Organize a Festival

The Science Festival Alliance was created to build a community of festival organizers committed to learning from each other. Whether you are a veteran festival director or are just beginning to think about bringing a festival to your community, know that you have the support of colleagues from across the world. Find out more about the Science Festival Alliance on our about page.

Getting started

Every science festival is unique, and each new festival opens the door to experimentation and innovation.

However, knowing about the different festival models that have emerged in recent years will help you better understand what you want to do, and what it takes to start a successful—and sustainable—festival. This site will soon provide resources that allow you to explore the benefits and challenges of starting a science festival. To find out when these resources become available get connected.

The Science Festival Alliance began with a group of new festival organizers seeking advice from established festivals. In that same spirit, the Alliance is ready to help you connect to others with experience that is relevant to your goals and situation. If you are ready to get started now, contact us.

One of the best ways to consider what might be possible in your community is to visit an existing science festival. The Science Festival Alliance is coordinating festival visits for anyone with a professional interest in STEM festivals throughout 2011. Find out more about professional networking at science festivals here.

For active festivals

Every science festival is unique, which is why even experienced festival organizers have a lot to learn from each other.

The Science Festival Alliance will help you become a part of the greater festival community, learn about the latest news and events, and gain inspiration from the work of others. But we are also going to depend on you to share your experiences to help us all learn. To find out how to add your voice and get the credit you deserve for your contributions to informal science education get connected.

The Science Festival Alliance supports existing festivals by working with national partners, coordinating collaborative programming and evaluation, and sparking multi-site funding arrangements. Because science festivals are essentially local, this can only be done through good communication between festival organizers. If you are interested in working with other science festivals, contact us.