Science at the bar: the eleventh edition of the ‘Pint of Science’ festival arrives in the Canary Islands

The challenges of climate change, health, or the mysteries of the human mind are served in a relaxed manner at the Canary Islands with Talent Month.

This Monday, May 18, the eleventh edition of the international festival ‘Pint of Science’ begins, an event that claims the bar as the ideal meeting point to democratize knowledge. The event is framed within the program ¡acércate a la ciencia y a la innovación! (come closer to science and innovation!) promoted by the Canary Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society (ACIISI).

For three consecutive days (May 18, 19, and 20), about twenty researchers from the regional R&D&I ecosystem will offer as many free talks in a relaxed atmosphere. This formula allows conversations to flow without academic pressure, fostering citizen curiosity about complex topics explained in an accessible way.

Venues and themes in the Canary Islands 2026

This year's event is spread across Tenerife and Gran Canaria, offering a comprehensive overview of the festival's six areas: Wonderful Mind, From Atoms to Galaxies, Our Body, Planet Earth, Tech me out, and Our Society.

Tenerife (Pub Sócrates, La Laguna): Among the researchers and scientists participating in this edition of Pint of Science Tenerife are Andrés Bañares Hernández with the talk “Hunting dark matter and black holes,” Megan Expósito Brazier with “SbN against climate change in the Canary Islands,” and Luis Fabián Lorenzo Díaz and María del Mar del Pino Yanes with “Asthma: a molecular war between sexes.” The entities involved are the Canary Islands Institute of Astrophysics (IAC), the University of La Laguna (ULL), and the Hospital Nuestra Señora de La Candelaria of the Canary Islands Health Service of the Government of the Canary Islands.

In Gran Canaria, the event is held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where a dozen researchers from different branches of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) will gather to disseminate Science in a different and attractive format, open to interaction with the public, who will also be able to participate in games and dynamics to liven up the event.

In Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Bar San Remo): The veteran meeting point on Secretario Artiles street will host talks on the journey «From the past to the future» (May 18), the mysteries «Between the visible and the hidden» (May 19), and the vital connection «Between our health and that of the planet» (May 20).

A global mission with a local accent

Nationally, the free festival Pint of Science Spain is celebrated, mobilizing 1,300 researchers in 114 cities and towns. This year, the event reinforces its social commitment by bringing outreach to bars in 29 rural areas participating for the first time, with the aim of reducing the knowledge gap between large urban centers and less populated territories.

Furthermore, the festival promotes a "symbolic return" of talent, allowing scientists who develop their careers abroad or in other provinces to return to their places of origin to share their knowledge with their community.

What began in 2013 in the United Kingdom as a local initiative has consolidated in 2026 as a global phenomenon simultaneously in 27 countries on five continents. In Spain, the success of this social experience is reflected in its figures: more than 130,000 accumulated attendees and a network of 750 volunteers who make it possible for scientific knowledge to be shared in a different way.

One month to celebrate that ‘We Are Heritage of the Canary Islands’

These activities are part of the programming for the Canary Islands Month, which includes more than 110 activities across all the Islands, under the slogan ‘We Are Heritage of the Canary Islands’.

The initiative to extend the celebration of Canary Islands Day to a whole month is an invitation to recognize, share, and preserve what unites us as a people. Throughout several weeks, a space will be created to bring our traditions, our history, and our identity closer to all citizens, ensuring that this common legacy reaches every corner and even beyond our territory.

The entire program is available on the Canary Islands Government's web portal, as well as on the social media of the Government Presidency and the different departments responsible for organizing each activity, where information is updated daily.