Guide To The 2015 Philadelphia Science Festival
Give your inner mad scientist free reign at the 5th annual Philadelphia Science Festival, kicking off on Friday, April 24th. Haven't heard of it? Here's the deal. - Chelsea Karnash
THE BASICS
What: The Philly Science Fest is an eight day celebration of science that includes workshops, demonstrations, lectures, hands-on activities and even an all-day carnival that shuts down the Parkway!
When: In 2015, the festival runs from April 24th – May 2nd
Where: Events take place all around the city—bars, restaurants, colleges and universities, cultural institutions, outdoors, you name it.
SCHEDULE
There are so many fun things going on for this festival that it's hard to keep track of them all. Below are some of the best:
Friday, Apr. 24
PSF Kickoff Party: 8-bit Night
The Franklin Institute
220 N 20th St
7 p.m., $15 ($10 for members)
Fancy an adults-only carnival? You've got it! Enjoy hands-on activities, live science shows and demonstrations all tailored to adults. Pair that with the chance to tap the 2015 Yards Official Science Festival Beer, and you've got a perfect nerdy night.
Saturday, Apr. 25
Discovery Day
Five locations
Starting at 10 a.m.
Grab the kids and head to one of the spots offering "Discovery Day" in honor of the Science Fest. You'll join students, teachers, community leaders and other families for hands-on experiments and activities, food and snacks, live music and much more.
Science Night at the Ballpark
Citizens Bank Park
1 Citizens Bank Park Way
7:05 p.m., $20 ($8 discount with code)
And speaking of Philly sports, check out the city's very own Phillies during Science Night at the Ballpark. In addition to catching the game versus the Atlanta Braves, spectators are invited to visit a dozen hands-on activity stations both before and during the game.
Sunday, April 26
Explorer Sunday
Rowan University
201 Mullica Hill Rd
Glassboro, NJ
1 p.m., FREE
Grab the kids and explore STEAM (science, tech, engineering, art and math) with a day of activities at Rowan!
Fishtown Science Crawl
Various
2 p.m.; FREE or $5 wristband for happy hour specials
Five spots including Fette Sau and Frankford Hall are participating in this science-infused bar crawl. From "squinking" (painting with squid ink, obvi) to make-your-own bug repellant, there are activities galore.
Monday, Apr. 27
Science on Tap Quizzo
National Mechanics
22 S 3rd St
6 p.m., FREE
Get thee to Old City for a fast-paced quizzo game focusing on all of your favorite nerds, including the crew from Star Trek and (my personal favorite) Harry Potter.
Tuesday, Apr. 28
Cookie Lab
Parkway Central Library, 4th Floor
1901 Vine St
6:30 p.m., $20
You know the saying: Baking is a science. Find out why at this foodie event, which also includes consumption of what you bake (yay!).
Wednesday, Apr. 29
Nerd Nite: Science Myths Busted!
Frankford Hall
1210 Frankford Ave
7:30 p.m., $5
Baffled by the gluten-free craze? Wondering if we really only use 10% of our brain? Whatever your questions, head to this event, which promises to de-bunk some of the most common science myths.
Thursday, Apr. 30
Gross Anatomy
Ruba Club Studios
416 Green St
6:30 p.m., $7 in advance ($10 at the door)
Put dinner on hold – this discussion features three PhDs and will cover scintillating topics like earwax and boogers.
Friday, May 1
Beer Lab
Yards Brewing Company
901 N Delaware Ave
7 p.m., $15
Discover the science behind your favorite alcoholic beverage at this event, which features prizes for "best in the class."
Saturday, May 2
Science Carnival on the Parkway
Ben Franklin Parkway Outer Drive between 20th & 22nd Streets
10 a.m. – 4 p.m., FREE
Slime. Zoo Animals. Robots. If these are a few of your favorite things, you should head to the festival's outdoor, family-friendly carnival on the Parkway. More than 175 exhibitors will be offering games, interactive activities, experiments and live entertainment all day long.
For the latest on the Philadelphia Science Festival, follow them on Twitter @PHLScienceFest using the hashtag #GetNerdyPHL.