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SensoryHub launched by Science in the City 2026

SensoryHub brings inclusive science to children and families at Science in the City 2026

launches SensoryHub, a new sensory-friendly programme for neurodivergent children and families.

Science in the City launches SensoryHub, giving neurodivergent children and families space to experience science at their own pace.

Science in the City, is launching SensoryHub: Your Space, Your Pace, a new sensory friendly programme for neurodivergent children and their families. The programme runs at APS Hub in St Julian’s from 3 to 14 September, ahead of the return of the festival’s sensory room at Triton Square, Valletta, on 25 and 26 September. Another sensory space will be available during the Performance and Workshop Festival at Sala San Duminku on 6 and 7 November.

For Science in the City, accessibility is about more than providing additional support. It is about creating a festival where everyone feels welcome and has the opportunity to take part. Everyone should be able to discover, explore, create and connect with science and creativity in a way that works for them.

For some, that may mean getting stuck in a busy activity and enjoying the energy of the crowds. For others, it may mean taking things at their own pace, stepping away when it becomes overwhelming, or having a quiet place to pause and reset.

What matters is that everyone has the opportunity to experience the wonder of science in a way that feels comfortable and meaningful to them.

This year, that commitment is being extended across the festival calendar. While the sensory room at Triton Square and Sala San Duminku provide a quiet space during the busy festivals, SensoryHub offers two weeks of dedicated sessions developed with occupational therapists and sensory specialists.

The programme builds on what the festival team has learned through years of working to make Science in the City more welcoming.

This year’s theme, Research, Resist and Reimagine, runs through SensoryHub too. Research means listening and learning about the different ways people experience the world. Resist means challenging the idea that there is one right way to participate in a festival. Reimagine means creating different ways to experience science, giving families the space, support and flexibility to take part on their own terms.
SensoryHub: Your Space, Your Pace

Over two weeks, APS Hub will host six sessions specifically designed for neurodivergent children and their families. The programme has been developed with three local practitioners, TAASC, Panassea Therapy Centre and WonderKids Therapy Clinic.

The sessions are designed to accommodate different ages, interests and abilities, with activities ranging from multisensory storytelling for younger children to sensory yoga for pre teens. Rather than expecting children to adapt to a fixed format, the sessions are designed to give them flexibility to participate in ways that feel comfortable for them.

Festival Manager, Karen Fiorini said “Inclusion is not simply about making sure people can enter a space. It is about making sure they have the opportunity to participate, contribute and discover what they are capable of. There is so much curiosity, creativity and potential that can go untapped when environments are not designed with different needs in mind. At Science in the City, we want to remove those barriers and make sure that every child and family has the chance to engage with science, creativity and each other in a way that works for them.”

The programme is being hosted by APS Hub, which has supported the initiative from the outset as part of its wider commitment to inclusion and community focused work in Malta.

A quieter space at the street festival

The sensory room returns to Triton Square on 25 and 26 September as part of the Science in the City street festival, with new features.

The festival brings thousands of visitors into Valletta over two evenings, filling Triton Square with music, lights, performances, demonstrations, conversations and crowds. For many, this is what makes the festival exciting. For visitors with sensory processing differences, anxiety or other needs, this very same environment may become overwhelming.

The sensory room offers a place to step away from the noise and activity, take a break, regulate oneself and reset before deciding whether to return to the festival.

While sensory friendly spaces are becoming more common at Maltese cultural events, SensoryHub goes a step further by giving visitors practical tools and choices they can use both inside the quiet space and as they explore the wider festival. Festival-goers will find a simple sensory menu offering different ways to feel more comfortable, including reducing sound and light, moving around, breathing exercises, fidgeting or simply sitting somewhere quiet. Supported by APS and developed with TAASC Therapy Clinic, the space will also include visual ways for visitors to communicate what they need, such as quiet, space, help or room to move, without having to explain themselves.

Grounding techniques will also be available for anyone who wants to try them independently, including slow breathing, noticing things in their surroundings and simple pressure exercises. Headphones will also be available to borrow and use throughout the festival, allowing visitors to manage sound levels while exploring the wider event.

Entry to all events is free and booking is available via Eventbrite.
Science in the City is marking its 15th edition this year as Malta’s largest free public science and arts festival. Organised by the Malta Chamber of Scientists with the University of Malta, the festival brings researchers, artists, NGOs, students and communities together around this year’s theme, Research, Resist and Reimagine.

The Science in the City consortium is led by the University of Malta and the Malta Chamber of Scientists, in partnership with Institute for Methods Innovation, Arts Council Malta, ), Xjenza Malta, Esplora, JAMRAI Project, Ministry of Education and Sport, Malta Enterprise, Malta Digital Innovation Authority, APS Bank, Piscopo Gardens, Transport Malta, Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST), Servizzi Ewropej f'Malta, Digital Traffic Brain, ProHealth, Project Green, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry for Health, Embassy of Spain, European Institute for Emerging Technologies (EIET), Ministry for Justice, Research and Innovation, Ministry For Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights (Aquatic Resources), Ministry for Arts, Culture and National Heritage, Embassy Hotel Valletta, Storm Design, Heritage Malta, Public Broadcasting Services Limited, Ministry for Social Policy and The Family, Sala San Duminku, GreenPak, Tech.mt.