Wissenschaftsfestival EFFEKTE 2026 Karlsruhe

Nine Days of Research to Experience

EFFEKTE is one of Germany's best-known science festivals. Every two years, the City of Karlsruhe's Science Office (Economic Development Agency) organizes a nine-day major event that transforms the entire city into a giant hands-on and experience lab. The 2026 edition runs from Sunday, May 17, to Monday, May 25, 2026, under the motto 'Karlsruhe Visions of the Future'.

Opening Weekend at Karlsruhe Palace

The highlight is the opening weekend on May 17 and 18, 2026, at Karlsruhe Palace — the city's baroque landmark. A Science City will be set up on the Schlossplatz and in the palace district: stands from Karlsruhe research institutions, exhibitions, the Festival of Young Researchers, and a spectacular stage program for participation and experimentation. Highlight on Sunday evening, May 17, from 10:00 PM to 11:00 PM: the EFFEKTE Nightshift with Kai & Funky from TON STEINE SCHERBEN feat. Birte Volta.

Karlsruhe's Research Landscape at the Forefront

Karlsruhe is one of Germany's most important research cities. The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) — a university and major research center in one, one of Europe's largest research centers with a focus on energy, mobility, and information technology — is at the center. The ZKM Center for Art and Media brings the interface between science and art, FZI Research Center for Information Technology, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Karlshochschule, DHBW Karlsruhe, and Fraunhofer Institutes complement the spectrum.

City-Wide Program

Throughout the nine festival days, events will be spread across the entire city area: lectures in auditoriums and libraries, workshops for families in district libraries, art installations in public spaces, concerts in concert halls, science shows in theaters. Schools and kindergartens are specifically involved — dedicated program tracks for children and young people, guided tours for school classes.

Motto 'Karlsruhe Visions of the Future'

The motto focuses on the future: What will the energy transition, the mobility of tomorrow, digitalization, and networked living look like? Karlsruhe research institutions present their approaches in an entertaining, participatory way — no dry PowerPoints, but hands-on experiments, quantum experiments, AI models, autonomous vehicles.

Karlsruhe — City of Science

Karlsruhe is home to the Federal Court of Justice, the Federal Constitutional Court, and is one of Germany's most important science cities. With 313,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg. Karlsruhe Palace, with its fan-shaped layout, shapes the city center; the Palace Garden, Botanical Garden, and research institutions are concentrated around it.