Tickets are now available for the packed programme of events making up the 2024 Manchester Science Festival – a highlight of the city’s cultural calendar and one of the most popular science festivals in the UK.
This year, the festival is tackling the extremes of our world, with visitors having the opportunity to get hands on with some of science’s most cutting-edge developments through multi-sensory experiences, immersive events and hands-on family fun. 
Interactive events will take place throughout the 10 days of the festival. At the Science and Industry Museum, expect incredible immersive artwork with the new installation State of Mind by Squidsoup, exploring the impact of smartphones and apps on our brains. The major exhibition Injecting Hope: The Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine considers the extreme challenges faced during the pandemic.
The incredible Arachnobot, a giant spider puppet, will make its way through Manchester’s Arndale Centre in an unmissable, enchanting spectacle, while STEM champion, social entrepreneur and computer scientist, Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE and the UK Space Agency’s Head of Space Exploration, Libby Jackson OBE join up for the first time for a special conversation around AI in Space.
Families can look forward to fun-filled activity zones at the museum, looking at the extremes of human performance and our planet. Get hands on with activities throughout the week, from partners including Natural History Museum and the universities of Manchester and Salford, or get comfortable for a special science themed BBC CBeebies Bedtime Story during your visit.
Find out what’s on at this year’s festival are below:
State of Mind by Squidsoup
Science and Industry Museum, 1830 Warehouse – 18-27 October – Free
State of Mind is a large-scale immersive installation created by pioneering light, sound and technology artists Squidsoup.
Inspired by the work of the iconic abstract artist Piet Mondrian, State of Mind creates a space for you to reflect on the everyday use of media technologies and consider their effect on your mood and behavior. The work uses rhythm in light and sound to take the audience on a journey between order and chaos and explore the cognitive mechanisms that bring order and understanding to the millions of sensory inputs we receive every day. Immerse yourself in this rich and colourful animated audio-visual world – sit, stand or walk through this abstract and playful representation of a digitised world saturated with sensory stimuli from ever-changing media technologies.
Citizen Science – The Brain & Body Study
Science and Industry Museum – 18-27 October
Take part in activities that reveal the elusive relationship between the brain and body as the findings of a major international online study, delivered in collaboration with researchers at Western University, Canada, are revealed as part of the Festival programme.
Compete with your friends to see whether gaming or physical exercise improves your cognition! Take part in a video gaming or physical exercise activity and then play some of our quick-fire games to find out your score.
Arachnobot
Arndale Centre, 19-20 October – Free
Get ready to meet the unforgettable Arachnobot as it takes over the Manchester Arndale just in time for Halloween. This incredible giant spider, created by Artistic Director Tim Davies, Arachnobot will both terrify and enchant passers-by in a high impact spectacle controlled by a single puppeteer. Composed of a complex cable skeleton with eight legs and a giant inflatable skin, this dynamic work of art puts the extremes of large-scale, kinetic creations on full display. You can also get involved in special spider science activities, finding out about how spiders use vibrations to locate their prey.
In Conversation: Does AI have a place in space?
Science and Industry Museum, 18 October – £7/£5
Join STEM champion, social entrepreneur and computer scientist, Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE, and the UK Space Agency’s Head of Space Exploration, Libby Jackson OBE, as they discuss how their worlds collide in this interactive forum. Can AI be applied to Space exploration? What can you trust AI to do in Space? How will it better our lives back on Earth?
The opportunities seem endless with the likes of rover navigation, satellite design and lasering space junk. But are we just talking science fiction?
Cosmic Quiz
Science and Industry Museum, 19 October – £7/£5
Will you be the star of our Cosmic Quiz? Part of a weekend curated by Dr Anne Marie Imafidon MBE and Libby Jackson OBE, take top prize in a dynamic evening of surprise rounds, pop-up performances and laid-back cosmic vibes, where you’ll be challenged on all things space and artificial intelligence.
Compete on your own, or in a team of up to 4, in an out-of-this world event produced in collaboration with The Quiz Team, featuring specially commissioned content from The Poetry Place.
Injecting Hope: The Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine
Science and Industry Museum, 18 – 27 October – Free
This free, major exhibition delves into extreme challenges faced during pandemics by examining the worldwide effort to develop vaccines at speed and uncovering the inspiring stories of scientists and innovators around the globe who collaborated to tackle the world-wide COVID-19 challenge. The exhibition also examines the unique experiences and responses of communities in Manchester to the pandemic through objects and stories on display for the first time.
