Cool Science Festival Wraps Up This Weekend — Don't Miss the Free Star Party

The 2026 Colorado Springs Cool Science Festival runs through Sunday, October 18, and this weekend's highlight is a free star party at Cheyenne Mountain State Park on Saturday night. If your family has been meaning to check out the festival and hasn't made it yet, this is the weekend.

About the Festival

The Cool Science Festival is an annual Colorado Springs event organized by the Cool Science organization in partnership with UCCS. The 2026 run launched October 3 with a main Carnival Day event and has offered hundreds of free and low-cost STEAM programming over three weeks — science demos, hands-on activities, and educational events for kids from elementary through high school age.

Most Cool Science Festival events are free, though some require a small reservation fee or registration in advance. The festival draws families from across the Colorado Springs area and beyond, and it's one of the larger science education events in southern Colorado.

Saturday: Free Star Party at Cheyenne Mountain State Park

The star party on Saturday, October 17, is set at Cheyenne Mountain State Park — one of the better dark-sky locations accessible from Colorado Springs without a long drive. Amateur astronomers set up telescopes, and staff and volunteers walk attendees through what's visible: planets, star clusters, nebulae, and whatever else the October sky offers.

For families who've never been to a star party, it's worth knowing what to expect: it's an outdoor evening event, it gets cold fast in October at elevation, and the viewing depends on cloud cover. Dress in layers, bring a red-light flashlight if you have one (white flashlights wash out night vision and are generally discouraged at star parties), and plan to arrive before full dark to get oriented. The event is free.

Cheyenne Mountain State Park is located at 410 JL Ranch Heights Road. The standard state park vehicle pass or day use fee applies for parking — Colorado State Parks annual passes are accepted. Check coolscience.org for the confirmed start time; star parties are typically scheduled around dusk and run into the evening.

Sunday: Final Day, October 18

The festival closes Sunday, October 18. Additional events may be scheduled across Colorado Springs on the final day — check the full schedule at coolscience.org for locations and times. The Cool Science Festival's three-week format means the final weekend's programming is spread across multiple venues, so it's worth reviewing the schedule in advance rather than showing up expecting a central event.

For D49 Families on Fall Break

D49 schools are closed through October 23, which makes this weekend a natural fit. A Saturday evening at Cheyenne Mountain State Park for the star party is one of the better options for fall break activities in Colorado Springs — it's free, it's outdoors, and it's the kind of experience that's harder to replicate on a normal school-week weekend. The park's trail system is also accessible during the day if your family wants to hike before the evening event.