Eurêka! Festival: Sports and Science in Action!

June 5, 6 and 7, 2026

Montréal, May 13, 2026 /CNW/ - L'île du savoir, in collaboration with Espace pour la vie, invites you, your muscles, and your neurons to an exciting three-day dash at the 19^th edition of the Eurêka! Festival, presented by Hydro-Québec. Young and old, big and small, everyone is invited to Parc Jean-Drapeau and the Biosphère from June 5 to 7, 2026 for three days of scientific wonder and discovery and fascinating interactive experiences with 150 free family activities led by devoted science enthusiasts from the world of research, education, innovation, and sports!

The Festival's 19^th Edition Fuelled by SCIENCE IN MOTION

This year, the Eurêka! Festival explores the exciting ways sports and science work together, both inside the lab and out in the field. Come learn how science fuels physical and mental performance, helps optimize sporting equipment, and enables us to push the boundaries of human ability. Come explore how athletes and scientists alike embrace the power of precision and perseverance, curiosity and zeal, and resilience. A rich, three-day program full of immersive and inspiring experiences!

Jump on bikes and transfer your pedal power to miniatures cyclists, test your balance and your proprioceptive abilities, explore how our bodies respond to effort, and learn why keeping our bodies fit matters… even in space! Explore how design and aerodynamics can help us save precious seconds during a race, how nature has inspired athletic excellence, and how artificial intelligence and robotics are transforming the world of sports. Come visit Eurêka! with the whole family and try exoskeletons, analyze body movements, and take part in interactive challenges during an amazing marathon of scientific discovery! The Biosphère will also take part in the festivities with special programming featuring free visits of four exciting exhibitions: Émolab, a scientific exploration of emotions tied to climate change, Seeking Refuge, that explores the impact of climate migration, and Watersheds! Follow the Flow as well as Transform! Designing the Future of Energy.

­"The Eurêka! Festival is one of the best initiatives for raising awareness about science, innovation and creativity among thousands of students and families. It truly is a wonderful event that will spark their curiosity, their interest in technology, and their passion for creating and inventing--a memorable experience that provides unique moments through countless activities offered by all members of the ecosystem. Let's help young people launch their scientific journeys!" -- Québec's Chief Innovation Officer Luc Sirois.

A Scientific Adventure Across Six Zones

Visit six exciting themes across six gigantic zones spilling with fun-filled explorations of the many sides of science, from biomimetics and aerodynamics to state-of-the-art technologies, health science, and the environment. Embark on an adventure across the Energy Zone, the Aero Zone, the Innovation Zone, the Ingenuity Zone, the Human Zone, and finally, the ECOzone made possible by the Government of Canada's Sustainable Development Goals Funding Program.

Sports and Science Team Up to Bring You Exciting Shows and Star Personalities

The Eurêka! Festival also features a show program that puts devoted, superstar scientists, athletes, and science communicators in the spotlight. Festival highlights include:

On Saturday evening, the show KING OF THE MOGULS! will feature Olympic champion Mikaël Kingsbury alongside chemist Yannick Bergeron and physicist Stéphanie Jolicoeur for a one-of-a-kind experience filled with twists and turns!

The MUSICAL CHAIRS COMPETITION hosted by Télé-Québec's Vikie Pedneault, host of Drôlement Débrouillards, where you'll have to be quick! Grab a seat!

Other highlights include:

• Antoine Duchesne – Montréal 2026: The Journey of a Professional Cyclist
• LIO-ÉTS, laboratoire membre de itechsanté: Future Olympic Champion Technology
• Institut national du sport du Québec: Stress - Superpower or Stumbling Block?
• Dr. Etienne Abassi: A Mix of Music, Science, and Learning that Will Move You
• Marion Thénault: The Life of an Olympic Athlete Engaged in the Science of Climate Change
• Cindy Ouellet, Paralympic athlete: Following One's Dreams and Overcoming Challenge with Science
• Falcon-Ed: Birds of Prey in Flight and Interpretation
• Science and Math in Action (SMAC): Boosting Sports Performance with Math and Physics
• Martin Fréchette, Sports Nutritionist: The Nutritional Secrets of Olympic Diets

Come one, come all! Those curious by nature, fans of sports or science, or fans of both, there's something for everyone! From autonomous soccer-playing robots and Kung Fu to human-dog duo sports and chess!

Partners that Make All the Difference

The Eurêka! Festival is presented by Hydro-Québec and produced by L'île du savoir in collaboration with Espace pour la vie. This big science celebration is also made possible thanks to the invaluable financial support of our sponsors: Bombardier, our Aero Zone partner, Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, our Ingenuity Zone partner, Fonds de recherche du Québec, our Central Stage sponsor, and Télé-Québec, the Festival's media partner. We are also grateful for the support of RECYC-QUÉBEC, the festival's environmental ally, and the festival site's host Société du parc Jean-Drapeau.

Eurêka! is also made possible thanks to a partnership with the City of Montréal and the Government of Québec. Their support allows L'île du savoir to present a major, quality, local Montréal science festival experience on an ongoing basis at no cost to the public and uniquely feature local institutions, businesses, and organizations promoting scientific culture.

"In Montréal, sports and science are fields that are close to our hearts and ones in which we excel on the international stage. That's why I'm so happy to see Eurêka! explore the relationship between these themes with its distinctive curiosity. We're proud to partner with this great celebration of science, and I'm convinced that this new edition will help inspire our budding young scientists." -- Montréal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada.

Associated Partners

Air Canada, Cascades, CGI, Conseil de l'innovation du Québec, Co-operators, Desjardins (Caisse du Centre-Ville-de-Montréal), Génome Québec, Luqia, Rolls-Royce Canada and Tourisme Montréal.

Higher Education Partners

acceSciences, École de technologie supérieure, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Polytechnique Montréal, Concordia University, Université de Montréal and Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.

This project also receives funding support from Fondation J.A. DeSève, OR Royalties Inc., and other donors.

ABOUT

L'ÎLE DU SAVOIR
Using a blend of science, technology and the arts, L'île du savoir creates engaging, interactive, edutainment experiences designed to awaken the curiosity of young people and communities. It also promotes emerging, innovative, next-generation talent in the many fields of science.

EURÊKA! FESTIVAL

Eurêka! is Québec's biggest science festival, each year attracting audiences of all ages from science enthusiasts to the curious-minded. Its program features three days of fun and scientific discovery and a host of FREE interactive activities. This superb adventure that began in 2007 has now engaged more than 1.2 million enthusiastic visitors, including 70,000 students, in this wonderful celebration of science.

ESPACE POUR LA VIE
Protecting biodiversity and the environment is at the heart of the mission of Espace pour la vie, which is made up of the Biodôme, Biosphère, Insectarium, Jardin botanique and Planétarium de Montréal. Together, these museums located in Montréal form Canada's largest natural science museum complex, welcoming over 2.5 million visitors each year. In view of the challenges our planet is facing, Espace pour la vie is working to increase its impact by fostering dialogue with communities and taking actions aimed at mobilizing the public behind the socio-ecological transition.

View the full program: FESTIVALEUREKA.CA

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE 
Friday, June 5 ● 9:30 am to 3:30 pm
Saturday, June 6 ● 10:30 am to 7 pm + evening show at 7:30 pm (in French)
Sunday, June 7 ● 10:30 am to 5 pm

SOURCE Espace pour la vie Montreal

INFORMATION: Eurêka!: Roy & Turner Communications, Janie Allard, 514.970.8440, [email protected]; Espace pour la vie: Isabel Matte, 514.250.7753, [email protected]