Science Festival Draws to a Close with Interactive Events

The 2026 Shanghai Science Festival ended over the weekend with astronomy and interactive displays.

The Shanghai Astronomy Museum hosted "Wonderful Astronomy Night," the closing event, on Saturday. Visitors relaxed under a projected night sky as music and lighting changed around the planetarium, creating a cosmic-inspired audiovisual experience.

The dome concert was a highlight. Audiences reclined under the curved ceiling as sound, lighting, and visual effects simulated deep-space travel.

A second debut took a more narrative approach. Audiences followed clues, accomplished tasks, and went through levels based on astronomical notions in an innovative dome show that combined panoramic cinema, live performance, and role-play.

On the same day, China celebrated the 10th National Science and Technology Workers' Day. Over 1,000 scientists and researchers, along with their children, attended a Shanghai Science and Technology Museum family session.

Using large-scale images and live interaction, a new dome-screen show told particle physics stories. The structure helps simplify complex research for general audiences, according to the museum.

Families also walked through newly renovated display spaces, where youngsters participated in hands-on workshops, making tiny projects, testing ideas, and working through basic engineering exercises in real time.