A statewide celebration with events for all ages.

The weeklong Wisconsin Science Festival features events throughout Wisconsin for people of all ages. Activities include hands-on science experiments, live Q&A sessions and interviews with scientists, demonstrations, performances, behind-the-scenes tours and more.

Explore nature at our BioBlitz. Take in a book talk with an award-winning author. Get a new perspective on time. And snap a selfie with Beesly – our buzzy mascot!

Official festival feature: Time

Each year, we highlight a specific aspect of the world around us. This year, in celebration of the many milestone anniversaries happening around our state, we are proud to focus on time and its influence on science, art and technology.

Schedule of Events

October 12, 2023

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm: Pre-Festival: Eclipse Activity Night at W.J. Niederkorn Library

Jeff Setzer, president of the Northern Cross Science Foundation, will speak about annular and solar eclipses at the W.J. Niederkorn Library. The planet Saturn will be visible via the library telescope.

Don't miss the free Eclipse Glasses giveaway and more activities!

This event is for all ages.

October 14, 2023

10:30 am - 12:30 pm: Pre-Festival: Partial Eclipse Viewing Party at Ellsworth Public Library

We are kicking off WiSciFest early by getting together to view the partial annular solar eclipse. Free eclipse glasses will be available for at home or library viewing in the days leading up to the event. Come to the Ellsworth Public Library to view and learn about this eclipse, what causes eclipses (there is another happening in April 2024!) and stay to create some special eclipse related arts and crafts projects.

11:00 am - 1:00 pm: Pre-Festival: Partial Solar Eclipse at the Capitol Square

Join the UW Astronomy Department on the Capitol Square in downtown Madison on October 14 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to view the partial solar eclipse! We will have solar telescopes and pinhole cameras, as well as eclipse glasses to give away while supplies last.

DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN, EVEN DURING THE ECLIPSE, WITHOUT PROPER SAFETY EQUIPMENT.

11:00 am - 1:00 pm: Pre-Festival: The Healing Power of Chemistry at OshkoshPublicLibrary

Through hands-on activities, kids will learn how chemistry helps us better understand human health and medicine. All participants will receive a free print copy of the National Chemistry Week issue of Celebrating Chemistry.

This event is sponsored by the Northeast Wisconsin American Chemical Society as one of its National Chemistry Week activities. No registration is required. Participants may drop in to the Oshkosh Public Library any time during the session.

October 16, 2023

Timeline Take Home Kit, Marinette
Kids in the Rotunda – Virtual Recordings
Sandhill Crane Watch, Babcock
Nature Explorers: Join the Wisconsin BioBlitz!
Science in a Bag Pickup Location: Shawano County Library, Shawano
Meet the Lab
Social Science & Sustainability Conference, Madison
MakerStudio Projects, New Berlin
Great Lakes Small Streams: How Water Shapes Wisconsin – A Traveling Display, Beaver Dam
Robotic Hand Grab & Go Project, Marshfield
Science in a Bag Pickup Location: Edgerton Public Library, Edgerton
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October 17, 2023

Sandhill Crane Watch, Babcock
Science in a Bag Pickup Location: Shawano County Library, Shawano
Meet the Lab
MakerStudio Projects, New Berlin
TIMEline of FUN and Innovation!, Fond du Lac
Great Lakes Small Streams: How Water Shapes Wisconsin – A Traveling Display, Beaver Dam
Science in a Bag Pickup Location: Edgerton Public Library, Edgerton
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October 18, 2023

Sandhill Crane Watch, Babcock
Science of Medicine Day
Introduction to Nature Photography, Madison
Science in a Bag Pickup Location: Shawano County Library, Shawano
Meet the Lab
MakerStudio Projects, New Berlin
TIMEline of FUN and Innovation!, Fond du Lac
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October 19, 2023

Sandhill Crane Watch, Babcock
Energy Efficiency Education: Your School Building as a Teaching Tool Workshop, Fennimore
Science in a Bag Pickup Location: Shawano County Library, Shawano
Meet the Lab
MakerStudio Projects, New Berlin
TIMEline of FUN and Innovation!, Fond du Lac
Great Lakes Small Streams: How Water Shapes Wisconsin – A Traveling Display, Beaver Dam
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October 20, 2023

Sandhill Crane Watch, Babcock
KidWind Educator Workshop
Science in a Bag Pickup Location: Shawano County Library, Shawano
Meet the Lab
Science of Medicine Day
MakerStudio Projects, New Berlin
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October 21, 2023

Sandhill Crane Watch, Babcock
Meet the Lab
MakerStudio Projects, New Berlin
Ingersoll Physics Museum – Saturday Open House, Madison
TIMEline of FUN and Innovation!, Fond du Lac
Treinen Farm Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch, Lodi
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October 22, 2023

Sandhill Crane Watch, Babcock
Meet the Lab
Great Lakes Small Streams: How Water Shapes Wisconsin – A Traveling Display, Beaver Dam
Treinen Farm Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch, Lodi
WiSciFest 2023 at The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums, Platteville
Crossroads of Ideas: Comparing the Creative Process in Science and Art, Madison
Hands-On Brainteaser Puzzles at the Logic Puzzle Museum, Burlington
A Celebration of Time: A Time Traveler’s Tour of Wisconsin’s Geology, Prairie du Sac
Playhouse Gallery – Garbology: What We Throw Away, Madison
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Date: October 16-22, 2023

Location: Various Towns in Wisconsin

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