The Beijing Science Festival 2014, which kicked off Friday, will bring to the capital a four-day science gala with cutting-edge technology education and entertaining activities.
As a nonprofit science event for students and other residents of Beijing, the festival has been organized by the Beijing Association for Science and Technology since 2011.
This year's science fair, the main component of the festival, opened to the public at the eastern side of National Stadium.
"The science festival is becoming an international event with high-quality science popularization projects, which will largely inspire the public's love and passion for science," said BAST Vice-Chairman Zhou Lijun.
"The festival is a carnival for young and old alike, and youngsters can laugh, play and learn in an environment soaked in science."
Since 2011, the government, science festival organizers, science organizations and enterprises from 30 countries and regions have supported and attended the festival.
More than 80,000 spectators visited the fair last year.
This year, science education and communication organizations from 14 countries are taking part in the festival and bringing 65 exhibitions to the fair, including trendy science and technology educational tools.
This year's festival is the first in Beijing for many US institutions, including Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston Science Museum and Boeing Co.
wangru@chinadaily.com.cn