Royal City Science hosting Curiosity Carnival next month

A fun way to explore science, and all its wonders.

The first-ever Curiosity Carnival takes place Feb. 17 and 18 in the MacKinnon building at the Unviersity of Guelph, an effort led by Royal City Science.

“This is something that Orbax and I have been chatting about for a few years,” said Joanne O’Meara, Royal City Science co-founder and a physics professor at U of G.

The family friendly STEM-focused event will feature a number of activities during the day, as well as special ticketed events during the evening.

Between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. both days, programming includes shows in the mobile planetarium, as well as a busking zone with multiple organizations running activities, like Guelph Physics, CTRL V, Code Ninjas, Creative Encounters, OAC Outreach and Let’s Talk Science.

Anthony Morgan, the new host of CBC’s Nature of Things, will be on hand to host a special live science themed game show called Freestyle Socials - Remix n’ Match.

The interactive game, O’Meara said, will explore the controversial topic of artificial intelligence, or AI. 

This will run on the Saturday evening at 7 p.m., and will be a 19+ event, with a cash bar on site.

On Sunday evening at 6 p.m., patrons can take in a free viewing of the documentary Kiss the Ground. Narrated by actor Woody Harrelson, the film looks at “the role regenerative farming could have as a solution to our climate crisis.”

A panel of local experts will hold a discussion afterward.

“Seemed like a good fit for the University of Guelph, and for the Guelph community at large,” O’Meara said.

The interactive game will cost $25 to attend. Everything else is free.

But the film screening, as well as the planetarium shows, will require tickets ahead of time so organizers can manage capacity.

For more details, and to access tickets, head to the Curiosity Carnival website.