“What If Science Festival”: Science steps out of books and laboratories and becomes an experience at the Eugenides Foundation

The detailed programme of the two-day What If Science Festival, taking place on 18 & 19 September, has been announced

What if you could travel into Space, take part in a scientific experiment, discover technologies that are changing the world and find out just how much science is hidden all around us?

On 18 and 19 September, the Eugenides Foundation celebrates 70 years of contribution in an entirely new way, presenting the What If Science Festival for the first time. For two days, the Foundation’s premises will be transformed into a large field of exploration for children and adults alike. Experiments, STEM workshops, technology demonstrations, knowledge games, talks, encounters with scientists and researchers, and special screenings at the Digital Planetarium come together in a programme that invites us not simply to observe science, but to experience it.

With the central message “It wasn’t always like this”, What If looks back at everything that has changed over 70 years and invites us to wonder: what could change in the years to come?

Here is the detailed programme, featuring two days filled with science, discovery and unique experiences for children and adults alike:

FRIDAY, 18 SEPTEMBER

From Earth to Space, from DNA to Black Holes

The first day is dedicated to major scientific ideas, exploration, experimentation and critical thinking.

17:00 – 20:15 | Interactive Workshops: DNA – Black Holes – Robotics – Optical Fibres

At the Science and Technology Centre, visitors aged 10 and over can take part in a series of rotating workshops and interactive activities.

They will be able to extract DNA from fruit, step into the shoes of a forensic laboratory researcher and discover the science hidden in everyday materials.

At the interactive Black Hole stations, concepts such as gravity, the curvature of spacetime, gravitational lensing and gravitational collapse become the subject of experimentation.

Robotics also enters the picture, with the Sawyer industrial robot and the educational robot Marty, while through optical fibres, participants discover how light travels, send hidden messages using Morse code and create their own small lamp.

17:30 – 20:15 | Three journeys into Space

The Digital Planetarium tells the great story of space exploration through three shows.

At 17:30, From the Earth to the Moon takes us back to the space race and humanity’s first steps towards the Moon.

At 18:30, The Great Adventure follows the missions after Apollo, the Space Shuttles, Space Stations, satellites and the major discoveries made by space telescopes.

At 19:30, The Future in Space looks ahead: will we establish bases on the Moon and Mars? When will the first crewed mission reach the Red Planet? Will humans ever be able to travel beyond our Solar System?

20:30 – 21:30 | Discussion: Do We Believe What We See? From the Earth to the Moon

How do we distinguish scientific knowledge from misinformation? Why do questions such as “Did we really go to the Moon?” or “Is the Earth round?” still persist? A discussion that places observation, experimentation and, above all, critical thinking at its core.

SATURDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER

Science steps outside and becomes a game

On Saturday, the indoor and outdoor areas of the Foundation are transformed into a large interactive field of science and technology for the whole family.

10:30 | 11:45 | 18:00 – Live Tour of the Universe

Guided by Planetarium Director Manos Kitsonas, the audience sets off from the starry sky above Earth and travels through the Solar System, to nearby stars, our Galaxy and even farther, all the way to the origins of the Universe.

11:00 – 12:30 | A Treasure Hunt through the Foundation

Parents and children aged 6 and over take on missions in the Library, the Science and Technology Centre, the UTech Lab and the Autonomous Systems facilities.

At each stop, they collect clues and pieces of a puzzle, with the aim of reaching the secret phrase connected to the history of the Eugenides Foundation.

13:00 – 14:00 | Can a car drive itself?

In the Tech Show “Autonomous Driving – Exploring the World of Smart Vehicles”, technology and artificial intelligence take centre stage.

Through live experiments and demonstrations of robotic vehicles, visitors discover how an autonomous vehicle “sees” the world around it, how it detects obstacles and how artificial intelligence is shaping the future of mobility.

17:00 – 18:00 | The Eugenides Quiz Show

Knowledge becomes a game in the Library. Children and adults take part in a live quiz inspired by the format of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”, with questions, laughter and surprises centred around the history and activities of the Foundation.

17:00 – 21:00 | Science moves into the Foundation’s outdoor space

Four different stands on Pentelis Street invite the public to try, experiment and discover.

• Sound & Music: cymbals, drums, springs and unusual musical instruments reveal how sound is created and travels.
• Volcanoes & Earthquakes: visitors create their own volcanic eruption and, with the help of experiments, VR and LEGO, discover the basic principles of seismology and earthquake-resistant design.
• 3D Printing – UTech Lab: demonstrates how a digital idea can be transformed into a real object, with visitors getting a close-up look at how a 3D printer works.
• Hydrobot: science goes underwater. Visitors aged 12 and over discover underwater robots and operate them in a specially designed pool, taking on their own missions.
• Robot Battles: robots enter the arena. Participants choose their own robotic “fighter”, prepare it and put their skills to the test in a different kind of showdown.

19:00 – 20:00 | The Science of Explosions

Physics and Chemistry take centre stage in a science show filled with energy, sounds, colours and intense flashes of light.

Through spectacular experiments, the audience discovers what an explosion really is and the science behind phenomena that often seem magical.

21:00 – 22:30 | Party with Experiments

And the festival comes to a close… with music.

At the DJ Set Closing Event, rhythm meets science and scientific experiments become part of the evening, bringing two days of exploration to a close in a different way.

Two days. Dozens of different experiences. One big What If.

18 & 19 September 2026 | Eugenides Foundation

Free admission – Advance online booking is required where applicable. Free tickets for the activities will be available from Tuesday, 15 September at 10:00, via the Eugenides Foundation website. Children up to the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult, who must also have a separate free ticket.