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On Sunday, 5 October 2025, the Centre for Science and Culture (CWC) will host Science Weekend: a public event with various activities aimed at families with children aged 8-12. Would you like to attend with your family? Come visit us at Utrecht Science Park!

Utrecht research in the spotlight

In recent years, we have welcomed thousands of people to our diverse program. In 2025, we want to put the diverse research of Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ back in the spotlight. The event will take place on Sunday, October 5, 2025, at Utrecht Science Park, in the Minnaert Building, Koningsberger Building, and Botanical Gardens.

Interactive activities

The aim of the activities is to actively involve the public as much as possible and let them experience science. During previous editions, visitors were able to conduct their own experiments, reenact a court case, practice as an animal surgeon, or attend a mini-lecture. For examples and inspiration, visit the , where you can find our activities for 2024, or watch the .

Accessibility

• Location: Victor J. Koningsberger Building, Budapestlaan 4a-b, 3584 CD Utrecht
• Times: 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Science Weekend is free and open to the public
• Science Weekend is for everyone, including people with disabilities. The activities are wheelchair accessible, assistance dogs are welcome, and there is a low-stimulus room in the building.

Organization

The Center for Science organizes Science Weekend in collaboration with the faculties, strategic themes, the Facility Service Center, and the Communications Department of Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ.

Experience science

Come to Utrecht Science Park on Sunday, October 5th. Can a river go to court? Build your own dream garden with Lego! And how do you make elephant toothpaste? Children will discover the answers to these questions and many more. With its varied program, Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ lets young and old experience how diverse and fun science is.

We would like to introduce you to these activities

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  Crack the Celtic Code

  Natalia Petrovska - Humanities

  In this workshop, you will learn how to translate original Celtic texts in several steps. You will learn the letters of the alphabet, which words they form, and how you can then help a medieval monk read a text from Celtic times. Can you decipher the Celtic code?

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  Building with LEGO for science

  Robert Weijers – Social Sciences

  Imagine: you can build your own dream garden. What would you put in it? A tree house? A slide? Or perhaps a Ferris wheel made of flowers! But... what if you had to design that garden together with someone else? In this activity, you will be working with LEGO. Build alone or together and discover: what happens when you work together?

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  Mini lecture: sea monsters from the dinosaur era

  Anne Schulp - Geo Sciences

  Dinosaur researcher Anne Schulp excavated fossils of mosasaurs, the large marine reptiles from the dinosaur era. He did this in the desert in southern Angola. He explains how to find and excavate fossils, and what new discoveries have been made about these sea monsters.

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  Can a river go to court?

  Bente de Leeuw – Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance

  If someone steals something from you or your neighbours are causing you nuisance, you can go to court to resolve the problem. But what about when a forest is damaged or a river is polluted? Who stands up for them? In this mini-lecture, you will learn about the rights of nature, and then you will take part in a court case for nature in the mock court. Will you defend the river?

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  From action to reaction

  Paulien van Bentum - Bèta Sciences

  Come and discover the wonderful world of chemistry during Science Weekend. Have you ever seen macaroni and raisins dance? Curious about how to make elephant toothpaste? Can you stack liquids better than the rest? Find out with all kinds of experiments.

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  What makes you unique?

  Hubrecht Instituut

  You are different from your brothers, sisters or friends. That's because you experience different things than the people around you, but also because your DNA is unique. In this workshop, you will put on your lab coat and get to work as a scientist to examine your own DNA.