Science Week runs from 15th to 23rd August with 2,500+ events
Science Week will bring a Moon rover showcase, a planetarium concert, an electric flying taxi built by students and a virtual reality rugby brain installation to Queensland from 15th to 23rd August 2026.
National Science Week organisers say the festival reaches more than 3 million people through more than 2,500 events. In Queensland, the programme ranges from Cairns to Townsville, the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Toowoomba and the Gold Coast.
The Queensland launch is scheduled for 10am on Saturday 15th August at Tank 5 in the Cairns Botanic Gardens as part of STEM in the Tropics, a pop-up science fair with conservation, eco-tourism, local innovation, business and First Nations bush foods activities. Guests listed for the launch include Cairns-born Olympic diver James Connor and Paralympic gold medallist Korey Boddington OAM.
Queensland event highlights
Among the larger Brisbane events, a free Science Week Business Showcase in Hamilton on Thursday 13th August will feature microplastics researcher Dr Cassandra Rauert, Queensland Chief Scientist Prof Kerrie Wilson and EPE Engineers, which will discuss the Australian-built “Roo-ver” moon robot.
On the Sunshine Coast, more than 50 high school and university students have helped build a full-scale electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft for the Future Flight Science Fair on Saturday 15th August. The project says the one-seat aircraft can fly autonomously from Maroochydore to Brisbane in 20 minutes, at speeds exceeding 250 km/h, over distances above 200 km and up to 3,000 ft.
Surfers Paradise will host another space-themed drawcard from Friday 14th August to Sunday 16th August, when Pacific Airshow Gold Coast visitors will be able to test-drive a model of the first Australian-built moon rover and meet Katherine Bennell-Pegg, identified as the 2026 Australian of the Year.
Toowoomba’s Brains, Boots & Beyond launches on Tuesday 18th August, using an immersive virtual reality installation built by Concinnity, Western Clydesdales rugby league club and the University of Southern Queensland to explore neuroscience, sports psychology and wellbeing through avatars of Clydesdales players.
Other Queensland events include a planetarium concert in Toowong on Friday 21st August with Nate Eggins, a Townsville session on Indigenous botanicals and distilling on Saturday 22nd August, and Enoggera Reservoir events on platypus venom on Saturday 22nd August and Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease on Sunday 23rd August.
National Science Week was first held in 1997. Event details are listed at scienceweek.net.au.
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