How ‘Bout a Physics and Engineering Festival at Your School?

A physics and engineering festival, particularly one put on locally by a high school, is a spellbound, theatrical and participatory way for a school to contribute to the community at large and build relationships with people of all ages. This poster details the funding (in part through the AAPT Bauder Fund), planning, publicizing, execution and documentation of the first ever Great Neck North Physics and Engineering Festival, held at Great Neck North High School, Great Neck, NY on April 26, 2025. The festival attracted an audience of approximately 300 people many of whom were elementary age. The festival began with an hour long session of up-close demonstrations and many participatory activities. This was followed by a short outside session of fire and explosions – firing up Rijke tubes (glass tubes with wire mesh that sound like a foghorn when heated by a blowtorch) and firing off methanol cannons. The outdoor session was followed by a stage show in the auditorium of various physics demonstrations, some arcane, some well known, explained, and often performed by, student presenters.