Hobart festival aims to push the boundaries

From garlic to folk music, Tasmania is home to dozens of quirky festivals.

One of the zaniest, the Beaker Street Festival, returns to Hobart from August 6-17 marking its 10th year with the theme:The Second Act.

Over the past decade, the festival has grown from a niche science experiment into a nationally recognised cultural event, drawing interstate audiences for immersive, ideas-led programming set against Tasmania’s winter landscape.

The 2026 edition consolidates into two focused weekends, anchored by distinct precincts and experiences. 

The festival continues to blend hard science with social experience, positioning Hobart as a winter meeting place for thinkers, travellers and curious audiences nationwide.

Antarctica will be a key focus with Hobart showcasing its gateway-to-Antarctica status. 

Tickets are on sale now for the Festival's first event, VAST: Where Sound Meets the Cosmos.

This immersive work is an Australian-exclusive premiere aiming to transform Hobart’s oldest theatre, the Theatre Royal (above), into a 360° soundscape, combining performers, instrumentalists and spatial audio for "a journey into the universe". 

Full program details are still under embargo but you can find more info here:  https://www.beakerstreet.com.au/

A week of science - and silliness - in Hobart

Hobart will once again embrace science and fun when the Beaker Street Festival turns Tasmania's capital into a meeting place for bold thinkers and adventurous spirits from August 12-19.

Beaker Streets is promoted as being "where science collides with art, music, and adventure, where conversations flow over cocktails, and where unexpected encounters spark new ways of seeing the world".

The festival - now in its eighth year - "has cemented its place as Australia’s most dynamic festival of science and culture," organisers say.

The schedule includes big ideas, deep discussions, and mind-expanding experiences - all set against the raw beauty of Tasmania’s winter landscape.



“Beaker Street Festival is all about making connections with interesting people, taking part in immersive experiences, and gaining new perspectives,” says festival founder and creative director Dr Margo Adler.

“If you have an idea in your mind of what a science festival is, it's not that.”

You can sign up for program announcements and early ticket access at www.beakerstreet.com.au.

The full festival program will be announced May 22. Stay tuned. 

Discover the reason for a tent sauna on Hobart's waterfront

A pop-up sauna on the Hobart waterfront is just one of the many quirky elements to the 2024 Beaker Street festival in Tasmania.

The festival of science and ideas has announced a "future first" program, enabling guests to dive into the mysteries of the Antarctic, stargaze in the CBD, or dip their toes into the science of wellness, as well as devour food that could help conquer climate change.

Beaker Street organisers today unveiled an expanded precinct for the annual week-long celebration, which held be held from August 6-13 and will feature over 70 events. 

Hobartica - Antarctica in Hobart - will include polar plunge pools and saunas, while Future 
Foods dining experiences will look at what we might be eating down the track in 2050. 

Founder and festival director Dr Margo Adler says: “In curating the festival, we delve into today’s most exciting research and urgent challenges. 

"The result is a compelling mix of thought-provoking entertainment, unexpected experiences, and mind-expanding conversations, which welcomes everyone into science.”

The eighth year of the festival will see a precinct spanning Hobart’s cultural and entertainment hubs and taking in City Hall, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, The Old Mercury Building, Hope & Anchor Tavern, Mawson Place, and pubs, bars, and restaurants around the waterfront and CBD.

The festival’s events kick off on Tuesday, August 6, culminating with a weekend of festivities from August 9-11. 

There is also an opportunity to engage in a two-night immersive getaway at Piermont Retreat on Tasmania's East Coast, from August 11-13. 

Beaker Street Festival is produced by Beaker Street, a not-for-profit cultural organisation and registered charity, and is supported by Events Tasmania, City of Hobart, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, and National Science Week.

See www.beakerstreet.com.au

Image: Dearna Bond