“Science Festival” may not mean what we think it means: an analysis of how researchers and practitioners use this term

Abstract

The modern science festival movement has grown significantly since the Edinburgh International Science Festival launched in 1989. Hundreds of science festivals now occur annually and vary widely. This article examines how the term “science festival” is used within research and practice. We find that most research articles fail to describe the science festivals they study. A subsequent analysis of festival websites and other publicly available information confirms the wide variability of science festival formats, which suggests the need for descriptive information about science festivals in scholarly work.

Comparing visitor motivation and demographics between an insect festival and science festivals

“…The growth of insect festivals parallels the rapid expansion of science festivals in general (Bultitude et al 2011, Ramsey and Boyette 2021). Science festivals are time-limited, informal events designed to engage nonspecialists with science, often through personal interactions with scientists (Bultitude et al 2011).…”