Science on your plate: explore the 2026 Science Festival lineup at the Grand Palais

For the Science Festival, the Palais de la Découverte is offering free activities at the Grand Palais on the weekend of October 3–4, 2026. Hands-on science experiments and games await the youngest visitors!

If you haven't yet heard of the Fête de la Science, here's your chance! The aim of this national event is to highlight the civic dimension of science, and to encourage young and old alike to appreciate this field. The event covers a wide range of scientific fields, from biodiversity and the sciences of the Universe, to mathematics, the environment and the humanities and social sciences, through encounters, experiments, workshops and other fun activities with researchers.

A landmark in Paris's 8th arrondissement, the Grand Palais is a Belle Époque masterpiece that captivates with its majestic glass-and-steel nave and its central role in the city’s cultural life. A portion of the complex, the Palais de la Découverte, founded in 1937, was devoted to popularizing science and hands-on experimentation. While it hasn’t fully reopened, the Palais des Enfants has recently begun hosting exhibitions to make science accessible to younger audiences.

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]

So it’s here, in the venue that brings together the Grand Palais and the Palais de la Découverte, that families will gather on October 3 and 4, 2026 for the new edition of the Fête de la Science. On this occasion, the venue will host a range of theme-driven activities designed for young audiences. Admission is free, with no registration required, subject to availability.

The lineup for the 2026 Science Festival at the Grand Palais:

Science Festival 2026
For Science Festival 2026, the Grand Palais invites families to a weekend centered on "Savory Science." Explore the history of food, from its origins to the moment it reaches your plate, through hands-on experiments, workshops, and encounters at the crossroads of art, science, and flavors!
- demos, encounters and scientific experiments: in the Rotonde d’Antin, the Palais de la Découverte offers a program built to try things, learn, and chat with scientists.
- In the Salon Seine, art meets science! As a family, test plant-based watercolor painting, guess the recipes hidden in paintings, oxygenate Cézanne’s apples, or craft a rainbow drink. Games, workshops and experiments devised by Chloé Guidoux, author of Quand l’art passe à table (Thierry Magnier, 2023).
- All weekend, from 9:30 am to 7 pm, free entry to Transparence, the Palais des enfants exhibition for children aged 2 to 10.
  
  Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4, from 10 am to 6 pm
  Rotonde d’Antin, Salon Seine & Palais des enfants
  Free admission without advance booking, subject to availability
  The Transparence exhibition Transparence is aimed at children aged 2 to 10, accompanied by an adult. Entry is allowed only when at least one child in this age range is present. Children under 2 are admitted only if they accompany a child in the eligible age range.