Founded in 2010, the North Carolina Science Festival (NCSciFest) is the first statewide science festival in the United States. Through a series of community-based events each April (hosted by schools, colleges, libraries, museums, parks, businesses and other local organizations), the Festival celebrates science’s economic, educational and cultural impacts in North Carolina. 

NCSciFest is an initiative of the Morehead Planetarium & Science Center at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

The 2024 NCSciFest theme is “State of Innovation,” and Discovery Place is excited to celebrate cutting-edge advances in science, technology, manufacturing and other STEM fields. Check out all the events below! 

Festival Events at Discovery Place Science 

Eclipse Day at Discovery Place Science 
Experience the 2024 solar eclipse at Discovery Place Science with special hands-on activities that include indoor and outdoor experiences. Design pinhole boxes, solar art and lanterns, and journey through the solar system with a planetarium show. From 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., don’t miss eclipse viewing on the Discovery Place Science parking deck and an eclipse livestream inside the Accenture IMAX Dome Theatre. 

Thanks to support from the David M. Herskovitz Foundation, visitors of all ages can participate in hands-on educational STEM demonstrations and activities related to astronomy beginning April 1.

• Date: Monday, April 8 
  Time: 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. 
  Age: All ages  
  Price: Included in Museum Admission

Spring Into Motion 
Join personal trainer and corrective exercise specialist Michelle Page for a fun, family-oriented exercise class in the Museum. Walk away with even more great ways to get up and moving! 

• Date: Saturday, April 13 
  Time: 1:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m. | Sessions every hour 
  Age: All ages
  Price: Included in Museum Admission

Wind Energy Innovations 
Explore the science behind wind energy and renewable energy sources in our Thinker Space lab. Design, innovate and build wind turbine blades to attempt to power a light bulb. This special lab program will blow you away! 

• Date: Sunday, April 14 
  Time: 1:30 p.m. & 3:00 p.m.
  Age: All ages
  Price: Included in Museum Admission

Ready, Set, Go! 
Dive into life science and explore the nerves that get us ready, the bones that keep us steady and the muscles that make us go! Join our scientists in the Explore More Me lab for hands-on activities with various models and specimens.

• Date: Sunday, April 14 | Saturday, April 27 | Sunday, April 28 
  Time: 1:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m. each day | Drop-in sessions 
  Age: All ages
  Price: Included in Museum Admission 

Science on the Rocks 
Spend the night at Discovery Place Science during Uptown Charlotte’s coolest adult science event! Our monthly Science on the Rocks event features science shows, animal encounters, live entertainment and music, specialty cocktails, food truck fare and more. Great for date night or a group activity! 

• Date: Friday, April 19 
  Time: 6:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m. 
  Age: Adults 21+ 
  Price: $22 ($18 for Members) – Buy Tickets Here

Electric Explorations 
Electrify your day by learning about electricity in our science lab! Investigate static electricity, build circuits and experiment with insulators and conductors through hands-on activities. 

• Date: Saturday, April 20 & Sunday, April 21 
  Time: 1:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m. each day | Drop-in sessions 
  Age: All ages
  Price: Included in Museum Admission 

Guitar Amp Revolution 
April is International Guitar Month, which inspires people to strum and pick their way through chords to create music. Guitars date back to 15th century Spain and continue to contribute to music history. Electric guitar players worldwide value the sound of the vacuum tube amplifier. Come rock with special guest Dr. Michael Mazzola, Ph.D., from the William States Lee College of Engineering at UNC Charlotte, as we test guitars with vacuum tubes against those with SiC JFET transistors. 

• Date: Sunday, April 21 
  Time: 11:00 a.m.-4:00 pm | Drop-in sessions 
  Age: All ages 
  Price: Included in Museum Admission