The Parque de las Ciencias de Granada is experiencing a great day this Saturday. It has opened its doors to celebrate its 30th anniversary with the citizens in a free access day for all visitors, where, at the same time, around 500 participants from educational centers and universities from all over Andalusia are presenting their projects at the 27th edition of the Science Fair. The Minister of Educational Development and Vocational Training and president of the Parque de las Ciencias Consortium, María del Carmen Castillo, announced during the presentation, alongside the Minister of Development, Territorial Articulation, and Housing, Rocío Díaz, that the Parque de las Ciencias has broken its historical record of visits in 2024 with 954,126.
The concerts of MusicLab Junior, the theater of La Carpintería Teatral, the magic and live radio from Radio Nacional de España have been part of this festive day, which has the collaboration of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology — Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. At 8 in the morning, it opened its doors to over a hundred listeners who attended the live broadcast of the national program «No es un día cualquiera» on RNE. At noon, the Auditorium was completely full during the performance of «Viva la vida» by Coldplay by the young interpreters’ orchestra from Córdoba, MusicLab Junior, who are also giving concerts in different locations in the museum; one of them at the entrance of the Macroscopio building, which delighted the citizens waiting to access the facilities. The Granada scientist from CSIC at the Institute of Parasitology and Biomedicine López-Neyra, Elena Gómez Díaz, answered Pepa’s questions about her role as coordinator of «Women in Malaria» and her work leading the malaria epigenomics laboratory.
Pepa Fernández also interviewed the Minister of Educational Development and Vocational Training and president of the Parque de las Ciencias Consortium, Mª del Carmen Castillo Mena. A conversation in which they mentioned the most outstanding milestones of the Parque and where the president had the opportunity to report a new historical record: «In 2024 we have reached a new historical record: 954,126 visits; an incredible number just like everything that is done at Parque de las Ciencias, which is an instrument of scientific dissemination, allowing to awaken STEAM vocations.» During the live broadcast, the minister had the chance to blow out the commemorative cake candles —created by the entrepreneur Almudena Pérez, owner of Pastelaria, an artisan cake shop in Churriana de la Vega (Granada)—, which everyone present could enjoy.
In front of the members of the Parque de las Ciencias Consortium’s Board of Directors, Castillo Mena inaugurated the great urban art piece «Tomorrow» that the muralist Fraggi created on the facade of the Titanic Pavilion. Over a month of work in which Fraggi brought to life an inert space with sprays and a varied palette of colors, whose message he shared with the attendees: «The astronaut in this piece knows that humanity has progressed thanks to shared knowledge, from mastering fire to space exploration, because curiosity and cooperation have driven innovations that transform life, whose true protagonists are anonymous minds guided by the desire to build a better future.»
A mural that has been the centerpiece of this year’s XXL Experiment, presented by Juan Antonio Torres from the Education Service of Parque de las Ciencias, and by Fraggi, the author of the work, who emphasized that urban art is an ephemeral art, subject to a series of conditions that act on the surface producing essential variations that transform it. «This is an XXL experiment in time, because the passage of time will show us the degradation of the pigments due to the ultraviolet radiation coming from the Sun; and an XXL experiment in space: 100 square meters of art using 100 spray paint cans or in other words 40 liters of paint in different colors,» Torres pointed out during his explanation.
Humor and science are guaranteed with the scientists Emilio Herrera, Henrietta S. Leavitt, Richard Owen, Rosalind Franklin, and Pío del Río, who, through La Carpintería Teatral, have claimed their role in science for the significant contributions they made and their commitment to society. They have requested support from visitors to have a special recognition, on par with the sculptures of Cajal, Curie, Darwin, and Einstein installed in the Parque.
It is an unforgettable day for all visitors, where magic takes a prominent place. Magicians Luis Manuel, Martín Delgado, and José Jiménez have delighted visitors with close-up magic tricks at the Steam Machine. Music is animating every corner of Parque de las Ciencias; from the Titanic Pavilion, with the Antequeruela Quartet, to the Macroscopio building’s hall, passing through the temporary exhibition «Dragon Hunters» and the anatomical amphitheater, with the young interpreters from MusicLab Junior. The two-time world champion of card magic, MagoMigue, will reveal the secrets hidden in magic in «The magic of science.» A show that will be preceded and followed by the mixes of Granada’s DJ Lorena Caba, and will be signed in LSE.
As a closing to a great festive day, the Auditorium will once again be the stage for the concert of the Granada-based indie-pop music group Colectivo Da Silva, which will culminate the celebration with the citizens of the 30 years of Parque de las Ciencias. They will present their third album «THE SUN» in which they travel to the stars to find a new sound in their musical career and the meaning of love. The doors will open at 7:30 p.m. and the capacity is limited. Entry will be on a strict first-come, first-served basis.
A very Andalusian Science Fair
Nearly 500 participants, representing all Andalusian provinces, are presenting their projects —a total of 30— on environment and biodiversity, recreational science, robotics, astronomy, and even on techniques for detecting fake news and hoaxes, at the 27th Science Fair in the Parque’s outdoors (Tent and Curie Square). Alongside them, dozens of visitors are also participating in demonstrative workshops for participants and visitors of the Fair, aimed at all ages, spread across different locations and to be taught by collaborating institutions.
During the morning, two types of accessible visits to the Fair stands were conducted, aimed at deaf and blind or visually impaired people, with the collaboration of ONCE and ASOGRA. These visits are part of an educational sensitization activity in which participants had to adapt their projects to make them understandable for these individuals.
Experiments, exhibitions, workshops, scientific shows, and much more are gathering on an unforgettable day with science as the protagonist, where all the milestones achieved in this event are present. The Science Fair has the collaboration of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology — Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.
Over 15 million visits in 30 years
In these 30 years, the Parque de las Ciencias has received over 15 million visits, a remarkable number that positions it as one of the most relevant museums in the Spanish museo-scientific panorama. 15 and 30 are two numbers that represent these two milestones and that have been reflected in the brand with which the Parque de las Ciencias identifies this significant date in its history: 30 years of existence accompanied by over 15 million visits and 15 million thanks. Undoubtedly, it is an example of its successful trajectory that dates back to that May 8, 1995, when the museum complex opened its doors and has become a reference in science educational dissemination in Andalusia, Spain, and Europe, which would not be possible without the full support of the citizens and the commitment of the entire team and service companies that work daily at Parque de las Ciencias with a service vocation and the responsibility to maintain what has been achieved and to drive it towards an exciting future.
