Science Festival 2026: Weather Takes Center Stage at the Academy of Climate

From October 2 to 12, 2026, the Science Festival takes over the Académie du Climat in Paris with a packed program of talks, exhibitions, concerts and readings on water, ecosystems and environmental challenges.

The 35th edition of the Science Festival is rolling out, staged from October 2 to 12, 2026 across France, with a spotlight on Paris and Île-de-France. Since its launch in 1991 by the ministry responsible for Higher Education and Research, this national event invites the public to meet the people who push science forward in daily life. Workshops, demonstrations, talks, tours and hands-on experiments give families, students and curious minds of all ages a better grasp of the big scientific questions. This year, the theme "Savantes flavors" highlights the links between food, research and innovation. In Paris, the Académie du Climat is once again taking part in the event with several public sessions.

The venue is tailor-made for this kind of gathering. Since 2021, housed in the former town hall of Paris’s 4th arrondissement, the Climate Academy was created by the City of Paris to raise awareness among young people about environmental issues. Throughout the year, it offers free workshops, lectures, exhibitions, debates and participatory projects focused on climate, biodiversity, food, and the ecological transition. Designed primarily for ages 9-25, it remains accessible to all and has quickly established itself as a space for dialogue where scientists, associations and citizens can exchange views on the challenges of tomorrow.

The Science Festival is therefore a perfect opportunity to discover the Academy of Climate or to revisit it from a new angle. The theme "Savants’ Flavors" resonates with the topics regularly explored at this venue, whether it’s sustainable food, natural resources, or the environmental impact of our consumption habits. With family or friends, visitors can take part in activities, meet specialists, and get hands-on with different aspects of research. A way to better understand science while discovering a venue that, in just a few years, has become one of Paris’s leading spaces dedicated to climate issues.

Science Festival 2026 in Île-de-France: workshops, tours, experiments… free outings on the program
The 2026 Science Festival runs from October 2 to 12 in Paris and across Île-de-France, offering many free events for the general public and families. Open laboratories, demonstrations, meetings, performances, and hands-on workshops make up the program for this 35th edition. [Read more]

The 2026 Science Festival program at the Climate Academy:

Ouragame - ready for what's next!
Put your knowledge, teamwork and collaborative spirit to the test: join us to help residents rebuild their territory while exploring the challenges posed by climate risks.
A collaborative game from the Laboratory of Physical Geography
Audience: curious minds & beginners · families
Participation requirements:
• Target audiences: 11–15 years, 15–18 years, 18–25 years, 25 years and up
• Requirements: Booking required
Hours: Saturday, October 10 — 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Sunday, October 11 — 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Climate indicators
“The climate has always changed,” “CO2 feeds plants”… You researchers: uncover the clues and debunk these magical yet unscientific formulas!
A workshop by: Même Terre
Audience: discovery and seasoned participants · families
Participation requirements :
• Target groups : 11 - 15 years, 15 - 18 years, 18 - 25 years, 25 years and up
• Conditions : Registration required
Hours: Saturday, October 10 — 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Carbon Addict.tv
Your mission? Make the right choices to cut your carbon footprint in half. An action-packed experience!
A workshop offered by: MACIF X Gaïactica
Open to beginners and experienced participants · families
Participation eligibility :
• Target audiences: 11–15, 15–18, 18–25, 25 and up
• Conditions: Free admission
Hours: Saturday, October 10 — 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
At the weather and climate table: let's savor the science!
Come discover the grand planetary recipe: which ingredients shape our weather, and what happens when the balance goes awry? Over a weekend, embark on a scientific journey between sky and sea, through hands-on workshops, interactive activities, and meetings with researchers. An immersive experience to better understand the fragility of our atmosphere and oceans, while nurturing the joy of discovery.

