotti, Telmo Pievani and Alfio Quarteroni.

Exhibitions and workshops

Highlights include the CNR exhibition “Antartide, il continente bianco” (Antarctica, the white continent), INAF’s Galaxy Lab and INGV’s Earthquake Escape Room, a game room about earthquakes. At Palazzo della Borsa you can visit two exhibitions: “Ascoltare l’invisibile” (Listening to the invisible), on gravitational waves, and “Oltre ciò che vediamo” (Beyond what we see), on perception.

For children and families

This year there are more activities for children aged 6 to 10. For adults there is also “La città in prospettiva” (The city in perspective), a series of six meetings with the Comune di Genova, and two evenings of scientific board games, the “Game Nights”, at the Genova Blue District.

Tickets and prices

These are the prices given by the organisers for 2026:

• Day ticket: €13 full price, €11 reduced (only at the Infopoint or by call centre), €9 further reduced (ages 6–18 and university students); evening ticket, from 5pm, €9
• Standard pass (whole festival): €21 full price, €18 reduced, €12 further reduced
• Premium pass: €33 online, with free, unlimited bookings for the holder
• Families: 3 day tickets for €33 or 4 for €42; 3 Standard passes for €51 or 4 for €62
• Children aged 0 to 5: free, to be requested at the Infopoint or by call centre

The talks are free for under-18s, university students and ITS students, with ID. Each booking costs €1; tickets are personal and non-refundable, and buying online adds a 10% advance-sale fee. Children under 10 are admitted only with an adult holding a ticket.

Where to buy

Online on the festival website; at the free call centre on 010 8934340 (from 12 October); from 22 October at the Infopoint in the Cortile Maggiore of Palazzo Ducale, open Monday to Friday 9am–7pm and on Saturdays and public holidays 9.30am–7pm.

Where it takes place and how to get around

The venues are spread across the city, and the centre is easy to explore on foot. Palazzo Ducale is in the old town, a few steps from Piazza De Ferrari, where the metro stops; trains arrive at Genova Brignole and Genova Piazza Principe.

What to do in Genoa between events

The festival is a good excuse for a long weekend in the city. A few minutes from Palazzo Ducale is the Porto Antico (Old Port), with the Genoa Aquarium and the Biosphere, while in the old town the caruggi (narrow alleys) lead to the Palazzi dei Rolli. For food, our guide to what to eat in Genoa lists the specialities not to miss.

One edition after another

The Festival della Scienza is one of the biggest cultural events in the city. In 2025, for the 23rd edition, the organisers counted over 200,000 attendances and 257 events at 35 venues.