Summer holidays – the start of phaenoSummer and time for adventure, shared experiences and loads of fun! At phaeno, new discoveries, exciting hands-on activities and unforgettable holiday moments await you every day.
The open day and start of the holidays is 4 July, with a special programme and free entry!
Opening hours: 10.00 am to 6.00 pm 4 July to 12 August open daily
Ship ahoy: we’re building a little sailing boat! In the woodwork workshop, you can get stuck into sawing, drilling, hammering and filing. Once the mast is in place and the railing is built, every boat can sail into its home port.
There’s been a break-in at the phaeno lab. Equipment is strewn across the floor and a vital substance has gone missing. Now the race against time begins.
What’s happened here? Together with you, we’ll set out to find clues — and recover the substance, which is of enormous importance to phaeno. Four suspects have been identified. Who could be the culprit?
Through chemical experiments, we’ll work together to unravel the mystery, and by the end you’ll know how to use simple chemistry to tell the right substance from the wrong one. Will the culprit be caught in the end? You’ll find out in the show!
phaeno Science Theatre From 4 July 2026 to 4 October 2026
Every day at 1.00 pm and 3.00 pm (duration: 30 mins)
On 4 July, there is an additional session at 4.30 pm
At weekends, on public holidays, long weekends and during school holidays (Lower Saxony)
Ages 4 and over
€2 plus a day ticket or €4 without a day ticket
Tickets are available at the ticket office and at the information desk at phaeno.
Ten conical concrete columns support the entire building. Each is hollow, has a diameter of up to 7 metres and houses a distinct function — ranging from a science theatre to an ideas forum.
Phaeno is Europe’s largest structure built from self-compacting concrete — a material that had never before been used on this scale in Germany and required special permission.
Sloping planes, pointed walls, soaring roofs: inside, the perspective shifts with every step. Craters, caves, terraces and plateaus form a walk-in sculpture.
Sloping planes, pointed walls, soaring roofs: inside, the perspective shifts with every step. Craters, caves, terraces and plateaus form a walk-in sculpture.
Experiments & more
Waves are everywhere: in the sea, in music, in pendulums and oscillations. In the ‘Waves of Wonder’ exhibition, you can experience these fascinating natural phenomena up close — observe, understand and set them in motion yourself. During the summer holidays, there’s even more to discover around the exhibition: exciting activities await at the craft and experiment table, where you can get hands-on.
Pop in, join in — and be amazed by what waves can do.
Summer holidays in Lower Saxony 2026 For all age groups
A year full of wonder awaits you!
Waves dancing beneath the ceiling – at phaeno, there’s something new to discover almost every day. Around 326 days a year, over 300 exhibits, hands-on stations, exciting workshops and plenty of ‘aha’ moments are just waiting to be explored. This summer, that’s exactly what we’re giving away: a phaeno annual pass for four people as the top prize, plus four day-pass packages for anyone who’d like to get a taster. So it’s doubly worth taking part – simply answer our question about the ‘Waves of Wonder’ exhibition and secure your chance to enjoy a whole year of hands-on science.
Click here for the summer competition
