Winter closure Botanic Gardens

The Botanic Gardens go into hybernation as of Sunday 1 December 2024. On Friday 1 March you are most welcome again!
New developments
During the winter closure maintenance works and new developments will be realised in the Gardens. Read more about the new bank protection of the fort moat.
Entrance with campus card and USP partner card
Employees of Utrecht University, UMC Utrecht and USP partners keep free entrance to the Gardens. With a campus card or authorised entrance card you can enter from 10am to 16:30pm via the tourniquets. For these card owners the Gardens will be closed from 21 December 2024 up to and including 5 January 2025.
The Tropical greenhouses, the Entrance building and the toilets are closed. Keep in mind that maintenance work will be done and parts of the Gardens may be closed for that reason.
Venue hire during winter closure
Have your end-of-year party in the Botanic Gardens? That is a good idea!
- Venues are for rent as of 1 December up to and including 16 December 2024 on working days.
- No venue hire possible from 21 December 2024 up to and including 28 February 2025.
- All rooms are available for rent daily from 1 March 2025.
Contact
During winter closure we are available limited. Check our contact information for more details.

Registration for Utrecht Science Week 2026 is now open: the knowledge festival at Utrecht Science Park
From Friday 25 September to Sunday 4 October, the sixth edition of Utrecht Science Week will take place. Utrecht Science Park will open its doors to everyone interested in (applied) science and innovation in the fields of life sciences, health, and sustainability.
The first programme elements have now been announced and registration is open. Many more events and activities will be added to the programme in the coming weeks.

New artificial heart implanted for the first time in Europe
Earlier this month at UMC Utrecht, a patient with advanced heart failure became the first person in Europe to receive a BrioVAD ventricular assist device. The new system is being evaluated in a European study and may offer advantages over the existing ventricular assist device. For UMC Utrecht, the implantation marks a new milestone in a long history of innovation in the field of mechanical circulatory support.

Successful first edition of Utrecht Life Sciences TechConnect
On 4 June 2026, researchers, technology experts, facility staff and innovation partners from across the Utrecht Life Sciences community gathered at Utrecht Science Park for the first edition of Utrecht Life Sciences TechConnect. The new annual event was created to strengthen connections between researchers and technology facilities, showcase advanced research technologies, and stimulate collaboration across disciplines.

Opening Utrecht Science Week with keynote by Juliette Legler on the hidden influence of environmental chemicals
On Friday, September 25, the annual science festival ‘Utrecht Science Week’ kicks off once again at Utrecht Science Park. We are pleased to announce that this year, Prof. Dr. Ir. Juliette Legler will deliver the Utrecht Science Lecture. Juliette Legler is Professor of Toxicology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University and leads the ‘One Health Toxicology’ group at the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS).