Rome Science Festival
Five days of science, meetings, and performances at the Auditorium Parco della Musica
About Science Festival
A major scientific event in the heart of Rome
For over twenty years, the Rome Science Festival has been Italy's leading event dedicated to scientific outreach. It takes place every spring at the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone, in the Flaminio district of Rome, within the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, in the Lazio region. Founded in 2006, the event is produced by the Fondazione Musica per Roma and promoted by Roma Capitale – Department of Culture, in collaboration with major national research bodies: CNR, INAF, and INFN.
A different theme every year
The festival's formula is well-established: a unique theme, chosen annually, is explored through all disciplines. Physics engages with music, biology with literature, and economics with the visual arts. Recent years have featured titles such as "Bodies" in 2025 and "Chaos and Harmony" in 2026, the latter dedicated to the incessant relationship between disorder and symmetry that governs the universe and life.
How the program is organized
The days are divided into three main strands, ensuring that every audience finds its entry point:
- Public Events — lectures, masterclasses, dialogues, and performance-lectures in the Auditorium halls (Sala Petrassi, Teatro Studio Borgna, and various studios).
- Educational Section — meetings, experiments, and games designed for primary and secondary schools, upon school reservation.
- Family Weekend — activities, workshops, and trails for adults and children during the closing weekend.
In addition, there are interactive exhibitions set up in the common areas of the Auditorium, curated by research bodies and open throughout the event: true hands-on paths that make concepts of astrophysics, quantum physics, biotechnology, or materials science tangible.
Guests and voices
Over the years, the festival has hosted prominent scientists, Nobel laureates, national researchers, writers, musicians, and artists. The choice to pair researchers with storytellers, rappers, or visual artists is a hallmark of the event: science is presented as culture, not as a school subject.
The Auditorium, a venue that makes the difference
Designed by Renzo Piano and inaugurated in 2002, the Auditorium Parco della Musica is the largest cultural complex in Europe by capacity. The three "scarab" halls, the outdoor cavea, and the large foyers are perfectly suited for a festival that alternates between thousand-seat lectures and small workshops. The archaeological area of a Roman villa unearthed during construction coexists with the most contemporary scientific installations: a very Roman short-circuit between past and future.
Why it is worth visiting
The Science Festival is one of the rare occasions where you can listen to a Nobel laureate in the morning, take your children to a workshop in the afternoon, and attend a performance-lecture in the evening, all in the same place. Most events are free with reservation, making the festival one of the most accessible cultural offerings of the Roman spring. It has become a staple for schools in Lazio, and for visitors, it is an excellent reason to discover the Flaminio district, between the MAXXI, the Ponte della Musica, and the Olympic Village.
Science Festival — edition 2026
"Chaos and Harmony": the 21st edition
From April 15 to 19, 2026, the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone hosted the twenty-first edition of the Rome Science Festival, dedicated to the theme "Chaos and Harmony". The common thread: the universe and life as the result of transformations, disorder, symmetries, and chances, an incessant dance between chaos and harmony evoked by the festival's guiding image, sound vibrations that draw figures on sand.
The theme was explored through all disciplines — physics, ecology, mathematics, neuroscience, economics — and brought into dialogue with music, literature, and the visual arts. The festival is produced by the Fondazione Musica per Roma, promoted by Roma Capitale – Department of Culture, and realized with CNR, INAF, and INFN.
The three souls of the program
As per tradition, the event was divided into events open to the public (lectures and shows), a rich Educational section reserved for schools, and a closing weekend dedicated to families, with activities for children and adults created in collaboration with the cultural system of Roma Capitale and Explora – the Children's Museum of Rome.
Programme Science Festival 2026
Wednesday, April 15 — Opening
- 6:00 PM, Teatro Studio Borgna: "Meeting with Science", inauguration of the 21st edition with Nobel laureate in physics Giorgio Parisi and ethologist Enrico Alleva.
Thursday, April 16
- Speech by astrophysicist Lucia Troisi.
- Meetings with researchers from CNR, INAF, and INFN on the themes of complexity.
Friday, April 17
- "Digital Einsteins?" — artificial intelligence and scientific research, with researcher Ines El Gataa.
Saturday, April 18 — Family Weekend
- "The Universe and the Art of Evolving", with artist Michelangelo Pistoletto.
- "Perspectives that change the world".
- Workshops and activities for children and teenagers.
Sunday, April 19 — Closing
- Closing meeting with economist Dario Guarascio.
Other announced guests
- Serena Dandini, Guido Tonelli, Antonio Zoccoli, Daniele Bonacorsi, Piero Genovesi, Sergio Della Sala, rapper Rancore, and a live link with astronauts Anthea Comellini and Andrea Patassa.
The exhibitions (ten installations)
- Mirrors of Stars (INAF)
- Quantum in Therapy (INFN)
- Simple and Complex (CNR)
- Astrophysical Cody Maze
- From Life to Life, history of biotechnology
- The Cosmos in a Jump
- GAMM, video game museum
- The Double-Slit Experiment
- Underground
Educational
Activities, experiments, and games for primary and secondary schools, with events and workshops also created together with Explora – the Children's Museum of Rome.
Highlights Science Festival 2026
- Opening with Nobel laureate Giorgio Parisi, Wednesday, April 15 at the Teatro Studio Borgna.
- The theme "Chaos and Harmony" applied to physics, ecology, mathematics, neuroscience, and economics.
- Ten interactive exhibitions curated by CNR, INAF, INFN, and scientific partners.
- The meeting between art and science with Michelangelo Pistoletto.
- A live link with astronauts Anthea Comellini and Andrea Patassa.
- Weekend dedicated to families with workshops for children.
Prices Science Festival 2026
Practical information — Science Festival
Where
Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone, Viale Pietro de Coubertin 30, 00196 Rome (Flaminio district).
How to get there
Metro: Line A, Flaminio stop, then tram 2 to Piazza Apollodoro. Bus: lines 53, 217, 910, 168, 982. Car: paid underground parking at the Auditorium, access from Viale de Coubertin. Train: Roma Termini station, then metro A. Plane: Fiumicino airport, Leonardo Express to Termini.
Tickets
Most meetings and exhibitions are free with reservation (vouchers via Eventbrite or TicketOne); some evening shows and masterclasses require a paid ticket. Educational events are reserved for schools upon institutional booking.
Opening hours
Auditorium exhibition spaces are generally open from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM on weekdays and from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Sundays.
Tips
Book your vouchers as soon as the program is released: meetings with well-known guests sell out in a few hours. The weekend is the best time for families. There is no shortage of bars and restaurants in the area, and the MAXXI is just a few minutes' walk away to complete your day.
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Where does it take place — Science Festival
Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone
Viale Pietro de Coubertin 30, 00196 Roma