Science Festival 2026 at Sorbonne University: partial cancellation

The Science Village planned on the Pierre and Marie Curie campus for October 9–11, as part of Sorbonne University's Science Festival, has been cancelled. Other activities will go ahead in Paris and across the regions.

Cancellation of activities on the Pierre et Marie Curie campus: Sorbonne University announced on 8 October 2026 that the Science Festival on that campus is canceled, amid the lycée and student protests. The Village of Science and the activities planned for this campus are affected. This announcement applies exclusively to the Pierre-et-Marie-Curie site (4 Place Jussieu in the 5th arrondissement of Paris).

The following measures are currently in place, with safety conditions deemed satisfactory and requiring prior registration:

the activities at the Institute of Astrophysics of Paris on October 9, 10 and 11;
the events at Maison Poincaré on October 10 and 11;
the scheduled visits to the Cordeliers Research Center this Friday, October 9;
outreach activities for classes on the Saint-Cyr campus, running from the start of the week through Friday, October 9;
activities at Sorbonne University's marine stations (Roscoff, Banyuls-sur-Mer, Villefranche-sur-Mer).

→ Consult Sorbonne Université's cancellation announcement.

A 2026 edition themed around "Savors of Science"

On the occasion of the Fête de la Science 2026, Sorbonne Université opens several of its research centers in Paris and the Yvelines. Placed under the theme “Savants’ Flavors,” the program features free activities: workshops, lab tours, games, stalls and exhibitions around food, taste and cooking. Scientists from the faculties of Arts, Health, Sciences and Engineering will participate in this program designed to bring research closer to the general public.

The Sorbonne University's Science Village, located at the Pierre and Marie Curie Campus, which had been scheduled to welcome school groups from October 6 to 9 and the general public on October 10 and 11, 2026, has been canceled. Classroom visits on Paris’s inner-city campuses are also canceled.

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.