The Colorado Springs Cool Science Festival
Celebrate all things STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) with 16 days of activities and events at this engaging, family-friendly festival.
What is Cool Science Festival?
Each year, discover 16+ days of exciting, educational and engaging special events designed to showcase STEAM — where it's taking place in Colorado Springs and around the Pikes Peak Region. Dive into a world of fun with hands-on science activities, and explore something new, no matter what sparks your curiosity!
2025 Festival Events Schedule
There are tons of awesome science-focused events taking place all around the Pikes Peak Region during the Cool Science Festival. We've listed our top 13 that you won't want to miss. For a full list of all the events, head to the Colorado Springs Cool Science Festival website.
Saturday, September 27: Cool Science Carnival Day for Kids
When: 10am - 4pm
Where: UCCS
Cost: Free, pre-registration recommended
The biggest event of the year! It's STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math) featuring dozens of exciting and educational science shows, demonstrations, lab tours and hands-on activities for kids. Primarily K-8th grades, but fun for the whole family!
Sunday, September 28: Cool Bugs at the May Museum
When: 9am - 6pm
Where: May Natural History Museum
Cost: Mention Cool Science Festival and get a discount on admission to the museum between 9am - 6pm.
Discount: $11 adults, $8 children, $10 seniors
Join us here at the May Museum for Cool Science Bug Day. Our collection is home to over 7,000 species of insects, arachnids and other arthropods, one of the world's largest private collections of tropical insects. You'll see beautiful moths, bizarre beetle, amazing butterflies and much more. Bring the whole family for a fun adventure.
Sunday, September 28: Flower Pressing Botany
When: 2pm - 3pm
Where: Mueller State Park Visitor Center
Cost: Pre-registration required. The event is free, but state park entry fees apply ($10 per vehicle or free with a State Park Pass).
Learn the art and skill of flower pressing. Flower pressing is historically used as a tool in herbarium documentation: the learning about plants and their qualities. Pressing includes gathering and preserving the plant subject, as well as documenting information about it. This activity is geared toward all ages. All materials provided.
Pre-registration required. Please call the visitor center to sign up at 719-687-2366.
Monday, September 29: Quarter Moon Night Hike
When: 6:30pm - 9:30pm
Where: Cheyenne Mountain State Park
Cost: Event is free, but state park entry fees apply. $10 per vehicle. Pre-registration is required.
Join us for our 3-mile or 1-mile night hikes where we will navigate Cheyenne Mountain State Park trails by the light of the moon. During the hike, our volunteer naturalist, Ranger Rick, will make stops during the hike to discuss our park’s history, share facts and hear stories about the moon and learn how to identify stars with our eyes and apps.
Advanced registration required- there are limited spots available for each hike group. Meet at the Limekiln Parking Lot, near the trail kiosk/restrooms.
Wednesday, October 1: Space Science Shows at the U.S. Air Force Academy Planetarium
When: 12pm - 7pm
Where: US Air Force Academy Planetarium
Cost: Free
Enjoy any or all of various special live & film planetarium shows highlighting the cool nature of space science in the USAFA planetarium! The full schedule for the day:
12:00pm - Worlds Beyond Earth
12:30pm - Mars 1001
1:00pm - Two Small Pieces of Glass
1:30pm - From Earth to the Universes
2:00pm - In Saturn's Rings (45 min)
3:00pm - The Dark Matter Mystery (25 min)
4:00pm - Galileo's Moon: The Apollo 15 Story (55 min)
5:30pm - Worlds Beyond Earth
6:00pm - Live Night Sky, Constellation & Universe Tour (60 min)
*You will need your driver’s license or military ID and proof of vehicle insurance to enter the base. Military ID is NOT required to enter the Academy. Please be prepared for potential security measures such as vehicle inspections.
Thursday, October 2: Family Friendly Bats & Cave Tour
When: 9:30am - 4 pm
Where: Cave of the Winds Mountain Park
Cost: $15 - pre-registration required
Explore the electrically lit portion of Cave of the Winds on a guided walking tour which includes 15 rooms, a 1/2 mile of concrete walkways, and 196 stairs. On this family-friendly tour, you will learn about the history and geology of the cave and see some of the most beautiful formations. This is a special tour geared toward kindergarten through 5th grade but anyone can join! Cave tour lasts about 1.5 - 2 hours.
