Science Festival 2026 at Sorbonne University: the Jussieu Village canceled

Cancellation at Jussieu: Sorbonne University announced on October 8, 2026 that the Science Festival is called off on the Pierre-et-Marie-Curie campus due to the site being blocked. The Science Village and the activities planned for this campus are affected. The announcement applies only to the Pierre-et-Marie-Curie site.

On the occasion of the 2026 Science Festival, Sorbonne Université is opening several of its campuses and research centers in Paris and the Yvelines. Under the banner of “Savory Science,” the initial program announced more than 80 free activities: workshops, laboratory tours, games, stands and exhibitions around food, flavor and cooking. More than 380 scientists from the faculties of Arts, Health, Science and Engineering were set to participate in this program designed to bring research closer to the general public.

The Jussieu Science Village, originally slated for school groups from October 6 to 9 and for the general public on October 10 and 11, 2026, has been canceled. For other sites, please check the latest information at each venue before you travel.

The initial program centered on taste, cooking, and nutrition

For its 2026 edition, Sorbonne University approaches gastronomy from multiple angles, spanning neuroscience and chemistry, as well as history, archaeology, and the global movement of foods. The initial program promised more than 80 activities led by over 380 scientists.

Several experiments from the original program have been scrapped, including those slated for Jussieu:

• The Biology of Body and Mind: The Neuroscience of Flavors, to explore what happens in our brain when we eat;
• At Pierre and Marie, with chemistry experiments applied to cooking;
• The World on Our Plates, devoted to the circulation of foods and flavors around the globe;
• Digging In Pays Off!, which reconstructs the kitchens of the past through archaeology and 3D modeling.

The Jussieu Science Village has been canceled

Cancellation at Jussieu: Sorbonne University announced on October 8, 2026 that the Science Festival is called off on the Pierre-et-Marie-Curie campus due to the site being blocked. The Science Village and the activities planned for this campus are affected. The announcement applies only to the Pierre-et-Marie-Curie site.

Locations of the original program in Paris and the Yvelines

The original plan of Sorbonne University envisioned seven sites in Paris and the Yvelines. The Pierre-et-Marie-Curie campus is now affected by the cancellation announced on October 8.

• Cancelled: Pierre-and-Marie-Curie Campus, 4 Place Jussieu, Paris 5th arrondissement;
• Poincaré House, 11 rue Pierre-et-Marie-Curie, Paris 5th arrondissement;
• Cordeliers Research Center, Paris 6th arrondissement;
• Pitié-Salpêtrière Campus, Paris 13th arrondissement;
• Saint-Antoine Research Center, Paris 12th arrondissement;
• Paris Astrophysics Institute, Paris 14th arrondissement;
• Saint-Cyr-l’École Campus, in the Yvelines department.

A 2026 edition themed around "Savants' Flavors"

Created in 1991 at the initiative of Hubert Curien, then the minister of Research and Technology, the Fête de la Science aims to bring scientists closer to the public through accessible formats. In 2026, the Ministry of Higher Education and Research has chosen the theme “Savory Science.” This theme also coincides with the centenary of the Michelin star, which first appeared in 1926, and invites us to view France’s gastronomic heritage through the lens of research.

Between culinary experiences, neuroscience, heritage, history and 3D modeling 3D, this Fête de la Science in Paris offers several entry points to discover how the sciences and the humanities can decode what’s on our plates.

Read Sorbonne University's cancellation notice.