2026: Press release
NextGen STEMFest Returns to Waltham: A Hands-On Celebration of STEM Innovation and Creativity
Following the success of its inaugural event, NextGen STEMFest will return to the historic Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Saturday, May 30, 2026 in Waltham, Mass.
NextGen STEMFest 2026 will transform the museum into a sprawling innovation hub. This free, community-focused festival is designed to move beyond traditional “sit and watch” science fairs, offering students and families an immersive day of “play and experiment” with the technologies shaping the future. Attendees will also have the opportunity to interact directly with world-class engineers, researchers, and student innovators.
Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), this year’s festival is made possible through the additional generous support of Eversource, Pizzi Farm, and Wegmans, which ensures that STEMFest remains free and accessible to all families in the region.
A central part of the festival is the Charles River Collaboratory, Massachusetts’s only youth-led maker space. The Collaboratory is the result of a successful, ongoing partnership between the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation and the Lynch School of Education and Human Development and the Department of Engineering at Boston College which bridges the gap between academic research and community-based learning, and motivates high school youth to become STEM leaders.
“NextGen STEMFest is about sparking that ‘aha!’ moment,” said G. Michael Barnett, a professor of science education and technology at the Lynch School and the principal investigator who helped to launch the festival. “We have asked all the exhibitors to display hands-on and interactive activities that will help the public understand the process of science. We hope that everyone walks away feeling more curious about science than when they entered.”
In addition to the festival activities, admission to the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation will be free for all visitors throughout the day, allowing families to explore Massachusetts’s industrial roots alongside modern technological breakthroughs.
For more information, a full list of the 50+ exhibitors, please visit https://nextgenstemfest.org/
2025 News
Waltham Times: https://walthamtimes.org/2025/04/29/inaugural-nextgen-stemfest-coming-may-10/
Boston College Press Relase: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/sites/bc-news/articles/2025/spring/stemfest.html
