Curious Histories Fest returns! Join us for our third annual celebration of science, history, exploration, and experimentation. The festival is happening RAIN or SHINE!

This free, daylong event features hands-on activities and family-friendly fun, as well as exciting talks, tours, and highlights from our special collections. Come enjoy some free ice cream, then visit our museum; talk to curators and experts; take part in cooking demos, story times, and special events; and immerse yourself in curiosity!

Plus, the first 100 visitors will receive a free Lunchtime lunchbox! 

What’s for Lunch?

patrons outdoors around a tent working on botanical dye crafts
Curious Histories Fest 2024.

Curious Histories Fest highlights a new theme each year. Inspired by our current exhibition, Lunchtime: The History of Science on the School Food Tray, this year’s “What’s for Lunch?” theme explores the history of food science and efforts to feed children in U.S. schools.  

Have you ever wondered where our food comes from and where it goes? Who decides what foods are nutritious? Who will do the cooking? What are vitamins exactly? How do we feed schoolchildren nationwide? Do you love lunch? And learning? 

Join us for fun activities, craft making, engaging talks, and live demos. Then explore our museum and see special collections showcasing surprising food histories. Enjoy FREE lunch samples from around the Philly region, special guests, live music, and so much more!

Activity Highlights

Curious Histories Fest is open to all ages. Admission, programs, food, and drink are all FREE. No reservations are necessary.


Bolte Family Foundation logo
ACS logo
Pew Center for Arts & Heritage color logo
Trinseo logo

Major funding for Curious Histories Fest is provided by the Bolte Family Foundation, with additional support from the American Chemical Society and Trinseo. Major support for Lunchtime has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.

Featured image: Detail of Super Sandwich board game box, 1973.

More events

September 17, 2025
Programs, Lectures & Talks

Science & Football: How Gatorade Fueled the Dawn of Sports Medicine

Phoebe Miles, cofounder of the Cade Museum for Creativity & Invention, will tell the story of a drink that changed the world of sports.

worn cover of a recipe book from the 1500s
September 19, 2025
Free

Movies on the Mall: National Treasure 2

Join the Science History Institute at Movies on the Mall and learn about the history of parchment.

magazine ad featuring a baby in high chair pouring milk over a tray
September 20, 2025
Drop-In Tours

School Lunch Tour

This interactive drop-in tour reveals how food scientists, the government, and the public have shaped in-school nutrition.

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