🔬 Carnival opensSun Oct 4 · 12–4pm
One free afternoon, more than 100 hands-on STEAM booths: Sunday October 4, 12–4pm at the Kendall/MIT Open Space. Produced by the MIT Museum with the City of Cambridge, and running since 2007 — last year it drew more than 17,000 people in four hours. No tickets, no registration: turn up and start experimenting.
More than 100 activity booths run by scientists, engineers, students and makers from MIT, Cambridge and the wider Greater Boston STEAM community — plus live demonstrations, music, installations and the long-running Robot Petting Zoo.
Free. No ticket and no registration — it is an open outdoor festival. The MIT Museum is also free to everyone for the whole of MIT Future Fest (Sept 30 – Oct 4), so you can pair the two in one day.
Built as a STEAM “adventure playground” for all ages — toddlers find sensory and build-it tables, elementary kids get the bulk of the hands-on experiments, and teens can talk to working researchers about their actual work.
Kendall/MIT Open Space, 292 Main St, Cambridge — directly beside the Kendall/MIT Red Line stop and next door to the MIT Museum. Take the T: It is a short walk from the Kendall/MIT Red Line stop.
Sunday, October 4, 2026, from 12pm to 4pm at the Kendall/MIT Open Space, 292 Main St, Cambridge. It runs for four hours only, rain or shine, and closes the MIT Future Fest week (September 30 – October 4).
Yes. Admission is free and no registration or ticket is needed — it is an open outdoor festival. The MIT Museum is also free to all visitors for the duration of MIT Future Fest, so you can visit the museum the same day at no cost.
All ages. The carnival is designed as a STEAM adventure playground: little ones get sensory and building tables, elementary-age kids get most of the hands-on experiments, and older kids and teens can talk directly to researchers, engineers and students about their work.
More than 100 activity booths and demonstrations run by the MIT, Cambridge and Greater Boston STEAM community, plus live music and installations. The Robot Petting Zoo is the perennial favourite. Last year’s carnival drew over 17,000 attendees in four hours.
The Open Space at 292 Main St is directly next to the Kendall/MIT stop on the Red Line, and next door to the MIT Museum at 314 Main St. It is on the Red Line at Kendall/MIT.
It is produced by the MIT Museum and presented by MIT together with the City of Cambridge. The MIT Museum founded the carnival in 2007, and it has become an annual highlight of the Cambridge STEAM calendar.
📅 Planning the rest of the weekend? See what else is on in our family events calendar, or see everything in our Cambridge kids’ activities guide.
Poster: Cambridge Science Carnival / MIT Museum — official 2026 event poster.