Berlin Science Week Festival Centre at HKW

Berlin Science Week breaks science out of its institutions and into the city. Every year from 1–10 November, the festival transforms Berlin into a playground of scientific ideas with hundreds of free events spread across cultural venues, galleries, bars, and public spaces. Over 200 organizations open the doors to their labs and lecture halls, inviting Berliners to discover and experience the city’s vibrant science scene on their own terms. While events take place across Berlin during all ten days, between 6–8 November, the Festival Centre at Haus der Kulturen der Welt serves as the heart of the festival. With over 100 events over three days, the Festival Centre brings together scientists, artists, researchers, art-science practitioners, and anyone who is curious to explore the ways science shapes our world.

Under this year’s theme, In Touch, the 2026 programme turns to the personal side of science: how research touches our lives, how it changes us, and how it connects us with one another. At its core is the understanding that science is not an elite system of knowledge, but an expression of the human drive to understand the world. In Touch brings this into view by focusing on the people behind science: not just their research, but also their own motivations, stories, passions, and moments of doubt and discovery. At HKW, the Festival Centre constitutes a lively, transdisciplinary space, hosting, among other formats, talks, performances, workshops, participatory panels, and hands-on experiments. 

For the full programme see: berlinscienceweek.com