Fuel Your Curiosity at MPC’s Family STEM Day!

MPC Family STEM Day 2026
Saturday, Nov. 7 | 10 a.m.–2 p.m. | Monterey Peninsula College, 980 Fremont St., Monterey

Ask a kid what happens when you pour liquid nitrogen on a flower, and you’ll get a guess. Let them watch it happen, and you’ll get a question, then another, then a plan to come back next year.

That’s what Family STEM Day is built for. For one Saturday each fall, the MPC campus turns into a giant science playground. Kids pilot underwater drones, peer at the sun through a solar telescope and pull DNA out of a strawberry. Their parents get to try it too. Most families who come are setting foot on campus for the first time, and 100% of those we surveyed said they’d tell a friend.

This is our fourth year, and our biggest yet. We’re planning for more than 3,000 students and family members, and this is the first Family STEM Day hosted by Dr. Kenneth Henry, MPC’s new Dean of Instruction for STEM.

Admission is free. Reserving your tickets here takes less than a minute and helps us plan supplies, activities and staffing so there’s enough for everyone. Please reserve a ticket for each person in your group. Walk-ups are welcome.

SATURDAY ACADEMY STUDENTS
Monterey Peninsula Unified School District and Alisal Union School District students who attend Family STEM Day at MPC, please make sure to check in at the Saturday Academy booth to receive attendance credit!

HANDS-ON SCIENCE
Five zones spread across campus, so families can follow whatever sparks their curiosity:

• Liquid nitrogen demonstrations from the MPC Chemistry Department
• A Chemistry Magic Show from the MPC Chemistry Club
• An augmented-reality sandbox and microplastics stations from MPC Earth Sciences
• Underwater drones in a pool built for kids to pilot, from MPC Biology and Marine Biology
• Modular origami, math games and puzzles with the MPC Math Department and Math Club
• Solar telescope viewing with the Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy (MIRA)
• A live reptile exhibit
• Mobile museums from MY Museum’s Wheelie Mobilee and the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
• Ocean and wildlife learning with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Sea Otter Savvy, Ventana Wildlife Society, Monterey Audubon Society and Sunflower Star Lab

FOR OUR YOUNGEST SCIENTISTS
The Little Lobos area has activities designed for ages 2–5. Stop by the MPC Library for a Scholastic book fair.

LIVE ON THE COMMUNITY STAGE

• 10:15–10:45 a.m. — Kalpulli Ehecacoatl opens the day with traditional Aztec dance
• 12:15–12:45 p.m. — YHO Fusion Dance
• 12:55–1:25 p.m. — Calfamous closes out the stage with a high-energy, sing-along set that mixes classic anthems with her own original songs, for every generation in the crowd

More performers will be announced as the day gets closer.

FAMILY FUN ZONE
Last year’s highest-rated part of the whole day. Climb up and fly down a giant inflatable slide, get your face painted, dig into arts and crafts and take on STEM games.

COME HUNGRY
Four local food trucks will be on site, with food and drinks for purchase:

• Bean Brigade 831 — Salinas’ family-owned mobile coffee truck, pouring handcrafted espresso drinks for the grown-ups who’ve been chasing kids since 10 a.m.
• Seoul Food 831 — Korean fusion BBQ with Korean corn dogs, Korean mac ’n’ cheese and teriyaki chicken bowls
• Oli’s Cheesesteaks — hot Philly-style cheesesteaks and sandwiches, a Monterey County farmers market favorite
• La Pizza Piccolo 831 — hot pizza from a local mobile pizzeria serving the Monterey Bay

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
WOW Smiles Orthodontics and the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce help make Family STEM Day free for every family.

GOOD TO KNOW

• Free for all ages; tickets are not required but are encouraged
• Most activities are outdoors, so dress for the weather and bring layers
• Questions? Contact Marci Bracco Cain, The Buzz PR, at 831-747-7455 or marci@thebuzzpr.net