STEM-UP Festival
Science, technology, and creativity in the open air at Parco Attianese in Pianura
About STEM-UP Festival
A neighborhood park transformed into an open-air laboratory
The STEM-UP Festival is the concluding event of the project «STEM-UP! Science, Technology, Creativity» and takes place at Parco Attianese, in the Pianura district, on the western edge of the Municipality of Naples. For one morning, the public green space of Municipality 9 is filled with stalls, optical instruments, circuits, and headsets: not an exhibition fair, but a distributed laboratory where students themselves explain science to their peers, parents, and local residents.
The choice of location is no coincidence. Pianura is one of the most populous and peripheral districts of Naples, and bringing research into a neighborhood park — rather than a university classroom in the city center — is an explicit part of the project: science goes where the kids live.
The STEM-UP project
STEM-UP is promoted by the CTG TURMED APS Association of Naples with the support of the Intesa Sanpaolo Charitable Fund and carried out together with three institutes of the National Research Council — CNR-ISASI, CNR-INO, and CNR-SPIN — and the ARIES Cooperative of Battipaglia. The goal is to bring new generations closer to scientific and technological disciplines through innovative teaching methods: practical workshops, virtual reality, creative digital languages, teacher training, and digital literacy for families.
The project works primarily with third-year middle school classes, with a focus on the most socio-economically fragile contexts in Campania, and declares two precise goals: reducing the gender gap in STEM and making scientific culture truly accessible to everyone.
What to see at the festival
- Optics paths: light propagation, reflection and refraction, use of lenses and optical instruments.
- Electricity: construction and operation of simple electrical circuits, explained step-by-step.
- CNR science playroom: interactive games and experiences designed for children and families.
- Virtual reality: 3D headsets and immersive environments, with the workshop space of the ARIES Cooperative.
- School stands: each institute shares the journey undertaken during the school year.
The participating schools
The festival involves over one hundred students from five schools in Campania: the Giovanni Falcone, Ferdinando Russo, and 72° Palasciano Comprehensive Institutes of Naples, the Salvemini Comprehensive Institute of Battipaglia, and the Parmenide Comprehensive Institute of Roccadaspide, in the province of Salerno. They are not mere spectators: after months of workshops with CNR researchers, they are the ones conducting the demonstrations, answering the public's questions, and managing the experimental stalls. It is this role reversal — the student becoming the communicator — that gives the festival its identity.
Science, inclusion, and gender equality
The May festival is the culmination of a broader calendar. On February 11, for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the same schools hosted meetings with CNR researchers, the screening of the film «Hidden Figures», virtual reality workshops, web radio, and video storytelling, to reflect together on the gender gap that still leaves women in the minority among researchers worldwide.
A free event open to the neighborhood
Admission is free: anyone can enter Parco Attianese and participate in the activities without booking. For the Pianura district and the entire western area of Naples, the festival is also an opportunity to reclaim a public green space, which for one morning becomes a meeting place between school, research, and the local area. In a region like Campania, where scientific outreach is often concentrated in large city-center hubs, STEM-UP deliberately chooses the opposite direction.
STEM-UP Festival — edition 2026
The park becomes a laboratory
On May 19, 2026, Parco Attianese in Pianura transformed into a large open-air science laboratory. The day concluded the annual journey of the project «STEM-UP! Science, Technology, Creativity», promoted by the CTG TURMED Association with the support of the Intesa Sanpaolo Charitable Fund and carried out with CNR-ISASI, CNR-INO, CNR-SPIN, and the ARIES Cooperative.
From 9:30 AM, the stands of the five participating schools welcomed the public; at 10:30 AM, institutional greetings officially opened the event, followed by three hours of demonstrations led by the students. The experimental paths ranged from optics — light propagation, reflection and refraction, lenses and optical instruments — to electricity, with the construction of simple circuits. Alongside, the science playroom curated by the CNR and a space dedicated to virtual reality with 3D headsets made the event accessible even to the youngest visitors.
For the Pianura district, in Municipality 9 of the Municipality of Naples, the festival was also a moment of encounter between school, research, and the local area, with the declared goal of promoting an inclusive scientific culture and reducing the gender gap in STEM disciplines.
Programme STEM-UP Festival 2026
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 — Parco Attianese, via Provinciale Napoli / via Nelson Mandela, Pianura (Naples)
- 9:30 AM — Opening of the park to the public and setup of the five participating schools' stands.
- 10:30 AM — Institutional greetings from representatives of the promoting bodies and official opening of the festival.
- 10:45 AM to 1:00 PM — Continuous workshop activities: optics paths (light propagation, reflection and refraction, lenses and optical instruments), electricity experiments with construction and operation of simple electrical circuits, demonstrations led by over a hundred students.
- All morning — CNR science playroom with interactive games and experiences for children and families; ARIES Cooperative workshop space; virtual reality area with 3D headsets.
Participating schools: «Giovanni Falcone», «Ferdinando Russo», and «72° Palasciano» Comprehensive Institutes of Naples, «Salvemini» Comprehensive Institute of Battipaglia, and «Parmenide» Comprehensive Institute of Roccadaspide (Salerno).
Highlights STEM-UP Festival 2026
- Over a hundred students from five schools in Campania acting as science communicators.
- Experimental optics paths: light, reflection, refraction, lenses, and optical instruments.
- Electricity workshop with construction of simple circuits.
- CNR science playroom for children and families.
- Immersive virtual reality experiences with 3D headsets.
- A public neighborhood park as the venue: science made accessible outside research centers.
Prices STEM-UP Festival 2026
Practical information — STEM-UP Festival
Location
Parco Attianese, via Provinciale Napoli 125 (access also from via Nelson Mandela), Pianura district, 80126 Naples. The park is managed by Municipality 9 of the Municipality of Naples and features a playground, amphitheater, multi-purpose field, and external parking.
How to get there
- Train: Pianura station on the Circumflegrea line (EAV), from Naples Montesanto; the park is then reached by a short bus ride or on foot.
- Car: Pianura exit of the Naples Tangenziale; external parking available near the park.
- Bus: ANM lines connecting Pianura with Soccavo, Fuorigrotta, and the rest of the city.
Hours and costs
The event takes place in the morning, from 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM, with institutional greetings at 10:30 AM. Free admission, no booking required. The park is normally open to the public from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Tips
All activities are outdoors: comfortable shoes, a hat, and a water bottle are highly recommended. The event is particularly suitable for families with children, who can participate in the science playroom and virtual reality experiences.
Contacts
CNR-ISASI: [email protected], tel. +39 081 8675099. CTG TURMED APS Association: [email protected], tel. +39 081 1824 2273.
Festival-goer photos
No photos yet. Share yours!
Share your photos
5 photos max, 5 MB per photo (JPG, PNG, WebP)
Noticed an error or missing information?
Help us keep this listing up to date. Every proposal is verified by our team before publication.
Festival-goer reviews
No rating yet — be the first!
No comments yet. Be the first!
Were you there?
Share your experience with the community.