Open your mind to the wonder of science as World Science Festival Brisbane returns to the public arena with a dynamic program in 2023.
After scaled back events and cancellations in recent years, Queensland Museum Network is thrilled to host an overflowing schedule of scientific events and activities for all ages.
You’ll see festival stalwarts make a welcome return. The Hatchery, a perennial favourite, offers a rare glimpse of loggerhead turtles hatching in incubation chambers at Queensland Museum. The Night of the Nerds variety game show also makes a triumphant return after sold out sessions in 2022.
Free and ticketed activities, shows and tours will pop up across South Bank Parklands, Brisbane City and Brisbane’s Planetarium. Workshops, conversations and films round out the 2023 program, alongside school and children’s programming brimming with opportunities to explore.
Visitors will see Curiocity Brisbane artworks dotted throughout the festival hub, around Queensland Museum and South Bank. These installations celebrate the intersection of science, art and technology, and are a highlight of the festival program.
World Science Festival Brisbane kicks off an annual series across our state, with World Science Festival Queensland travelling once again to Chinchilla, Gladstone, Toowoomba, Townsville and Ipswich later this year.
The festival is now part of our identity and has given us a window into many new opportunities and allowed us to work with new partners. It has also allowed us to be part of a bigger science picture and at the same time highlight our amazing scientific credentials. World Science Festival Brisbane would not happen without the continued support of the Queensland Government and our generous partners who share our passion for bringing this important program to life.
During this year’s festival, the sharpest scientific minds from Australia and beyond will ask—and answer—the most pressing questions about the universe. This truly unique mix of scientists, scientific communicators, academics, artists, musicians, comedians and more will come together to remind us that science is fun, funny, fascinating and fearless.
On behalf of Queensland Museum Network, I am delighted to invite you to explore the program and find your personal highlights for World Science Festival Brisbane 2023.
Dr Jim Thompson PSM
Chief Executive Officer
Queensland Museum Network
We invite you to open your minds once again to the extraordinary, scientific and innovative possibilities at World Science Festival Brisbane 2023.
World Science Festival Brisbane celebrates ground-breaking discoveries, creative technology and awe-inspiring scientific moments that impact and influence our everyday lives.
This year’s festival will investigate cutting edge health developments in fields such as future technology for artificial limbs, advances in medical research as well as new energy technologies.
Festival goers will catch glimpses of the first galaxies, explore quantum theories and technology and unearth our prehistoric past, helping to understand the diverse impacts of climate change, now and for the future of our fragile planet.
Curiocity Brisbane returns as a festival feature with interactive art installations, that immerse visitors in the beauty of science.
The Palaszczuk Government is proud to invest in the Queensland Museum Network with a commitment of $9 million from 2022 until 2024 to present World Science Festival Brisbane, and its regional program, World Science Festival Queensland.
The festival supports the Palaszczuk Government’s Creative Together 2020-2030 ten-year roadmap and its priorities to activate local places and spaces, drive social change and strengthen communities.
Since 2016, World Science Festival Brisbane has hosted more than 500 events, including world-premiere theatrical performances, science talks, education programs, and virtual reality experiences, attracting more than 800,000 visitors despite in impacts of the pandemic.
This signature festival reaffirms Queensland Museum as a key cultural tourism destination on the green and gold runway to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Enjoy World Science Festival Brisbane 2023 and open your minds to the creativity and power of science.
The Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk MP
Premier and Minister for the Olympics
The Honourable Leeanne Enoch MP
Minister for Communities and Housing, Minister for Digital Economy and Minister for the Arts
The Honourable Stirling Hinchliffe MP
Minister for Tourism, Innovation and Sport and Minister Assisting the Premier on Olympics and Paralympics Sport and Engagement
Welcome to Brisbane! As a city, we are proud to host the only international extension of New York’s World Science Festival event.
Brisbane’s credentials as a science and innovation city truly shine during this significant festival each year. Since 2016, World Science Festival Brisbane has offered an exciting festival program of scientific talks, workshops, shows and events for everyone interested in learning more about the world around them.
Each year this event brings science to our city’s most iconic cultural venues.
Visitors and residents can enjoy activities at Queensland Museum and Queensland Performing Arts Centre and stroll through South Bank Parklands and the Cultural Precinct visiting the Curiocity Brisbane installations. The festival program then continues through to the city and beyond, with a packed itinerary across 12 inspiring days.
I hope you enjoy the 2023 program and make the most of your time here by exploring the many buzzing dining, retail and lifestyle precincts that Brisbane has to offer.
Adrian Schrinner
Lord Mayor of Brisbane