Geist Heidelberg 2026 – get your tickets now!

Under this year’s theme, “Beyond Borders,” we invite you to join us for the 16th edition of the International Science Festival – Geist Heidelberg, taking place from October 24 through November 28. Which borders protect us—and which must we overcome? Together with renowned partners such as Heidelberg University, the Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation, Spektrum der Wissenschaft, and many other institutions, we bring cutting-edge research and the latest scientific questions into direct dialogue with society.

Even before the festival officially begins, Turing Award winner Gilles Brassard will open the scientific conversation with a discussion of quantum computing and digital security. At the festival’s official opening on October 24, Nobel laureate Didier Queloz will speak about the discovery of the first exoplanet and how it transformed our understanding of the universe.

From there, Geist Heidelberg takes us on a journey through human history, neuroscience, climate change, and artificial intelligence. Philosopher Lea Ypi interweaves personal experience with profound social and political upheaval. Johannes Krause explores migration as a constant throughout human history and joins Ulli Lust in a conversation about how science and art can bring the past to life. Hannah Monyer delves into Proust’s worlds of memory from the perspective of neuroscience.

Physician and science communicator Giulia Enders, together with her guests, explores mucus as a fascinating boundary between protection and permeability—and asks what our aversion to slimy substances reveals about us.

Artificial intelligence is another major focus of this year’s festival. Ramesh Srinivasan offers visions of our digital future, while Christoph Koch considers whether machines might one day become emotional companions. Florence Gaub invites us to think of the future as a realm of possibilities that we can actively shape, while biologist Bernhard Kegel shows how climate change is altering the course of evolution.

Personal and societal boundaries also take center stage. Peter Sloterdijk and Svenja Flaßpöhler discuss periods of profound change, while Thomas Schulz and Martin Korte explore the possibilities and limits of longevity and aging.

Marine scientist Antje Boetius turns our attention to the ocean, revealing how ecological interdependencies transcend national borders. Science thus becomes an invitation to question the boundaries that divide us and to discover new connections.

This year also marks the launch of our new discussion format, the Science Bar, which brings researchers and audiences together in an informal setting. Scientists step outside the lecture hall and laboratory to bring their fields to life through short presentations, conversation, and music. Admission is free.

We warmly invite you to join this interdisciplinary conversation with leading researchers and outstanding emerging voices. Choose your personal festival highlights and secure your tickets now—advance ticket sales are open.

We look forward to welcoming you to Geist Heidelberg 2026!

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