National Science Week 2026 runs from 15th to 23rd August
National Science Week will bring live shows, film screenings and public talks to cities around Australia from 15th to 23rd August, with events ranging from sex education on stage in Tasmania to a space film festival in Canberra.
The 2026 programme includes Anatomy According to Hollywood in Kensington on 20th August, Rock Hard! The Geological Cabaret in Canberra on 14th and 15th August, and Monsters and Molecules: Journey to the Centre of the Brain in Fortitude Valley on 19th August.
In Tasmania, The Clitoral Chronicles will run in Ulverstone on 11th August and in Hobart on 21st and 22nd August. The show is led by Dr Tiana Pirtle, who has a PhD in reproductive ecology and physiology, and uses comedy, physical theatre and anatomical costumes to examine the clitoris and challenge outdated ideas about sex, gender and science.
Tasmania and Canberra highlights
Hobart will also host Beaker Street Festival from 6th to 17th August, centred around the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and nearby venues. Its programme includes debates, talks, installations, live music, performance and food and drink, as well as events on psychedelics, social media addiction, true crime, bats and slime moulds.
Founder and Creative Director Dr Margo Adler said, “For ten years, Beaker Street has created events and spaces where science becomes the catalyst for great conversations, new ideas and shared experiences.”
Canberra’s Space Faring Civilisation Film Festival is scheduled for 23rd August and will feature sci-fi and documentary shorts, workshops and a Q&A panel. Festival director Masoud Varjavandi, a former IT professional turned filmmaker, said, “This isn’t about escapism. It’s about reminding people that progress, peace and a better future are still within reach.”
Other events in the National Science Week programme include a planetarium concert in Toowong on 21st August, a science fiction film and expert panel in Hobart on 16th August, Science Alive! At the Adelaide Showground on 8th and 9th August, and a touring public lecture series by astrophysicist Dr Karelle Siellez in Canberra, Wollongong, Sydney, Newcastle, Adelaide, Brisbane and online.
National Science Week began in 1997. Last year, about 3 million people took part in more than 2,500 registered events and activities.
