Galway Science and Technology Festival Exhibition Day 2026

What to Expect

The Galway Science and Technology Festival runs across two weeks of November and finishes with its Exhibition Day, a free open campus event at the University of Galway on Sunday 8 November 2026 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This is the festival’s flagship day and the one most Galway families know: buildings across the campus fill with hands-on exhibits, demonstrations, shows and workshops staffed by researchers, students, schools and companies from around the region.

The theme for 2026 is Water: From Molecule to Ocean, taking in how water shapes bodies, landscapes, climate, communities and the future. That gives the programme a strong marine and environmental slant, which suits a city on the edge of the Atlantic with a research university and a marine institute on its doorstep. General admission is free and no ticket is needed to walk around the exhibits. Individual shows and workshops with limited seating are ticketed separately and free, and those tickets are released on the festival website on Saturday 31 October at 9:00 AM. They go quickly, so set a reminder if there is a specific show you want.

Good to Know

• Exhibition Day: Sunday 8 November 2026, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, University of Galway campus.
• Admission is free. No ticket needed for the general exhibition.
• Tickets for individual shows and workshops are released on Saturday 31 October 2026 at 9:00 AM via the festival website.
• 2026 theme: Water: From Molecule to Ocean.
• Suitable for all ages, with a large share of the programme aimed at primary and secondary school children.
• The festival programme runs across November, with the exhibition as its closing set piece.

Getting There

The University of Galway campus is on University Road in Newcastle, about a fifteen minute walk from Eyre Square across the Salmon Weir Bridge and past Galway Cathedral. Campus parking is limited and fills very early on Exhibition Day, so walking, cycling or taking the bus is the sensible option. City bus routes along University Road and Newcastle Road serve the campus directly, and services from Salthill, Knocknacarra, Renmore and Oranmore all connect through the city centre. Anyone driving in from the county should consider parking in a city-centre multi-storey and walking the last stretch along the river.