Tomorrow Labs — Science Festival Magdeburg

Science right on the Elbe River

In the state of Saxony-Anhalt, in the state capital Magdeburg (independent city), the scientific heart beats in the north of the city — at the Wissenschaftshafen. The former trading port is now a research cluster with the Fraunhofer Institute, Max Planck Institute, spin-offs from the Otto von Guericke University, and co-working spaces. Once a year, it opens its doors to the general public: for the science festival “Tomorrow Labs”.

Four Labs, One Harbor

The festival is divided into four thematic “Labs”: Tomorrow:Earth (Climate, Energy, Biodiversity), Tomorrow:Technology (Robotics, AI, Quantum Computers), Tomorrow:Society (Democracy, Urban Development, Education), and Tomorrow:Health (Medical Technology, Care, Public Health). At several hundred hands-on stations, you can conduct experiments, talk to scientists, get involved in workshops, or listen to talks. In between: food trucks, music, readings.

Wissenschaftshafen as the Perfect Stage

The area of old grain silos, warehouses, and pier paths provides the ideal backdrop: industrial architecture, plenty of open space, views of the Elbe. Tomorrow Labs is one of the few science festivals in Eastern Germany that is consistently free and open to all age groups — from kindergarten classes with penguin experiments to doctoral students discussing quantum cryptography.