The Art & Science Festival once again transformed the Poruba campus into a vibrant and lively space filled with interactive exhibits, scientific workshops, artistic activities, and musical performances.
The festival attracted exceptional interest from schools not only across the Moravian-Silesian Region but also from the Zlín Region. This year, more than 3,200 primary and secondary school students visited the campus, where a rich programme of interactive activities awaited them.
The festival, which has been organized by the region’s only technical university since 2015, attracted not only school groups but also university students, staff, alumni, and members of the public. The entire university took part in the preparations, including all faculties, both research institutes, and specialized departments such as the Counselling and Career Centre, the Institute of Physical Education and Sport, and the Mobility Office. Together, they created dozens of exhibits showcasing the diversity of technical disciplines and the wide range of career opportunities they offer.
Throughout the day, visitors enjoyed fascinating experiments, hands-on technical workshops, and robotics demonstrations. Among the most popular programme items were the expert lecture When Hackers Turn on AI, presentations focused on autonomous vehicles, and the physics and music show SOUND, which explored what sound is and how it works. Energetic parkour performances also drew enthusiastic applause from the audience throughout the day. Other well-attended attractions included the U!REKA European University Alliance stand and the Sustainability stand, which this year joined forces with the Healthy Campus initiative.
A traditional part of the festival was the competition for secondary school teams. Participants demonstrated their engineering skills by constructing towers from wooden skewers, spaghetti, and marshmallows. The most successful teams managed to build structures exceeding one metre in height. First place went to a team from the Secondary School of Industry and Art in Opava, second place to a team from the Secondary School in Uherské Hradiště, and third place to a team from the Secondary School of Teleinformatics in Ostrava.
The festival was about much more than technology. Art also played an important role. Visitors could explore an exhibition by Klára Sedlo focused on the relationship between AI and art or learn more about the work of the university museum. The afternoon programme offered opportunities for entertainment, networking, and relaxation. After 4 p.m., the campus came alive with music. The VSB-TUO Orchestra opened the evening programme, followed by the Frýdek-Místek-based band Getaway. The highlight of the day was a concert by The Backwards, whose performance of iconic Beatles hits provided a memorable finale to the festival.
Art & Science 2026 once again demonstrated the value of connecting science, technology, and the arts. We would like to thank all visitors, partners, performers, students, and staff for creating such a fantastic atmosphere, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back next year.
What did this year’s festival look like?
More photos and videos can be found HERE.
Text: Barbora Urbanovská
Photos: Petra Valášková, Jiří Hanulík