Science Picnic


The Science Picnic is Europe's largest outdoor science-popularization event organized jointly by Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science Centre. It has been held every year since 1997. A wide range of research fields are represented at the Picnic, including the hard, natural, and social sciences together with the humanities. Research and teaching institutions from Poland and abroad reveal here behind-the-scenes aspects of their work and present science in ways accessible to visitors of various ages, using hands-on experiments and interactive exhibits.
The Science Picnic was commended by the European Commission in 2005 as one of 10 model European projects in the "Science and Society" field. The event has served as the inspiration for many other popular science initiatives, including the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw.

History

The first Science Picnic was held in the Old Town district of Warsaw. During the first edition, 17 scientific institutions held scientific demonstrations in physics, medicine and archaeology in 13 tents, and the Picnic recorded around 3000 visitors. In subsequent years, the number of participating institutions and visitors grew rapidly. The event was moved to a larger public park in 2009 and then to the grounds of the newly constructed National Stadium in 2013. Since 2008 it has been organized jointly by Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science Centre.
Recent attendance varies between 100,000 and 120,000 people, with the exception of the blowout years of 2006 and 2013, when the Picnic received around 150,000 visitors.
Since 2013, Science Picnics are also held in Ukraine.
DateFull nameThemeVenue
1997-06-141st Science Picnic of Polish Radio BISNew Town Market and Podzamcze
1998-06-062nd Science Picnic of Polish Radio BISNew Town Market and Podzamcze
1999-05-223rd Science Picnic of Polish Radio BISNew Town Market and Podzamcze
2000-06-104th Science Picnic of Polish Radio BISNew Town Market and Podzamcze
2001-06-095th Science Picnic of Polish Radio BISHow Will The World Surprise Us?New Town Market and Podzamcze
2002-06-086th Science Picnic of Polish Radio BISWhat Does Science Give To Art?New Town Market and Podzamcze
2003-06-147th Science Picnic of Polish Radio BISDNA Your LifeNew Town Market and Podzamcze
2004-05-228th Science Picnic of Polish Radio BISScience Without BordersNew Town Market and Podzamcze
2005-06-049th Science Picnic of Polish Radio BISPhysics On The WavesNew Town Market and Podzamcze
2006-06-0310th Science Picnic of Polish Radio BISThe World in Ten Years' TimeNew Town Market and Podzamcze
2007-05-2611th Science Picnic of Polish Radio BISM4TH3M4T1C5 AND USNew Town Market and Podzamcze
2008-06-1412th Science Picnic of Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science CentreDiscover the Language of ScienceNew Town Market and Podzamcze
2009-05-3013th Science Picnic of Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science CentreScience Among the StarsMarshal Edward Rydz-Śmigły Park
2010-06-1214th Science Picnic of Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science CentreThe Great MicroWorldMarshal Edward Rydz-Śmigły Park
2011-05-2815th Science Picnic of Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science CentreFreedomMarshal Edward Rydz-Śmigły Park
2012-05-1216th Science Picnic of Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science CentreEnergyMarshal Edward Rydz-Śmigły Park
2013-06-1317th Science Picnic of Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science CentreLifeNational Stadium
2014-05-3118th Science Picnic of Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science CentreTimeNational Stadium
2015-05-0919th Science Picnic of Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science CentreLightNational Stadium
2016-05-0720th Science Picnic of Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science CentreHealthNational Stadium
2017-06-0321st Science Picnic of Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science CentreEarthNational Stadium
2018-06-0922nd Science Picnic of Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science CentreMotionNational Stadium
2019-05-1123rd Science Picnic of Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science CentreWe and MachinesNational Stadium
2020-05-0924th Science Picnic of Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science CentreThe Climate and UsNational Stadium

Organizers and initiators

Each year the Science Picnic is participated in by institutions from Poland and abroad.