What do you get when you cross dry ice, bubble mix and boiling water? A pretty amazing experiment, that’s what! For science-loving kids, the World Science Festival, held in Brisbane each March, is a must-do event.
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One of our Family Travel families – mum and daughter duo Samantha and Natalie Ephraims from Bundaberg – experienced the World Science Festival in Brisbane in 2018 and shared why the city’s educational and interactive science festival is one of the must-do family-friendly events in Brisbane.
The annual World Science Festival Brisbane is only rivalled in scope and prestige by its New York equivalent. Since New York is a bit further away, Samantha and Natalie recommend making the visit to Brisbane for a science-themed long weekend with a difference.
“I would definitely say to other families in our region that it is worth travelling for,” says Samantha, “even for a hurried trip during school term time. There were activities on robotics and reef conservation, for example, as well as quick events that were high interest to littler kids. There was something for everybody.”
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Kids will love the hands-on experiments
Samantha and Natalie got to hear from Aussie celebrity scientist, Dr. Karl, and watch a ‘mathemagician’ demonstrate the magic of patterns and numbers. Other kid-friendly activities include Stargazing, Frog encounters, Paper Plane competitions, a Chalk Mural and a Hologram workshop. You can expect even more on the 2019 program.
For 11-year-old Natalie, the highlight was Science Street, a series of stalls conducting interactive demonstrations tailored to families. “It was like a big street market with lots of different experiments,” says Natalie. “It was really cool because I got to do all sorts of science-y stuff that I didn’t know existed.”
“Kids my age would probably have liked the Paper Plane competition and making Fake Snow. I loved the Milky Bubbles. Using dry ice, bubble mixture and a hot kettle, they made a bubble in your hair that disintegrated into dry ice ‘smoke’ as soon as you touched it!”
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What’s happening with the World Science Festival Brisbane in 2022?
World Science Festival Brisbane is set to stimulate curious minds in 2022 when science and art join forces to explore possibilities for the future.
Brisbane transforms into a city of science with interactive art and science installations, engaging conversations with leading scientists and experts and a curated program of free and ticketed events across the five-day Festival from 9 to 13 March 2022.
World Science Festival Brisbane’s 2022 theme is ‘Science, People, Heart’, investigating how science, creativity and art are shaping a brighter world and humanity’s willingness to embrace it. Visitors will be inspired by real science, for real people and have the chance to ask real questions on health, the great space race, palaeontology, marine archaeology, ethics and much more.
2022 marks the return of crowd favourites The Hatchery: Turtle Conservation Experience at Queensland Museum, City of Science free family science fun and a digital program allowing audiences from around the world to join in and listen to leading experts discuss a range of topics.
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With more than 130 events, there will be something for curious minds of all ages at this year’s festival. Some of the events will be live-streamed, some are free and there are others that will require a ticket. For more information about the 2022 program and to book tickets click here.
What if you miss World Science Festival when you visit Brisbane?
If you aren’t in Brisbane during March for the World Science Festival, don’t despair. Year-round, the scientifically inclined can get their dose of history, Egyptology, animal encounters and more at Queensland Museum. “The Egyptian mummies were really fascinating but a bit freaky at the same time,” says Natalie of the Ancient Egypt exhibit.
“There were real mummies there and they explained how mummies worked.
They also had spiders at the Museum. After a while, I let the spider on to my hand and I had to stand still and let it crawl on me. I’m really ticklish, so I was scared I was going to drop it!”
Brisbane is jam-packed with family-friendly fun, so even if you aren’t a mad scientist, there is plenty to keep you occupied. “Between shows, food, science, trips into the CBD and all the galleries, there was a great variety of activities on Brisbane’s Southbank,” says Samantha.
Samantha and Natalie were hosted by Tourism and Events Queensland.
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Janeece Keller is the founder and editor of Family Travel. She mostly travels with her husband and two young kids. She has a large blended family that lives in Australia and Europe. She has visited 52 countries and lived on 3 continents. From camping to luxury resorts Janeece tries to make sure her family has diverse holiday experiences each year. She is an avid hiker and ocean swimmer who loves good food, margaritas and heading off the beaten path.