STARMUS VIII – The Search for Truth

About STARMUS VIII

STARMUS VIII is a six-day international festival that places scientific discussion beside live music, visual culture and public engagement. The 2026 theme, “The Search for Truth”, gives the edition a clear focus on evidence, critical thinking and the ways scientific knowledge is tested and communicated. Events run across Tenerife and La Palma in the Canary Islands from 17 to 22 October.

The main conference programme at Pirámide de Arona combines lectures, conversations and panel discussions. The wider schedule adds an opening ceremony and concert, a star party, interactive science activities and a closing programme on La Palma. That structure distinguishes STARMUS from a conventional academic conference: specialist ideas are presented within a festival designed to connect researchers and explorers with audiences who may encounter the subjects through music, demonstrations or public discussion. The official programme remains the source for individual timings, venues and access conditions because activities take place in different locations and do not all use the same admission arrangements.

Event history and organisers

STARMUS was founded by astrophysicist Garik Israelian and musician and astrophysicist Brian May. The first festival took place in Tenerife in 2011 and connected its programme to the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s first human spaceflight. Since then, the event has developed a recurring blend of scientific talks, debates, concerts, exhibitions and stargazing, with each edition organised around a distinct theme. Tenerife also hosted the 3rd edition in 2016, when the first Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication ceremony was held there. The 8th edition returns to Tenerife ten years later and extends its closing day to La Palma. Starmus Festival publishes and manages the current edition, while the official page says the return follows requests from the Canary Islands Government and the Cabildo de Tenerife. The Cabildo’s own announcement describes the festival as founded by Israelian and May and confirms participation by Tenerife, La Palma and regional institutions.

Topics and themes

The Search for Truth connects scientific discovery with the public understanding of evidence. The festival format lets those ideas move between conference discussion, artistic interpretation and direct observation.

• Astronomy and space exploration: talks and conversations place cosmic research, planetary missions and human exploration within a broad scientific setting.
• Evidence and critical thinking: the edition theme asks how reliable knowledge is established, challenged and explained amid uncertainty and misinformation.
• Earth, climate and life sciences: the programme extends beyond astronomy to environmental systems, biology and the scientific questions affecting life on Earth.
• Science communication: public-facing sessions and festival awards highlight the work of making complex research understandable without losing its evidential basis.
• Music, art and observation: concerts, creative performances and the star party use different forms of experience to build engagement with science and the night sky.

Who should attend?

STARMUS VIII suits scientists, astronomers, planetary researchers, astronauts, engineers and science communicators who value exchange beyond a single discipline. University students and educators can use the conference and public science activities to connect current research with teaching, career interests and wider questions about evidence. Space-sector professionals may find the programme useful for scientific context and cross-disciplinary conversations, although this is not presented as a supplier exhibition or business-to-business trade show. The festival format also makes the event accessible to musicians, artists and members of the public who are interested in astronomy, exploration and critical thinking. Families should check the specific Science Camp and public-programme information, while conference attendees should use the ticket page to confirm which activities their registration includes.

Practical information

The festival runs across Tenerife and La Palma, so attendees should check the location attached to each programme item rather than assume one venue. Pirámide de Arona hosts the main conference days, while the closing programme is on La Palma.

Tickets are sold through the official STARMUS site. Confirm current availability, inclusions, inter-island travel needs and transport details before booking accommodation or flights, as access arrangements differ by activity.