On Saturday, 13 October 2018, CERN was guest of honour of the City of Ferney-Voltaire for the Fête de la Science, organised by the association Pangloss in the gardens of the Château de Voltaire.
The historic Orangery and Garden have turned into a science village, housing the stands of nearly thirty associations and scientific institutions. 2,000 visitors of all ages came to enjoy the wide range of activities.
As a privileged guest, CERN offered a great number of activities. Visitors were able to visit the LHC and the Computing Centre with virtual-reality headsets. They analysed particle collisions in search of the Higgs boson with the "Connect the dots" activity. The little ones revisited the aesthetics of the ATLAS experiment with a colouring book. The majority of visitors left with a badge showing the elementary particle best reflecting their personality, after responding to the quiz “Particle Identities”. And physics demonstrations with everyday objects impressed both young and old.
A must-attend CERN activity, the three "Fun with Physics" shows have sold out! The impressive explorations of the states of matter and the effects of liquid nitrogen have met a great success.
Nearly 20 CERN volunteers brilliantly represented their laboratory, adapting perfectly to the expectations of the general public to explain their daily activities. Thank you to them!