Betweter Festival during Utrecht Science Week 2026: your idea for an experiment is welcome!
Utrecht Science Week kicks off this year on Friday, September 25th. The Betweter Festival at Tivoli Vredenburg is the ever-popular opening night event. This year marks the tenth edition of the Betweter Festival. This art and science festival, where visitors immerse themselves in a unique mix of talks, music, film, interactive installations, and live research, is inviting participants to submit ideas for experiments during the festival.
Betweter Festival is looking for you
Last year, research was conducted on the influence of strobe light on brain activity, unusual drug experiences were explored, and festival-goers chose a new outfit in an experiment on sustainable choices. Visitors also helped a gaming researcher play pinball and monitored sponsored influencer posts.
This year, the search is again on for experiments that are interesting and stimulating for visitors and generate useful data for researchers. The organizers believe it’s important that the experiment actually contributes to your research or data collection and that it has a short turnaround time (about 5 minutes). This allows as many visitors as possible to participate. They’re also happy to explore creative ways to implement your experiment, for example, in a collaboration with a visual artist or actor. The organizers are curious about your ideas and are happy to brainstorm with you.
Registration
Submit your proposal before April 2, 2026, using the registration form (four short questions). Do you have an idea but would like to discuss the format? Then please complete the form as well.
More information
- Visit www.betweterfestival.nl or send an email to Lieke Dekker at betweterfestival@uu.nl.
- Need some inspiration? Then read this article about the results of Betweter Festival 2025, or visit the website under Program.
- Want to get a feel for last year’s festival? Be sure to watch the aftermovie!
Photo credit: Jessie Kamp
Utrecht Science Week 2026
From 25 September to 4 October, we enjoy a rich and varied programme of appealing lectures, interactive workshops, guided tours and high-profile interviews, around (applied) science at the Utrecht Science Park. Events such as the Betweter Festival, the Weekend van de Wetenschap and the Sustainability Day are also part of the programme.