More than 25,000 people attended the highly anticipated Cork Carnival of Science last weekend in Fitzgerald Park. The festival was opened by Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr. Damien Boylan was given a guided tour and got hands-on experience at Ireland’s largest outdoor STEM engagement event. Over the weekend, the public had the opportunity to explore, investigate, experiment, and discover the wonders of science on a STEMtastic day out.
Cork Carnival of Science was supported by Cork City Council and Science Foundation Ireland and organised by the Lifetime Lab @ Old Cork Waterworks. Commenting on the success of this year’s two-day festival, Manager Mervyn Horgan said, “The reception and feedback we have had for the Carnival of Science since the weekend has been overwhelmingly positive. Already people want to know when it is happening again next year, which is the highest praise. We had a huge task to transform 12 acres of scenic park space overnight into a popup science super park and to leave no trace of the event come Monday morning. Together with a fantastic team of 40 volunteers, we delivered a packed programme of events including over 45 different science-based activities for the public to engage with. We had over 150 researchers, and 20 performers, 2 gigantic circus tents which hosted 26 seated live shows. To top this off we had 5 outdoor shows, 24 pop-up science activities, 40 marquees and gazebos, 8 food trucks and extra picnic tables. In addition to the 200 bed nights directly involved with the event, I would estimate that it gave an economic boost of €250,000 to the city over the weekend”
Co-organiser and Executive Scientist at Cork City Council, Mary Walsh added;” The Cork Carnival of Science was the biggest transformation of Fitzgerald Park since the World Fair in 1902 with the goal of creating a STEM wonderland, packed with fun and exciting ways to enjoy science that is all around us. Cork City Council was delighted to support this free event as it gives families a wonderful way to make science education fun for children and fits well into our ongoing STEM promotion efforts and wider festival programme.”
Main attractions included live science shows in the impressive Big and Little Top Circus tents. Here crowds were seated on giant colourful bean bags and tiered benches and were delighted by the scientific fun demonstrated in interactive stage shows. The line-up included ‘Mark the Science Guy’ from RTE’s science show ‘Let’s Find Out’, Science Magic from Belfast’s W5, Eureka from Edinburgh and Phil Smyth from Simply Science and performances encouraged audience participation with eager volunteers taking part in quirky experiments much to the of delight and excitement of onlookers young and old.
Throughout the day, pop-up performances appeared all over the park, including Professor Plunger who drew a crowd as he showed off his greatest invention yet- his hair. Walkabout performances from Dr. Ken with his ‘Suitcase of Science’ added to the carnival feel as you were not quite sure what wacky science you would encounter next. Bubbly Maths antics elicited squeals of joy from young attendees as tons of gigantic bubbles soared overhead while nearby a team from Naturally Wild introduced prehistoric friends, with realistic-looking dinosaurs enthralling and educating their gathered audience. There were many charming one-on-one interactions delivered by ‘Science on Stilts by Circus 250’ who stopped to engage with any interested child or family and would demonstrate a scientific principal such as gravity through an easy real-time experiment.
Other highlights included a Pop-up Planetarium from Blackrock Castle Observatory, the Futuristic ARC (Aquaculture Remote Classroom) by Bord Iascaigh Mhara, and an unusual 40 Foot Inflatable Walkthrough Digestive System brought along by APC Microbiome as a fun way to ‘get inside’ the inner workings of the gut.
Families got a unique chance to get up close with real science projects resulting in 10,000 maths puzzles solved, 1500 batteries made, 2000 DNA samples taken as researchers from leading institutes of education and industry hosted interactive stands and workshops. Leaders in the science engagement field and professional research bodies with a presence at the festival included Lifetime Lab, Analog Devices, UCC Department of Chemistry, UCC Virtual Labs, UCC School of BEES, UCC Brainwaves Project, Munster Technological University, Tyndall National Institute, CALMAST, APC Microbiome Ireland, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, Vistamilk. While biology, natural history and conservation were topics covered at stands by Ireland’s Fossil Heritage, Lismore Heritage Education, and Fota Wildlife Park. All the exhibitors took a proactive stance in encouraging more people to consider a career in science which is one of the goals of the festival!
New this year, Cork City Council’s Active Zone featured all the fun of the laws of physics with facilitated sports activities by Cork Sports Partnership, the FAI and IRFU proving very popular. In this zone, an estimated 20,000 rugby balls were thrown, and goals were scored over the 2 days.
The festival was rounded off by a Street Cuisine area and extra picnic tables, while live trad music provided entertainment on the Local Live Performance Stage. This element was funded by the Local Live Performance Programming Scheme, supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
For more see www.corkcity.ie/en/old-cork-waterworks-experience/events/cork-carnival-of-science-2022.html and @corkcitycouncilofficial