Participation requirements:
• Target audiences: 6 - 11 years, 11 - 15 years, 15 - 18 years, 18 - 25 years, 25 years and up
• Requirements: Reservation recommended
Hours: Saturday, 10 October — 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Sunday, 11 October — 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
DIY Workshop

Join us for a workshop on eco-friendly habits and zero waste, where you’ll craft your own deodorant.
A workshop offered by: MACIF
Audience: beginners and seasoned participants · families

Participation guidelines:
• Target audiences: 11–15 years, 15–18 years, 18–25 years, 25 years and older
• Conditions: Free admission
Hours: Saturday, October 10 — 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Eco-visionary games
Ecovisionnary Games turns the ecological transition into a playful, systemic adventure for younger generations. Supported by Natur’Alliée, a non-profit association governed by the 1901 law, the project helps children and teens decode climate challenges without fear, while cultivating core human values. By reconnecting people with the living world, Ecovisionnary Games is nurturing a generation of informed, confident citizens who actively drive the transition.
This ambition is realized through immersive, modular game experiences designed to make these issues accessible and actionable.
Audience: newcomers & enthusiasts · families
Participation requirements:
• Target audiences: 11–15, 15–18, 18–25, 25 and over
• Requirements: Booking required
Timings: Saturday, October 10 — 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Sunday, October 11 — 1:00 PM to 6:0 PM
From farm to fork... thanks to satellites
Before it reaches our plate, every food item is shaped by climate, water, and soils. Today, satellites help us monitor these factors more closely, understand how they evolve, and optimize farming conditions.
A workshop offered by Visio Terra
Audience: beginners and enthusiasts · families

Participation rules:
• Target audiences: 11–15, 15–18, 18–25, and 25+ years
• Requirements: Advance booking required
Hours: Saturday, October 10 — 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Sunday, October 11 — 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Fishmonger’s stall
A workshop offered by: MACIF and the Surfrider Foundation
Audience: curious newcomers and beginners · families
Participation conditions:
• Target audiences: 11–15, 15–18, 18–25, 25 and up
• Conditions: Free admission
Hours: Saturday, October 10 — 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Live weather: measure, understand, and explore!
Discover the equipment deployed as part of “MÉTÉO à l’École”: the Davis Vantage Pro2 weather station, an equipment plan for the “Sciences à l’École” program, all designed to illuminate the key weather concepts through an interactive game.
A workshop offered by the Météo Bretagne Association and the Météo Centre-Val de Loire Association with scientific backing from MÉTÉO à l'École.
Audience: beginners & enthusiasts · families
Participation requirements:
• Target audiences: 11–15, 15–18, 18–25, 25 and up
• Conditions: Free admission
Hours: Saturday, October 10 — 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Understanding to Act: Perseverance in Antarctica
The event will take the form of an interactive exchange, driven by games and participatory workshops. Participants will embark on a journey to the Southern Ocean, discovering its crucial role in climate regulation and its exceptional biodiversity, through the latest expedition of explorer Jean-Louis Étienne to the South Pole, aboard the grand scientific sailing vessel PERSEVERANCE.
A workshop offered by the Jean-Louis Étienne Association
Audience: curious minds & beginners · families
Participation rules:
• Target audiences: 11–15 years, 15–18 years, 18–25 years, 25 years and up
• Requirements: Free admission
Hours: Saturday, October 10 — 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Let Me Kefir the Vibe

The comedian Matthieu Brillard from the Comedy Club returns with stand-up unlike any other, where the mic is shared: climate experts and eco-transition specialists & fellow comedians — for a unique evening, between laughter and reflection.
A stand-up hosted by Matthieu Brillard of the Bulbe Comedy Club
All Audiences

Participation requirements:
• Target audiences: 11–15, 15–18, 18–25, 25 and up
• Requirements: Booking required
Schedule: Friday, October 9 — 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Coastal Risks, Livability and Nature-Based Solutions
Flooding, storms, drought, and coastal inundation… Facing water-related climate risks, join the discussion on livability, resilience, and nature-based solutions along the coastline. A conference that brings together: actors safeguarding people and natural habitats, scientists, associations, elected officials, and engaged businesses.

An exchange session proposed by: MACIF and Surfrider Foundation
Informed audience

Participation requirements:
• Target audience: 18–25 years old, 25 years and up
• Conditions: Advance booking required
Schedule: Saturday, October 10 — 3:45 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
Screening and Debate: Tara Polar Station
The Arctic is warming three to four times faster than the rest of the world. To study it, the Tara Ocean Foundation conceived Tara Polar Station, a scientific outpost designed to drift on the ice for twenty years. The screening of the 52-minute film tracing this human and scientific adventure will be followed by a discussion with members of the Tara Ocean Foundation to reveal the backstory of this pioneering mission.

