LA MAINSTREET News:

Los Alamos’ signature event known as the Next Big Idea Festival, has joined forces with the Los Alamos National Laboratory to expand into a weeklong event called the “Los Alamos ScienceFest.”

Instead of a single-day event, the Los Alamos ScienceFest begins Friday, Sept. 5 and continues through Saturday, Sept. 13, featuring a wide range of activities and ending with a large scale, family-friendly Expo Day Sept. 13, which planners hope will attract out of state visitors.

“The Los Alamos ScienceFest will feature a full week of interactive demonstrations, hands-on activities and dynamic speakers to engage adults, kids, and families on a broader scale, while also attracting more community and regional partners,” said Suzette Fox, Executive Director of Los Alamos MainStreet. “The hope is that the Los Alamos ScienceFest keeps growing and raises awareness of the importance of science, technology, engineering and math.”

Many new programming and marketing elements are being modeled after successful science festivals from around the world. Although plans are still in the works, this year’s festival may include tours of the Los Alamos SmartHouse, lecture series, career fair, live entertainment, science-inspired art showcases, and much more.

The Sept.13 Expo Day will be hosted at the newly renovated Ashley Pond Park. Renovations to the Manhattan Project-era Ashley Pond Park include new landscaping and water features, new sidewalks, and a new concert stage for events, which will be utilized throughout the festival.

The event is being produced by Los Alamos MainStreet in coordination with LANL, the Los Alamos Creative District, Los Alamos County, Fuller Lodge Art Center, Los Alamos Arts Council, Los Alamos Historical Society, The Education Plan, KRSN, Los Alamos National Bank, among other key collaborative partners.

For more information about Los Alamos ScienceFest, contact Blake Jackson at 505.661.4819 or blake@losalamos.org.