Summer vacations at Ars Electronica Center

• Press Release as PDF
• More about the Vacation program 2025
• Ars Electronica Festival 2025 & Accreditation: Ars Electronica Festival 2025

New in summer 2025: All-Day vacation program

Six workshops in July and August | 10:00 – 15:30 each day | 6 to 13 years

There is a highlight this year for children who are particularly keen to explore: on six selected dates, the vacation program will also take place all day for the first time. Two workshops and a supervised lunch break ensure a varied day full of fun and joyful learning. The activities are aimed at different age groups depending on the workshop. The exact dates can be found at: ars.electronica.art/center/en/events/all-day-holiday-program

More workshops of the vacation program:

Lots going on in the moss
Wed 16.7. and 18.7.2025, 10:00 – 12:30 | 6 to 8 years

Slipper, eyelash, trumpet and bear – these are the names of the little animals in the microcosm. Moss is a particularly pleasant place to live, so soft and cuddly, which is why nematodes, larvae, bacteria and even slipper, eyelash, trumpet and tardigrade animals cavort there. You can’t see them with the naked eye, but if you’re lucky, you can discover the funny hidden worlds of these tiny creatures under the microscope.

Join us at the Kid’s Research Lab
Wed 16.7. and 18.7.2025, 13:30 – 15:30 | 6 to 8 years

The children’s research laboratory is a place where exciting games, materials and topics are waiting to be discovered. Travel to outer space, create colorful light shows and turn the world upside down – there are no limits to the little grown-ups’ thirst for research! For all those who want to watch robots learn and teach them tricks, the Robo Playground is the ideal place to try them out. To round off the day, there is a visit to Deep Space 8K.

Fully entangled
Tue 22.7. and 24.7.2025, 10:00 – 12:30 | 9 to 11 years

Everything on earth is connected. You can see this in the many things and structures made by humans – power lines, underground water pipes, roads, railways, smartphones and social media. But these connections can also be found in nature. Every animal, every plant and every stone is part of a great balance on earth. The workshop gets to the bottom of these complex networks.

World Made to Measure
Tue 22.7.2025, 13:30 – 16:00 | 9 to 11 years

The Earth is around 4.6 billion years old – that’s incredible when you consider that humanity has only been around for around 200,000 years. Yet humans are changing the planet so radically that you can even see it from space. In this workshop, the children make their own picture of the world by using their hands, feet and their own sensors to measure it and catch a glimpse from above. This raises the question: how would we change the world to make it the best place in the universe?

Machine 9x smart
Wed 30.7., 10:00 – 12:30 and DO 31.7.2025, 13:30-16:00 | 6 to 8 years 

How clever can calculating machines be? Find out in this workshop. The aim is to understand that computers can think and even learn – this is called artificial intelligence. Many people think this is far too complicated to understand. In this workshop, your own thinking machine runs at full speed to find out how clever machines are and how clever they can be compared to human intelligence.

Mastermind and thinking brain
Wed 30.7., 13:30 – 16:00 and 31.7.2025, 10:00-12:30 | 6 to 8 years

Humans have a lot on their minds: the brain, our complex control center, weighs around 1.2 kilograms, is electrically charged, constantly collects information and passes on commands. In this workshop, children and their trainers discover what the brain looks like, what it can do and how it works. They slip into the role of brain researchers and build their own superbrain to put on the “thinker’s forehead”. This is not only fun, but also helps to better understand the brain.

Wish machine workshop
Wed 6.8., 13:30 – 16:30 and Fri 8.8.2025, 10:00 – 13:00 | 10 to 13 years

In this workshop, children create their own dream machine using the infinite possibilities of the BBC micro:bit. This tiny but powerful single-board computer is the perfect platform to bring your own invention to life. In the Ars Electronica Labs, you will find all the tools you need for a prototype. The young participants let their creative minds run wild and design extraordinary machines to suit their tastes.

Full power!
Tue 7.8.2025, 10:00 – 13:00 | 10 to 13 years

Hydrogen is seen as a beacon of hope on the road to a climate-neutral energy supply. However, this will probably only work with green hydrogen – hydrogen that is produced using alternative energies. The electrolysis model in the Connected Earth exhibition illustrates the production process. In this workshop, children and their parents produce hydrogen together and use it as a means of propulsion.

A micro:bit of Space
Wed 13.8., 10:00 – 13:00 and 14.8.2025, 13:30-16:30 | 9 to 11 years

This workshop is all about the secrets of the universe and the superpowers of the BBC micro:bit single-board computer. The children take on the role of researchers and experiment with the microcontroller. They take their first steps in programming and experience how the newly acquired skills can be used for a space mission. The workshop is run by ESERO Austria and provides an insight into the exciting world of technology and space travel.

Circus Robotikus
Wed 13.8., 13:30 – 16:30 and DO 14.8.2025, 10:00-13:00 | 9 to 11 years

Things really get going in the Machine Learning Studio! There are lots of exciting machines here: Cars that learn to drive themselves, robotic arms that do all sorts of things, robots on two legs that recognize faces, and even robotic spheres that can be assembled into their own robots. This workshop is all about how versatile robots can be and trying out how to control them. One or two machines will be helped to train to perform fun tasks.

Space Debris Tentacles
Wed 20.8., 10:00 – 13:00 and FR 22.8.2025, 10:00-13:00 | 9 to 11 years

How can we protect the Earth’s orbit from space debris? In this creative workshop by ESERO Austria, the children embark together on a mission to keep space clean and protect the satellites from space debris. They design their own “space debris collection” and collect ideas for the removal of waste in space. Like space explorers, they carry out tests and draw inspiration from nature.

Hands up for Space!
Wed 20.8.2025, 13:30 – 16:30 | 9 to 11 years

How do our hands work? Why do we need a thumb? And what does all this have to do with space travel? In this workshop, the children become engineers themselves and design a bionic hand prosthesis from very simple materials – modeled on a robotic arm that helps astronauts in their work in space. This ESERO Austria workshop aims to get children excited about the exciting world of technology and space travel.