Stirling Science Festival 2026
The Stirling Science Festival (SSF) Programme Board is inviting interested applicants to submit a proposal for participation in SSF 2026 which will take place from Wednesday 21th of October to Saturday 24th of October 2026.
The theme of this year’s event is:
Play • Move • Discover
The Science of Sport, Play and Wellbeing
Venues for previous SSF events have included: The Tolbooth, Thistle Centre, Stirling Council Libraries, Stirling Highland Hotel, the Smith Art Gallery and Museum, Bannockburn Maker Space, Codebase and the Albert Halls, where a family day has been held on the last day of the festival.
We are open to new and unique locations for venues to be included in the programme – including ‘doors open’ events for local STEAM businesses.
The SSF Programme
Previous SSF events have included author readings, expert lectures, plays, science shows, exhibitions and displays from local environment and science groups.
Previous programmes have included a host of hands-on practical activities including workshops from Dynamic Earth and Glasgow Science Centre, digital skills with Codebase, crafts, forensic workshops and a broad range of table top activities provided at our family fun day at the Albert Halls just to name a few! From rocket making to finding out more about climate change, composting, insect life, Lego building and solving maths puzzles – STEAM covers a huge range of topics.
We also hope to be-able to further develop the adult programme for this year.
We look forward to hearing from you on your proposal to encourage and foster an interest in all things STEAM!
Please note applications will close on Sunday 7 June at 23:59pm
Next Steps
Successful applicants will be contacted by 12 June 2026 and provided with an information pack which will explain in full detail everything you need to know to progress with being part of the festival.
Here is an outline of the timeline we are working too:
- Sunday, 7 June – Content proposal deadline
- Friday, 12 June – Confirmation of successful applications
- End June/Early July – Discussions with the team around content, dates, venues etc.
- Friday 24 July – Deadline for submitting event or activity information required to produce the programme (e.g., title, blurb, dates, times, venue, booking info as required)
- Friday 31 July – Deadline to provide digital content
- Monday 7 September – SSF26 programme goes live
- Wed 21 to Saturday 24 October – SSF 2026
- Oct to Dec – evaluation and reporting
