Orlando, Fla \u2013 During a media preview, Orlando Science Center science programming specialist Zachary summed up the event like this: \u201cour annual messy event learning all about physics here at the Orlando Science Center.\u201d <\/p>\n
When it is (and what it costs)<\/p>\n
Mess Fest runs Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10, with activities happening 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (all day). The Science Center is promoting the weekend as \u201cIt\u2019s Slime Time! Mess Fest is May 9 & 10.\u201d<\/p>\n
And the best part for families: Zachary says \u201cit\u2019s included with general admission.\u201d He adds, \u201cIf you\u2019re a member, you get in for free.\u201d <\/p>\n
Expect physics\u2026 and a whole lot of paint<\/p>\n
At its core, Mess Fest is about learning science through action\u2014especially physics.<\/p>\n
Zachary told us visitors can expect \u201cphysics based experiments\u201d throughout the building, including demonstrations and challenges built around impact, motion, and materials.<\/p>\n
He previewed several big crowd-pleasers:<\/p>\n
\u201cwill it shatter\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cfreezing liquid nitrogen down to -321 degrees, smashing it with a giant Gallagher style hammer.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201ca large film split in a mushroom cloud of soap and suds.\u201d <\/p>\n
A splatter-focused activity built around \u201celasticity, angles, momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zachary even admitted his personal favorite is the one where he gets to break things: \u201cMy favorite activity is will it shatter? Mainly because I like smashing things with the giant hammer.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the Loop: Theme Park Scoops<\/p>\n
In the Loop: Theme Park Scoops gives you the latest and greatest info from all the Central Florida parks.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo permanent messes\u201d \u2014 the paint is washable<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re thinking, this sounds fun but my car seats disagree, Orlando Science Center says the mess is designed to be manageable.<\/p>\n
Zachary noted: \u201call of the paint that we\u2019re going to be using throughout mess is tempera washable paint. So no permanent messes.\u201d He also emphasized guests can clean up before leaving: \u201cwe\u2019ll leave the mess here at the science, and you\u2019ll be able to wash up before you head home.\u201d<\/p>\n
That said, don\u2019t expect to stay spotless: \u201cIf a kid isn\u2019t covered in paint by the end of the day, I have failed my job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Plan ahead (it\u2019s a busy weekend)<\/p>\n
Mess Fest is one of the Science Center\u2019s biggest weekends.<\/p>\n
Zachary said attendance can be intense: \u201cwe get about 2000 guests each day, both Saturday and Sunday.\u201d <\/p>\n
Tips for your visit<\/p>\n
Arrive early if you want to maximize hands-on time.<\/p>\n
Bring a spare shirt for kids (even with washable paint).<\/p>\n
Expect outdoor components (during the media preview, we were shown multiple experiments outside), so dress for Central Florida heat.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Orlando, Fla \u2013 During a media preview, Orlando Science Center science programming specialist Zachary summed up the event…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":262871,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[28,113424,1335,139,141,140,3350],"class_list":["post-262870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-florida","tag-mess-fest","tag-orange-county","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-science-center"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262870"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262870\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/262871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}