Shanghai Science Festival to Open at Renovated Museum

The 2026 Shanghai Science Festival will open on May 23, alongside the official reopening of the upgraded Shanghai Science and Technology Museum.

The renovated museum features 10 permanent exhibition zones, covering artificial intelligence, quantum technology, advanced materials, aerospace, ecology and health.

It also has upgraded IMAX, dome, and 4D theaters, as well as temporary exhibition spaces for rotating displays.

The opening ceremony will feature a "science red carpet," where scientists, young researchers and entrepreneurs will walk through immersive zones themed around rainforests, aviation and planetary systems.

The route will also highlight recent scientific and technological achievements in Shanghai.

Citywide science carnival

The festival will run through May 31, with nearly 2,000 events across the city designed to make science more accessible to the public.

More than 250 venues will host exhibitions, workshops, and public science activities. Among them, 54 research and innovation platforms will open to visitors for limited periods.

Six science-themed pop-up cafés will open at key city landmarks, including the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, the Bund FTC, West Bund, the Hengfu Historical Conservation Zone, Huaihai Road and Anfu Road.

A new pass for science venues in the Yangtze River Delta region will also be launched during the festival, linking more than 3,000 venues across Shanghai and provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui, offering 19 themed science routes.

International highlight

Festival highlights include a preparatory meeting for the 2027 World Conference on Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST), which will bring together science communication leaders.

The first Chinese city to host the PCST conference will be Shanghai in 2027. Shanghai Jiao Tong University secured the hosting rights in 2023.

The conference, "Science Communication for a Shared Future: Engage, Empower, Enlighten," will discuss how science communication can create a more inclusive world.