Friday, October 3: Nature's Adventures - Predators in the Park
When: 9am - 10:30am
Where: Fountain Creek Nature Center
Cost: $3 per person - prepaid registration required
Explore nature with your 3-6 year old through interactive activities, a craft, a story and a short hike.
Saturday, October 4: Cool Science Festival Day at Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center
When: 9am - 6pm
Where: Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center
Cost: $12 for seniors (65+) | $13 for adults | $9 for children (ages 5 - 12) | FREE for children (ages 4 and under)
Enjoy this amazing dinosaur museum all day (9am - 6pm), and at 10am, Dr. Kraig Derstler will present a special talk about his discoveries on giant crocodiles, including a 32 ft long crocodilian that was adapted for rising up and standing on its tail and hind limbs while attacking creatures flying overhead!
RSVP requested (email events@rmdrc.com), but walk-ins are okay if space permits. The talk is free, but regular museum admission applies.
Saturday, October 4: Why Wolves in Colorado? (w/ Colorado Wolf & Wildlife Center)
When: 2pm - 3pm
Where: Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center, Red Rocks Room
Cost: $5 per person, registration required
Recently the citizens of Colorado voted to reintroduce Gray Wolves back into the state. The Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center is coming in to talk about why we would want to reintroduce wolves to the state. Not only will you get a background into why wolves are important to our ecosystem, but you will learn about the characteristics and behaviors of wolves. But wait there’s more! The wolfdog ambassadors will be accompanying the volunteers from the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center. Come out and learn why we should care so much about these beautiful creatures and get to meet some as well!
Monday, October 6: Science on Tap
When: 6:30pm - 8pm
Where: Jack Quinn's Irish Pub and Restaurant
Cost: No registration needed. Food and beverages available for purchase starting at 6pm.
"Science on Tap" presents informal but fascinating science in a relaxed atmosphere. All are welcome. Presented by Dr. Christine Siddoway, Colorado College Geology Department.
Sandstone is a familiar rock in Colorado Springs: for example, the colorful orange and red rocky fins of Garden of the Gods and Red Rock Canyon. Most of the local sedimentary units contain evidence of the action of wind, streams, or beaches, in the creation of those rocks. But there is another highly unusual formation, Tava sandstone, hikers, cyclists and runners who use trails along our mountain front encounter the Tava on a regular basis, and might miss its significance as a record of the Snowball Earth that affected our Colorado region around 700 million years ago. This Science on Tap lecture will acquaint you with the marvelous, unique features of Tava sandstone (how you can recognize it), and explore aspects of Earth’s environment that caused a total glaciation on Earth, from pole to pole and reaching to the Equator.
Friday, October 10: Pikes Peak Summit House Tour - Behind the Scenes
When: 10am - 11am
Where: Pikes Peak Summit Visitor Center
Cost: $18 for adults and $8 for each child to enter the Pikes Peak Highway. The event itself is free. Registration required.
Get a special behind-the-scenes tour of the new Pikes Peak Summit Visitor Center! Learn about the ways this building situated at the top of 14,115 mountain was built to last and be sustainable.
*Be sure to allow approximately 60 minutes to drive the 19 miles from the toll gate to the summit so that you arrive in time for the tour. Parking is available at the summit.
Saturday, October 11: National Fossil Day Celebration
When: 10am - 2pm
Where: Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center
Cost: FREE
The folks at the Garden of the Gods Park and the Western Interior Paleontological Society (WIPS) are partnering with several other local organizations to bring you the 11th annual National Fossil Day Celebration. There will be several fossil, dinosaur and natural history-themed activities for all ages with lots of giveaways. Live animals, informative lectures, educational tables, free fossils and much more. Bring in your own fossil to get identified! Live animals from Nature’s Educators will be onsite. No registration necessary.
Saturday, October 11: Science Riot - real scientists being real funny
When: 7pm - 9:30pm
Where: Ivywild School
Cost: Tickets are $25 each
Science Riot is an organization promoting public enthusiasm for science. Since 2016, we have been taking scientists and teaching them how to do public outreach through standup-style comedy about their field of expertise. Sound awkward? It is. In the best, most hilarious way possible. Think of it like a TED talk...but really funny. In person only, in the Ivywild School Gymnasium.
