From Saturday 24 July to Sunday 5 September, families can rediscover the fun of summer at one of Manchester’s most loved attractions, the Science and Industry Museum, which will be open every day throughout the holidays to provide a fun, safe place to keep everyone entertained.
ver the holidays, visitors can explore a whole host of family favourites alongside brand-new experiences. The world of codebreaking and secret communications is available to uncover in new exhibition, Top Secret: From ciphers to cyber security, with additional espionage-themed activities being led by the museum’s team of expert Explainers throughout the museum.
Visitors can also enjoy appearances from some well-known CBeebies faces and get involved with the science behind sustainability as part of a whole Manchester Science Festival Family Weekender devoted to our changing climate and ideas for a better world.
As well as new experiences, there is a whole host of old favourites ready to explore. In the Revolution Manchester Gallery, the city’s rich legacy of world-changing innovations, discoveries and ideas is on display; the Textiles Gallery tells the story of how cotton transformed the city into an industrial powerhouse; and the Experiment Gallery, a favourite among family visitors, sees science brought to life through a series of interactive exhibits.
Tickets for the entire summer holidays will be released on Friday 2 July and can be booked in advance through the museum’s website (www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk) or by calling 033 0058 0058.
SUMMER FUN FOR SLEUTHS AT “SPY SCHOOL”
Discover the fascinating world of codebreaking, ciphers and secret communications in the free must-see exhibition Top Secret: From ciphers to cyber security, the first exhibition in the museum’s new £5million Special Exhibitions Gallery. From Alan Turing and his team of codebreakers at Bletchley Park, to one of the most successful Soviet spy rings in Cold War Britain, to modern-day cyber-crime, Top Secret explores over a century’s worth of communications intelligence through hand-written documents, declassified files and incredible artefacts from GCHQ’s and the Science Museum Group’s historic collections.
Test your skills and challenge your friends and family to become codebreakers in the interactive puzzle zone. Trace the evolution of the gadgets and devices used to conceal and decode crucial messages. Hear from GCHQ staff doing top secret work to defend against terror attacks and find out more about the challenges of maintaining digital security in the 21st century. Super-sleuths of all ages can also investigate the exhibition with a special activity trail and look out for the museum’s Explainers revealing science secrets at Science Stops across the museum.
Get to grips with the science behind communications technology with the museum’s very first Get Curious event, on Tuesday 27 July. Sponsored by Siemens, Get Curious is a new interactive family activity that explores the big ideas and innovations changing our world today. Meet people working in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and discover more about what they do. At Get Curious: Secrets and Security get stuck in with a selection of interactive activities and games straight from the country’s leading intelligence, cyber and security experts, GCHQ.
MANCHESTER SCIENCE FESTIVAL FAMILY WEEKENDER
From Friday 20 August to Sunday 22 August, Manchester Science Festival presents a weekend packed with family fun themed around exploring our changing climate and ideas for a better world. The festival has partnered with CBeebies and CBBC to bring a special version of Grace’s Amazing Machines on solar powered vehicles to the museum along with screenings and activities around Hey Duggee, Blue Peter and Newsround.
Get green fingered with growing and sustainability group, Sow the City, by planting and taking home seasonal vegetables. The museum’s Explainer team will also have special activities for the weekend themed around the shows and focused on recycling and reusing.
Get involved in Electricity North West’s fun activities that will demonstrate how we use electricity and its increasing importance in decarbonisation and the steps that Electricity North West is taking to help the region get to net zero faster than the national target.
Chris Keady, Head of Learning at the Science and Industry says “We are so thrilled to be welcoming visitors back into the museum for our exciting summer programme. After experiencing so many months of closure during the pandemic, it’s great to be back providing inspiring experiences for our families during the school holidays and offer many new activities, as well as family favourites such as the Experiment and Textiles galleries.
We have all the measures in place to enjoy a visit safely and are looking forward to welcoming people through the doors for a summer of free science fun.”
The Science and Industry Museum is going through a multi-million pound restoration programme, meaning some areas remain closed to the public. However, there’s still plenty for families to do, see and enjoy during the holiday period.
Top Secret: From ciphers to cyber security is supported by principal funder DCMS and principal sponsor Raytheon, with media partner The Telegraph.
The Manchester Science Festival programming has been generously supported by Cheisi Ltd (Major Sponsor), Waters Corporation (Major Sponsor), Electricity North West, Renold and Cadent Gas. Get Curious is supported by Siemens.
For more information and to book tickets, visit: www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk
