Frequently Asked Questions

The festival is spread over a block of Durham Street as well as in several buildings. For health and safety reasons we must maintain a safe capacity of visitors throughout the day which is why we have morning and afternoon tickets. Ticketing the event allows us to plan for visitor numbers and manage safety effectively. The safety and comfort of our visitors is paramount.

How the automatic offering of tickets works

• Once the minimum number of tickets becomes available, an offer email is sent automatically to the first guest on the waitlist after 30 minutes.
• For every 30 minutes thereafter, the next guest in line will be notified if tickets are still available.
• Once an offer has been sent to all waitlisted guests, available tickets will be reopened to the public.
• Guests will receive multiple offer emails if they click “get tickets” but do not complete a purchase
• Tickets are not reserved – notified guests will need to purchase on a first-come-first-serve basis

We cannot change the 30-minute interval for when tickets are offered.

No, if you have afternoon tickets, you cannot use them for the morning session and vice versa. We have ticketed morning and afternoon sessions to safely manage numbers. If you turn up for a different session ticket to the one you hold, you may be refused entry.

Please subscribe to our mailing list so that we can keep you up to date with any cancelled orders or new releases. If there is a waitlist on, you can register your details for tickets that have sold out and you will be offered tickets as they become available, whether through cancellations or new releases.

Ticket buyers can cancel and refund their own tickets by clicking the “Manage order” button in their order confirmation email and navigating to the “Refunds” tab. The order email will be sent from “Humanitix Orders”. If you experience any problems with cancelling your order, please click on ‘contact the host’ button.

Unfortunately there will not be any tickets on the door, on the day. Please do not turn up without a ticket as you will not be granted entry. This is due to keeping within safe capacity of numbers and ensuring that there is no over-crowding on the street and within the buildings.

No, there will not be any food trucks on site at the festival – but, we will have two cafes open on site for you to get coffee/hot drinks and snacks as well as a fundraiser ‘Sausage Sizzle’.

Working with our friends at Downtown Tauranga, and to support our local businesses, we want to offer food options with providers located in the CBD. We will use our Explorer Trail web app to show the places within a short walking distance that will be open for visitors to grab a delicious meal with the family before or after the festival depending on what session tickets you get #SupportLocal.

Please note: there will be a strict NO food or drinks policy inside the festival buildings. Water bottles are okay.

Yes, there we will have several water refill stations. One is located on the street outside the University building and one is located inside Basestation via Folk Coffee, make sure to bring your water bottle to stay hydrated.

While we would love to encourage young people to volunteer, our Public Liability Insurance will not cover anyone under the age of 18. Also, the duties we ask our wonderful Volunteers to assist with is not suitable with a child in tow. We ask that all volunteers be 18 years and over to satisfy legal and health and safety requirements. Besides, we want your child to be enjoying the festival as a much valued guest, not as a ‘worker’.

We are working closely with partners in the neurodivergent space to provide a calm, inclusive, and welcoming environment for neurodivergent children, young people, and their families. Recognising the importance of
accessible STEM experiences, we want to allow festival goers a chance to recharge, relax, and participate in STEMFest in a way that suits their sensory preferences and needs.

Click here for more details of the Quiet Space for 2025.

We will have “portaloos” toilets on site for visitors to use, including an accessible toilet. These are located by Durham Lane and another set will be located at the Spring Street entrance. Please follow the signs on Durham Street. There are no public toilets in the University building or at Basestation.

Some handy things we recommend you bring:

• Some gold coins for the sausage sizzle
• A sunhat and sunscreen
• A water bottle
• A mobile phone for accessing maps and the Explorer Trail web app

and most importantly, bring your curiosity!

We encourage visitors to take the public bus, cycle or walk to the festival.

For those who have to drive, Elizabeth and Spring Street car parking buildings will be open and free to park at the weekend. There are also on-street parking, but time restrictions may apply.

By ordering a ticket to STEMFest, all visitors consent to the on-site photography, video recording and broadcast terms and conditions. Photography and video recording of children (and adults) will be used for marketing and promotional purposes by SWT/Tauranga STEM Festival and our partners only. The material may be broadcast through radio, television and all digital channels as well as through print media.

If you or the children in your care specifically desire to opt out of onsite photography/filming, please contact SWT or make this known to a member of staff/team prior to entering the festival at Registration.

The following things are NOT allowed at the festival or within the festival grounds:

• Dogs (unless they are service or disability assist dogs and must be certified by one of the following organisations with an official issued coat):
  • Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust
  • Hearing Dogs for Deaf People New Zealand
  • K9 Medical Detection New Zealand
  • Mobility Assistance Dogs Trust
  • New Zealand Epilepsy Assist Dogs Trust
  • Pawsible Service Dogs
  • Perfect Partners Assistance Dogs Trust
  • Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Incorporated
• Scooters
• Bicycles
• Vaping
• Alcohol or drugs