AHA at the Zamanand Festival 2026 – A Look Back
Science communication at a street festival amid midsummer temperatures: On June 20–21, 2026, the AHA Super Science Summer Club drew the attention of some 100,000 people to science at the Zamanand Festival in downtown Munich. More than 12,000 people actively participated in the diverse activities offered by the AHA institutions and visited the large AHA activity tent on Ludwigstraße.
The goal of the AHA Super Science Summer Club was to bring science out of the labs and institutes and onto the streets, and to showcase the diverse research topics at AHA institutions. Spanning about 400 square meters, there was plenty on offer for young and old alike: In the entertainment space, guests could enjoy a varied stage program in a relaxed atmosphere. The program included short talks and a mini science slam, a live robot demonstration, a sustainability quiz, a scientific puppet show, dance performances, and musical cabaret. Host Andera Lauterbach, known for her work on Bayerischer Rundfunk, among other things, guided the audience through the stage program.
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More InformationThe highlight and crowd-pleaser on Saturday evening was a keynote address by Prof. Dr. Harald Lesch on the energy supply of the future. In his passionate presentation, the physicist and science journalist advocated for the further development and expansion of renewable energy and energy storage technologies. In the subsequent discussion with AHA’s scientific director, Dr. Christoph Egle, as well as in one-on-one conversations with guests, Lesch answered a wide range of questions.
On both days of the festival, visitors were also able to experience hands-on activities at five AHA Knowledge Islands, exploring a wide range of research topics and trying them out for themselves. These included VR worlds, an exoskeleton, a water tasting session with AI feedback, small experiments in the fields of molecular biology and space travel, an automated foosball table, an ultralight electric car with record-breaking range, delicious food to support gut health, various quizzes, and much more.
Photos: Astrid Eckert/AHA – The Science Communication Hub
As on-site measurements by the team led by Prof. Dr. Silja Hoffmann from the University of the Bundeswehr Munich , more than 50,000 people visited the AHA Super Science Summer Club on Sunday. More than 6,000 guests were counted in the central activity area, which featured an entertainment space and learning stations. The turnout on Saturday was similarly high.
The complete program for the AHA Super Science Summer Club is available here:
Stage Program in the Entertainment Space
- 4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.: Quiz on sustainability (TUM Student Club Green Tech)
- 4:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.: Dr. Photon's Scientific Puppet Show (Deutsches Museum, e-conversion)
- 5:25 p.m. – 5:55 p.m.: A Social Media Ban for Teens? (bidt/BAdW, University of Bavaria in Munich)
- 6:05 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.: Performance: TUM Dances!
- 6:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.: Talk with Prof. Dr. Harald Lesch (LMU): Where will the energy of the future come from?
- 7:10 p.m. – 7:50 p.m.: Mini Science Slam (HM)
- 8:00 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.: Musical cabaret: Ramon Bessel – “Songs to Cherish,” accompanied on drums by Stefan Noelle
- 1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.: Insights into the Lives of Quantum Researchers (MCQST Cluster of Excellence)
- 1:40 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Performance: TUM Fusion Dance Crew
- 2:15 – 2:45 p.m.: Dr. Photon's Scientific Puppet Show (Deutsches Museum, e-conversion)
-Break- - 3:30 – 4:00 p.m.: A quick visit to the AHA Knowledge Islands
- 4:00 p.m. – 4:20 p.m.: What Is Synthetic Biology?! (iGEM Munich)
- 4:30 – 5:00 p.m.: Robots on Stage (TUM Student Club RoboTUM)
-Break- - 5:45 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.: Performance: TUM Dances!
AHA Knowledge Islands
- Saturday: Try out the Bavarian dialect app, view Baroque ceiling paintings through VR glasses, and explore interactive testimonies from Holocaust survivors (LMU, BAdW)
- Sunday: Watch a live demonstration of the flow of visitors at the festival and test your knowledge of social policy in a quiz (University of Munich, MPI for Social Law and Social Policy)
- Saturday: Learn how an exoskeleton could help improve mobility for patients with spinal cord injuries in the future, and why sleep is so important (TUM Dash, BAdW, acatech, MPI for Psychiatry)
- Sunday: Discover how delicious food supports gut health and how VR headsets can help treat addiction (TUM Science Snack, HM)
- Saturday: Learn about a citizen science project on cicadas and fireflies, take part in a water tasting session with AI feedback, and discover how sustainability and technology go hand in hand (TUM Public Science Lab, TUM GreenTech)
- Sunday: Let us take you on a journey into the world of solar energy, solar cells, and energy conversion; build a solar cell model; and discover an efficient race car with a record-breaking range (Deutsches Museum, e-conversion, TUfast Eco Team)
- Saturday: Extract DNA from blueberries and visit the gaming corner dedicated to quantum research (LMU, MCQST)
- Sunday: Marvel at models and small-scale experiments on the theme of space travel and the universe, and experience archaeological research right on your doorstep (TUM WARR, LMU, Cambodunum Archaeological Park)
- Saturday: Explore plankton under a microscope and discover its superpowers in the “Hello Plankton!” memory game, play “Tic-Tac-Toe” according to the rules of quantum physics, and build a BlackBox (LMU, MCQST, TUM/FRM II)
- Sunday: Play against an automated foosball table, find out how ICAROS Cloud combines fitness and gaming, take the quiz “Which Brain Belongs to Which Animal?”, and listen to exciting audio stories about famous researchers (HM, MPI for Biological Intelligence, Deutsches Museum, e-conversion)