World Science Festival secured for Queensland for the next three years

World Science Festival

Baby turtles, space telescopes, bugs and drugs and explosive science experiments are hitting Brisbane this week as part of World Science Festival, and Minister for Science and the Arts Leeanne Enoch has announced this one-of-a-kind Festival has been secured for Queensland for the next three years.

“The World Science Festival has had its home in the USA for 11 years, and the Palaszczuk Government was able to secure the festival in Queensland for three years from 2016,” Ms Enoch said.

“I can now announce that the Palaszczuk Government has secured this wonderful festival in Queensland for a further three years, until 2021.

“This is the only festival of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region and helps enhance Queensland’s international profile as a leader in science, technology, engineering and maths.

“Last year’s festival drew more than 180,000 visitors from all over the world, and brought in over $7 million in direct and incremental spending in Queensland and 45,359 event-specific visitor nights, which is a great result for business.

“I’m thrilled we’re able to have this event for our state for the next three years.”

This year World Science Festival had an expanded program across Gladstone, Chinchilla, Toowoomba, Ipswich, Townsville, and Brisbane.

“World Science Festival Brisbane is a celebration of the intersection of arts and science and with the promise of three more festivals on the horizon, the future for science in Queensland is unlimited,” Ms Enoch said.

Minister for Innovation and Tourism Industry Development Kate Jones said the festival reinforces Brisbane’s reputation as a leading scientific hub in the Asia Pacific.

“The World Science Festival Brisbane is the perfect opportunity to bring people together to celebrate the world’s latest innovations and discoveries,” Ms Jones said.

“Visitors will be inspired by the wonders of science with panel discussions from world leading scientists, interactive workshops and engaging demonstrations.

“This event has grown from strength to strength since it was established in Brisbane in 2016, becoming a major tourism drawcard, attracting tens of thousands of visitors to Brisbane and injecting millions of dollars into our economy.

“The Palaszczuk Government is proud to support this event through Tourism and Events Queensland’s It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar.”

World Science Festival co-founder Tracy Day said she was delighted that World Science Festival Brisbane would continue to be a key event in Brisbane.

“It’s always amazing to see how the city of Brisbane embraces the Festival each and every year,” she said.

“The city literally turns red in honour of the Festival and I absolutely love getting caught up with the excitement that is generated by the thousands of visitors who join together to engage in science.”

Hosted by Queensland Museum, the festival takes science out of the laboratories and into the streets, parks, museums and performing arts venues of Brisbane.

More than 100 events and performances will showcase some of the biggest names in science alongside a stellar line-up of home-grown talent.

Queensland Museum Acting CEO Dr Jim Thompson said it was heartening to see how many Queenslanders immersed themselves in science and technology as part of the festival.

“This is a jam-packed festival program featuring scientific discussions, film screenings, trivia nights and of course our popular Street Science! extravaganza, which is a free family event featuring hands-on learning, robots, drones, slime and more,” Dr Thompson said.

“Brisbane is the only city in the Asia Pacific region to host the World Science Festival as part of an exclusive agreement between Queensland Museum and the World Science Festival New York.”

Visit www.worldsciencefestival.com.au for more information.