The Flagstaff Festival of Science is proud to offer accessible science opportunities with the flagship 10-day festival featuring 100 science programs and activities. The majority of these programs include hands-on learning components, and most importantly they connect real science professionals with families and youth in Flagstaff. The Festival's comprehensive program lineup includes keynote lectures, interactive workshops, STEM-focused talks by local professionals, Science in the Park and in-school speaker engagements.
This popular festival takes place at the end of September and engages science enthusiasts, educators and the local community to celebrate local science innovation and discovery. Now in its 36th year, the festival holds the distinction of being the longest-running, free science festival in the United States.
Kicking off on Sept. 19, 2025, the Flagstaff Festival of Science unifies a variety of science-based groups under one umbrella and with one mission: to promote the joy of scientific discovery, to everyone.
The festival is proud to present Mariah Gladstone to Flagstaff audiences on Sept. 19 at the Keynote Presentation. Gladstone is a vibrant speaker who is on a mission to democratize health using indigenous knowledge and cultural identity tied to food as a way to boost healthy communities. She is Blackfeet from Montana and has been making an impact for native and non-native learners of all ages -- especially youth -- on how to understand how traditional food is grown, cooked or processed for consumption, and used by the body. Her message is one of understanding cultural histories, environmental impact and health for our communities. Ticket reservations open one month prior to the Keynote Address, and tickets are free to reserve.
The following day at Wheeler Park, audiences are welcomed to Snook鈥檚 Science in the Park, which is a celebrated community favorite. The event brings together local and regional STEM organizations who offer hands on demonstrations and engaging STEM activities.
In May 2025, the Festival produced the 2nd annual Scavenger Hunt welcoming teams to explore and learn science history and current research throughout Flagstaff in a city-wide, full-day program. The festival will also host the Festival F锚te -- an enchanted harvest party with science experiences, auction, dinner and cocktails -- on Nov. 15.
The Flagstaff Festival of Science provides accessible, hands-on science education to community members and to students who may not otherwise have opportunities to engage with diverse scientific fields. For many, the festival is their first spark of curiosity -- one that could ignite a lifelong passion or even a career in STEM.
Over the last three decades, the Flagstaff Festival of Science has organized classroom presentations, fairs, field trips, open houses, guided hikes, lectures and workshops. This year鈥檚 10-day festival takes place Sept. 19-28. Check out this year鈥檚 programming at or download the app. More details will be announced in late summer.