Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a scientist or an engineer at the world’s largest physics laboratory? Then join one of our lab workshops! All workshops are delivered by volunteers from CERN’s scientific community in Science Gateway’s state-of-the-art facilities.

Workshops for families and individual visitors

Our lab workshops allow visitors of all ages and abilities to get hands on with science and technology. Each workshop lasts 45 minutes and welcomes up to 24 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. For families and individual visitors, we currently offer the following workshops:

• Seeing the invisible (5+ years): In this workshop, participants use a special ping-pong ball detector to make sense of a hidden structure and explore how infrared cameras can make temperature differences visible.
• Power of air (8+ years): In this workshop, participants investigate balloon hovercrafts and learn how engineers at CERN design and use air pad systems to move detector slices that are heavier than 500 elephants.

Connect to our exclusive web app when arriving at Science Gateway to check lab workshop availability and to register. You can also check the programme of today's activities on our website.

Pre-booked workshops for school groups

As part of your visit to CERN, you can book a lab workshop for your group of school students. These hands-on sessions will allow students to explore their scientific curiosity and learn how to conduct scientific investigations through enquiry-based learning activities. Our workshops cover a wide range of topics, from the basic principles of particle detection to the use of robots in science. 

Lab workshops are very popular, and our capacity is limited, so we recommend booking for groups nine months in advance. We will ask for more information about your group one month before your visit, to best tailor the workshop to the group’s requirements. While we aim to offer each group a workshop that best suits their profile, please note that the final allocation will be done taking into account safety and availability.

Please note that slots fill up within a few days. Find out how to book here.