Pint of Science breaks attendance record in João Monlevade with 587 participants

On the evenings of May 19 and 20, five hundred and eighty-seven people walked into two bars in João Monlevade—Postim and Leitão—to hear researchers talk about steel microstructure, artificial intelligence, sustainability, and the everyday science hiding in plain sight. It was a record crowd for the city's edition of Pint of Science, the annual festival that transforms casual drinking spaces into forums for serious conversation between academics and the public.

This year's gathering was part of something larger: the 2026 Pint of Science unfolded simultaneously across 213 Brazilian cities, the highest number the country has ever hosted. The festival's core idea is simple and radical—remove the barrier between the laboratory and the street, between the expert and the curious neighbor. In João Monlevade, that meant lectures and debates on artificial intelligence, industrial applications, health, education, and technology, all conducted in the informal setting of a bar rather than a lecture hall.

The event has roots in the city going back to 2019, when three institutions—the Federal University of Ouro Preto, the State University of Minas Gerais, and Doctum College of João Monlevade—formed a partnership to bring the festival to the region. Seven years later, the attendance numbers suggest the gamble paid off. The 2026 edition also became part of the official programming for the Viva Monlevade festival, broadening its reach and cementing science as a fixture in the city's cultural calendar.

Researchers who participated spoke to what made the event work. Gustavo Henrique Sousa, an engineer and researcher, described the challenge of translating technical material into something accessible: he spoke about steel in a way that was light and interactive, showing how the internal structure of metals directly shapes their properties. Felippe Fernando Barbosa, also an engineer, emphasized the energy of the crowd—the sheer number of people interested in science and technology reinforced, he said, how urgent it is to keep building bridges between universities, industry, and society.

Clarissa Barros da Cruz, a researcher involved in organizing the event, framed it as essential infrastructure for public understanding. In spaces designed for dialogue and knowledge exchange, she explained, scientists could share their work in a relaxed, human way, demonstrating that science is not abstract or distant but woven into daily life. The festival, she argued, awakens curiosity, strengthens critical thinking, and closes the gap between academic research and the people it ultimately serves.

Professor Roberto Gomes Ribeiro offered a sharper diagnosis of why this matters now. The internet, he noted, has democratized opinion but degraded fact. Pint of Science occupies that difficult middle ground: it pulls the researcher out of the lab and seats them at a bar table, debating with ordinary people. Science is not opinion, he insisted. It is method, doubt, evidence—and yes, it fits perfectly on a bar table. Viviane da Silva Serafim Cota called the festival a rare opportunity to build genuine connection and dialogue in spaces that already belong to the community.

The 2026 edition drew support from the Brazilian Craft Beer Association, the local chamber of commerce, cooperative banks, the small business development agency, the city government, and ArcelorMittal, the steel company. The partnership structure suggests this is no longer a fringe experiment but an established part of how the city engages with knowledge and culture. Organizers expect the collaboration to continue into 2027, further embedding science into the rhythm of João Monlevade's public life.