HAPPENING 3 AND 4 OCTOBER 2026 | Weekend van de Wetenschap returns with two days of experiments, demonstrations, workshops and behind-the-scenes science. Rotterdam is one of the festival's hotspots, with events at Erasmus MC, Erasmus University Rotterdam, museums and other locations across the city and port.
Weekend of Science returns in October 2026
Weekend van de Wetenschap takes place on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October 2026. Held nationwide during the first full weekend of October, the festival invites you inside universities, museums, laboratories, companies and other organisations to discover how science and technology work in practice.
You can expect experiments, demonstrations, workshops, lectures and opportunities to meet researchers. Many activities are aimed particularly at children, but the programme includes events suitable for different ages and for families visiting together.
The scale of the festival is considerable. In 2025, Weekend van de Wetenschap recorded 120,000 visitors, more than 1,500 activities and more than 400 participating organisations across all 12 Dutch provinces.
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What is happening in Rotterdam?
The complete 2026 programme is now online, and Rotterdam has been designated as a festival hotspot on both Saturday and Sunday. The local programme stretches from medical research and DNA to robots, artificial intelligence, customs technology and chemistry in the port.
Saturday 3 October
Erasmus MC hosts a free science festival from 11:00 to 16:00 in De Passage, reached through the main entrance at Dr. Molewaterplein 40. You can meet researchers, join experiments and demonstrations, attend short talks and explore subjects ranging from medicine to technology. TU Delft Science Centre On Tour is also part of the programme.
Erasmus University Rotterdam at De Hillevliet runs activities from 12:00 to 16:00 at Hillevliet 90 in Rotterdam-Feijenoord. The university's Weekend van de Wetenschap programme is designed especially with children and families in mind and includes opportunities to meet scientists and try experiments yourself.
Natuurhistorisch Museum Rotterdam, Westzeedijk 345, hosts Erasmus MC's programme Wetenschap in de stad: Het zit in ons DNA from 13:00 to 16:00. Young doctors and researchers give mini-lectures about subjects including ancestry, personalised medicine, genetics and cancer research. Admission to this activity is free.
Sunday 4 October
Erasmus University Rotterdam holds its Science Fair at Campus Woudestein from 11:00 to 16:00. Published activities include programming robots, investigating social networks, exploring generative AI and conducting hands-on experiments. Several individual workshops require registration, so check your chosen activity before travelling.
Belasting & Douane Museum, Parklaan 14-16, presents Doen met de Douane! from 11:00 to 17:00. The free programme explores how Dutch Customs uses science and technology, including drones and detection dogs, through demonstrations, experiments and workshops.
Science at the port
Portlantis on Maasvlakte Rotterdam is also part of the 2026 programme with Chemie in de haven. Because activities and practical details can be updated as the weekend approaches, check the official programme for the latest time and admission information before making the trip to Maasvlakte 2.
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What can you expect?
Weekend van de Wetenschap gives you access to scientists, research and technology that you might not normally encounter. Depending on the venue, you can conduct experiments, see technical equipment in action, talk directly with researchers or visit spaces normally closed to the public.
The programme covers science broadly, including medicine, nature, technology, engineering, society and the humanities. The official programme allows you to filter activities by date, province, audience, type of activity, price and accessibility.
Children aged 8 to 14 are an important audience for the festival, but many activities welcome teenagers, parents, grandparents and other curious visitors too. Check the age recommendation on each activity before you make your plans.
Netherlands Science Weekend animals
How to plan your weekend
The complete 2026 programme was published on 17 September and is now available on the official Weekend van de Wetenschap website. The programme currently contains hundreds of activities nationwide, so use the location, date and audience filters to narrow down what interests you.
Most activities are free, although some have paid admission and some free activities require registration. Erasmus University's Sunday workshops at Campus Woudestein, for example, include activities for which advance registration is required. The Erasmus MC science festival on Saturday can be visited without registering in advance.
For Erasmus University's Rotterdam programme and registration information, see the university's Weekend van de Wetenschap page.
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Locations and directions
The Rotterdam programme is spread across the city and extends to Maasvlakte 2. Confirmed locations include Erasmus MC at Dr. Molewaterplein 40, De Hillevliet at Hillevliet 90, Campus Woudestein at Burgemeester Oudlaan 50, Natuurhistorisch Museum Rotterdam at Westzeedijk 345 and Belasting & Douane Museum at Parklaan 14-16.
Do not assume that all activities at the same organisation take place at the same address or require the same booking arrangements. Check the individual activity listing shortly before departure for the latest time, location, admission and accessibility information.
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