A highlight of Manchester’s cultural calendar and one of the most popular science festivals in the UK is returning later this year to host a programme of interactive events, unmissable adventures and entertaining activities.
The biennial Manchester Science Festival, produced by the Science and Industry Museum, returns from Friday 18 – Sunday 27 October 2024.
The first details of its packed programme have been announced, revealing a series of special events and activities exploring the theme of “Extremes”. Festivalgoers will have 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 across two activity zones, adult-only evenings, a headline artistic installation and a free major exhibition. There will also be science-inspired spectacles beyond the museum as part of a city-wide festival programme.
Major headline experiences
Dive inside the human brain with new large-scale artistic installation, State of Mind, designed and developed by pioneering light, sound and technology artists, Squidsoup. In a voyage to uncover the impact smartphones, apps and media technologies have on our lives, the experience will immerse audiences in a changing visual and audio landscape that has been created to represent the extreme effect a world saturated with sensory stimuli has on our brains. Participants are invited to sit, stand, walk, and explore while the installation of three-dimensional LED lights and speakers transitions from an orderly show of light and sound into a more chaotic scattering of colour. Inspired by the work of abstract artist Piet Mondrian, State of Mind will ask audiences to reflect on the effect daily use of technology has on their mood and behaviour as they travel through a visual representation of how our brains are constantly working to bring order and understanding to the millions of sensory inputs we receive daily.
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 guest curators of exciting evening events for the festival’s opening weekend. The inspiring duo have joined together for the first time to design a special programme of interactive fun that helps adults delve deeper into AI and Space.
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
See the Vollebak graphene jacket acquired by the museum and on display for the first time to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the discovery in Manchester of wonder material, graphene.
Activity Zones
Take part in amazing activities from the National Graphene Institute, the Natural History Museum, the Royal Society, the Office for National Statistics, the University of Salford, Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester with full details and more festival partners and family fun to be announced this September.
Explore the theme of extremes through the lens of ourselves – how the body can reach extremes of performance and ability – and the future – extreme environments of space and earth’s changing climate.
Co-produced with our Community Partners
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.
A creative residency 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 exploring the science behind pregnancy and motherhood. 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) to create an interactive installation exploring the link between colour and emotion.
Community showcases from Beswick Chatty Crafters, Mandem Meetup, Reclaim Young Policy Makers and artist Linda Wachaga will be revealed soon.
Festival finale
Explore Manchester Science Festival after dark in an evening finale with Venture Arts.
Major exhibition
Free major exhibition, Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine, will also be available to explore during the festival. The experience 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.
Further events …
More events will be announced in September including 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.
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.”