Activity Zones
Science and Industry Museum, 1830 Warehouse – 18-27 October – Free
Manchester Science Festival is taking over the historic 1830 Warehouse with fun and inspiring experiences for all ages in the Activity Zones. The warehouse is being temporarily reopened for the festival – it is currently closed to the public as part of the Science and Industry Museum’s extensive works to restore its site for the future.
Discover cutting edge technology and get hands-on with pop-up activities and drop-in workshops, delivered by partners including the National Graphene Institute, the Natural History Museum, the Royal Society, the Office for National Statistics, the University of Salford, Manchester Metropolitan University, Booking.com and the University of Manchester.
Highlights include the Vollebak graphene jacket acquired by the museum and on display for the first time to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the discovery of the wonder material, graphene. Visitors can also explore the mental health benefits of drumming, find out what an active volcano smells like, investigate molecules and much more. Book a free museum admission ticket and plan your visit.
Museum After Hours
Science and Industry Museum, 26 October – £10
Explore the museum after hours and dive into a world of extremes at this special adult-only evening event. Celebrate the final weekend of Manchester Science Festival with exclusive after-hours access to headline experience State of Mind. Explore Squidsoup’s immersive art installation set within the atmospheric 1830 Warehouse. Move between rhythmic lights and sound in an abstract and playful representation of our digitised world. Don’t miss the premiere of new works from artists Liam Ashworth and Luca Agathogli, presented in partnership with Venture Arts, an award-winning visual arts organisation working with learning disabled artists. Explore interactive performances, a zine and a digital display inspired by the Festival themes of sport science and space. Plus, our events bar will be popping up, selling a range of wines, beers and non-alcoholic drinks.
City Sparks
City Sparks, the museum’s programme of activities co-produced by community partners, will be delivering inspiring experiences at the museum and across Greater Manchester.
Creative Residency – Maternal Instinct
22-26 October – Free
A installation from North Manchester-based arts duo Malandra Jacks, in collaboration with Harpurhey peer-to-peer support group Mindful Mums, will create a pop-up immersive experience at the Sure Start Children’s Centre exploring the suprising science behind pregnancy, motherhood, and mental health.
Community Showcases
18 – 27 October – Free
Back at the museum, this year’s Young People’s Project is being delivered in partnership with Pinc College (which focuses on creative education for neurodivergent young people). The young artists will create an interactive installation exploring the link between colour and emotion. Community showcases will be popping up throughout the festival from Beswick Chatty Crafters, Mandem Meetup, Reclaim Young Policy Makers and artist Linda Wachaga. Full details will be revealed soon.
BBC CBeebies Bedtime Stories
Science and Industry Museum, 1830 Warehouse – Free
Throughout the run of Manchester Science Festival, Mini star gazers can snuggle down for a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) inspired BBC CBeebies Bedtime Story, read by CBeebies House presenters and a constellation of special guests. Keep an eye out for tickets, which will be available to book soon.
Ella Wild, Head of Festivals and Events as the Science and Industry Museum, said: “We are delighted that Manchester Science Festival is back this year with an unmissable programme packed full of fun, playful experiences designed to ignite curiosity about our world.
“The festival is a brilliant opportunity to bring together visitors of all ages and interests to be inspired by science in action, and a wonderful way to showcase Manchester’s long-standing position as a leader in innovation. We can’t wait to welcome everyone in October.”
As the world’s first industrial city, Manchester has long been at the heart of human development and continues to be a leader in progress and innovation. The Science and Industry Museum is uniquely placed to tell the city’s story, sitting on the site of the world’s oldest surviving passenger railway station. Today it is alive with innovative discoveries and committed to inspiring visitors through ideas that changed the world, with Manchester Science Festival sitting at the centre of this.
Vice Chancellor of the University of Salford, Professor Nic Beech, said: “Manchester Science Festival is always an exciting event in the year, showcasing the best and latest innovations. It is an event for all that embraces the spirit of national and international collaboration and learning that is at the heart of our city region and the spirit of the Festival aligns well with our own values around curiosity and investigation as well as our commitment to life-long learning.
“I am always delighted to see people from all walks of life getting hands on with science in a way that is fun, exciting and that inspires the next generation.”
Visit www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/manchester-science-festival to explore the full series of events and book your tickets.
Manchester Science Festival has been generously supported by the University of Salford (Lead Educational Partner), Booking.com (Associate Sponsor) and Manchester Airports Group (Associate Sponsor).
