Science is about to take over Mission Bay! The Bay Area Science Festival, Northern California’s largest free science celebration, returns to UCSF’s Mission Bay Campus on Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 11 am to 4 pm, and the whole family is invited.
Get ready for more than 125 hands-on experiences: race robots through a maze, see your own brainwaves, watch a mini Mount Shasta eruption, walk through a giant inflatable lung, meet reptiles and amphibians face to face, and explore a full robot zoo. Members of the USA National Archery Team will show the physics behind archery, and kids can try assembling a prosthetic leg or examining stem cells under a microscope with UCSF scientists.
The day also includes stage performances, science magic shows, film screenings, science talks, and behind-the-scenes lab tours, plus food trucks to keep everyone fueled. Organized by the UCSF Science & Health Education Partnership together with Bay Area universities, museums, libraries, and research labs, the festival fills Koret Quad and the surrounding campus with discovery for all ages, rain or shine.
Best of all: admission is completely free. Just one block from Chase Center, this is one of the happiest family days of the fall in San Francisco. Mark the calendar and bring your curiosity!
When: Saturday, October 17, 2026, 11 am–4 pm | Where: UCSF Mission Bay Campus, Koret Quad | Cost: Free
Photo: Bay Area Science Festival