Presented by the Tara Ocean Foundation
Public discovery

Participation requirements:
• Target audiences: 11–15 years, 15–18 years, 18–25 years, 25 years and up
• Requirements: Booking required
Hours: Saturday, October 10 — 4:30 PM–6:00 PM
Ocean observation in the service of humanity

Confronted with the triple crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, a deeper understanding of the ocean is essential for taking action. Joined by scientists who will share their insights, discover the observation tools, the challenges that leave it vulnerable, and the innovative solutions being devised to protect it.
A time for exchange offered by: the Ocean and Climate Platform
Informed audience
Participation requirements :
• Target audiences : 15–18 years, 18–25 years, 25 years and older
• Requirements : Booking required
Schedule: Saturday, October 10 — 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Bees and flowers, a love affair under threat
Nature is wonderfully made. Harmony fills the fields, the meadows, the forests where plants entice us with their flowers and their delicate fragrance. Occasionally a bee alights, then moves on. It’s the romantic tableau of two longtime companions, two eternal lovers: the bee and the flower.
But do you really know what draws bees to visit blossoms? What makes plants produce flowers, each more extravagant than the last?
Take the time to attend this theatrical, funny, and moving talk, to meet the flowers and the bees, to discover their intimacy, their partnership, and also the dangers increasingly lining the path of their love.

A theatrically staged conference produced by Simon Klein and Pauline Pidoux of the company Rêvolante
Discovery and family audience from 10 years old
Participation requirements:
• Target audiences: 11–15 years, 15–18 years, 18–25 years, 25 and up
• Requirements: Booking required
Schedule: Saturday, October 10 — 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
CO2, air and oceans: the climate at stake
Why do greenhouse gases and the oceans play such a central role in climate warming? Where do these gases come from, and how do they circulate? Come discover the answer through climate games and workshops led by Citizens for Climate.
Public: newcomers and enthusiasts · families

Participation requirements :
• Target audiences : 11–15 years, 15–18 years, 18–25 years, 25 years and up
• Requirements : Booking required
Schedule: Saturday, October 10 — 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Sunday, October 11 — 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM
The Marais Sings… Nature

For more than twenty years, Le Marais Chante has been rooted in the heart of Paris’s 3rd arrondissement. This year, the choir offers a musical and literary stroll dedicated to nature, weaving together pieces from the vocal repertoire, poetry, and reflections on the living world.
A performance by the Le Marais Chante choir and its conductor, Xavier Béraud.
All audiences

Participation requirements:
• Target audiences: 3 - 6 years, 6 - 11 years, 11 - 15 years, 15 - 18 years, 18 - 25 years, 25 years and up
• Conditions: Free admission
Hours: Saturday, October 10 — 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Cloudtober
Cloudtober is a project that raises awareness of weather and the imagination of the sky. Drawing on the observation sheets of André des Gachons, an amateur meteorologist at the dawn of the 20th century, three friends spent the entire October gathering weather data and painted daily across London, Rennes and Chambéry to share their wonder at the sky. A creative initiative led by Samuel ZBYNOVSKY, Thibaut HOUETTE and Tristan SCHMIDT.

Led by Samuel Zbynovsky
Audience: discovery
Participation conditions:
• Eligible audiences: 11–15 years, 15–18 years, 18–25 years, 25 years and up
• Requirements: Booking required
Schedule: Sunday, October 11 — 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Weather & climate: telling it straight, reporting accurately
Every evening, weather presenters talk about the day’s conditions—and increasingly, about a changing climate. Alongside scientists, what is their role in informing the public and raising awareness of climate issues? A debate that questions this power to make complex science accessible, balancing rigor with clarity.

A discussion session organized by: International Forum of Weather and Climate
Audience: newcomers & seasoned followers · families

Participation requirements:
• Target audiences: 15–18, 18–25, 25 and up
• Requirements: Booking required
Schedule: Sunday, October 11 — 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM

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