The Flagstaff Festival of Science is an annual 10-day celebration at the end of September that brings together science enthusiasts, educators and the local community to engage in a variety of science-based educational and entertaining activities.
In a city-wide series of programs, attendees engage in interactive activities to discover the multitude of science initiatives happening in Flagstaff.
Now in its 35th year, the Festival proudly holds the distinction of being the longest-running, free science festival in the United States. Kicking off on Sept. 20, 2024, the Festival unifies a variety of science-based groups under one umbrella and with one mission: to promote the joy of scientific discovery, to everyone.
The keynote address launches the Festival and focuses on topical and cutting edge STEM themes. This year, the Festival explores artificial intelligence (AI). This theme is intended to engage the community with meaningful discussions and spur further exploration into the impact that advanced technologies have on our world. Ticket reservations open one month prior to the keynote address, and tickets are free to reserve.
One community favorite event during the Festival is Snook鈥檚 Science in the Park, which brings local and regional STEM organizations front and center to offer demonstrations, investigate hypotheses and invite scientific discovery with the thousands of attendees.
We are proud to have made an impact for 35 years in the community by providing science learning opportunities to individuals of all ages, backgrounds and interests.
To celebrate, the Festival produced the inaugural Scavenger Hunt this spring, inviting teams to discover science treasures throughout Flagstaff. The Festival will also host the Festival F锚te鈥攁 costume party with science experiments for adults, plus dinner and a bar鈥攐n Oct. 26 to commemorate this momentous, anniversary occasion.
The Festival has hosted many remarkable science professionals in our long history of presentations. While the focus has primarily been on local science experts, the Festival has also brought extraordinary presenters to Flagstaff audiences. Recent, recognizable speakers include Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass; General Charlie Duke, who walked on the moon; Dr. Raj Rajkumar, a leader in autonomous vehicles; and explorer Kyle Maynard, the first quadruple amputee to ascend Mount Kilimanjaro without the aid of prosthetics.
Over the last three decades, the Flagstaff Festival of Science has organized classroom presentations, fairs, field trips, open houses, guided hikes, lectures and workshops and all events have been free to attend. This year’s 10-day Festival takes place Sept. 20–29. Check out this year’s programming at or download the app. More details will be announced in late summer.