Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Observatory (78): the Science Festival 2026

In Guyancourt (78), the Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Observatory invites the public to the 2026 Science Festival on October 12. The organizers will soon unveil the planned activities.

The Fête de la Science is the perfect opportunity to satisfy your curiosity with professionals and scientists, in Paris and throughout the Ile-de-France region. In the Yvelines region, theObservatoire de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines is giving children the chance to discover space, climate change and the world around them, thanks to a host of fun workshops. It's also an opportunity to meet real enthusiasts, who will be delighted to share their knowledge with you!

This observatory, founded in 2009, replaced the Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace as the Observatoire des sciences de l'univers. A higher education and research establishment located in the town of Guyancourt, it is part of theUniversité Paris-Saclay, and specializes in astronomy and space sciences.

It houses research laboratories where scientists and students work on a variety of issues related to astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology. They carry out research on subjects as varied as star formation, galaxies, black holes, exoplanets and many other topics related to the universe.

Science Festival 2026: free activities you won’t want to miss in Paris and Île-de-France
From October 2 to 12, 2026, the Fête de la Science returns to Paris and the Île-de-France region for its 35th edition, featuring free activities open to all. Experiments, workshops, performances, tours and open doors invite both children and adults to explore science in all its forms. [Read more]

The 2026 Science Festival program at the Versailles Observatory

The Science Festival at OVSQ on Saturday, October 10 and Sunday, October 11

- Thursday, October 8 and Friday, October 9 are reserved for schools with prior registration, 40-minute workshops
- Saturday, October 10 is set aside for children aged 6 to 12 with prior registration, from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- Sunday, October 11 is a public day, no booking required, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., 40-minute workshops

> Public workshops on October 11:
- SQY Amateur Radio Club
- Lidar and Space
- Launching a rocket
- The Inuits
- The Astro Meal
- Space exploration of nearby planets, in search of life, water and the rest!
- Spectroscopy, the Swiss Army knife of planetary research
- How climate works?
- Planetarium
- Community garden
- Bacteria
> Children's workshops on October 10, in detail :
- 1:30 p.m. Welcome of children accompanied by their parents
- 2:00 p.m. First workshop
- 2:45 p.m. Second workshop
- 3:30 p.m. Third workshop
- 4:15 p.m. Fourth workshop
- 5:00 p.m. Afternoon snack offered by the Observatory and end of the science afternoon
Learn more +
> OVSQ site
Contact and registrations: communication.ovsq@uvsq.fr

Participation requirements :
• Target audiences : 6–11 years, 11–15 years, 15–18 years, 18–25 years, 25 years and up
• Conditions : Free admission
Hours : Saturday, October 10 — 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM
Sunday, October 11 — 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Discover a new passion for science at this exceptional national event!