Get ready to level up at one of Manchester’s best loved visitor attractions with a gaming extravaganza this spring holiday.
From Saturday 1 to Sunday 16 April, the Science and Industry Museum will host a packed programme of super-size gaming, animated adventure and digital discovery inspired by its collections and immersive gaming experience, Power UP.
Visitors will be transported inside their favourite games as part of the Actual Reality Arcade, a life-size gaming experience. Memories will be unlocked as players star in real-life versions of retro favourites, including Invaders and Breakout.
Young gamers can also explore a special Pac-Man floor maze, and families can level up together with some super-size gaming.
Ultimate gaming experience, Power UP, will be open every day throughout the holiday with five decades of games and over a hundred different consoles to enjoy. Visitors can rediscover classic arcade favourites like Pac-Man or explore the future of gaming through virtual reality experiences. Manchester’s links to the gaming industry will also be explored, and visitors can journey through the evolution of games consoles.
The museum’s expert Explainers will lead the ultimate gaming geek-out as they share the secrets behind the latest technology bringing huge advances in graphics and game playing, and there will be plenty of opportunities to recharge and get creative alongside professionals from the industry.
Visitors can also enjoy world-first exhibition, Turn It Up: The power of music, and explore the science of music’s mysterious hold over us through a series of immersive musical experiences and interactive activities. Play, experiment and make music together in the specially commissioned ‘musical playground’. There’s even a chance to throw some shapes as the ‘Boogie to the Beat’ digital mirror motion tracks visitors’ Vogue, Renegade and Twist in the name of science.
Families with children aged four and under can also enjoy activities specifically designed to spark creativity in young minds. Free Construction Packs will be on offer for youngsters to take round the museum.
Tash Camberwell, School and Families Producer at the Science and Industry Museum, said:
”We’re so excited to turn the museum into a playground of super-sized gaming fun this spring holiday. Get to grips with gaming, revel in the retro in Power UP and celebrate the science behind gaming technology.
“We want to inspire visitors with ideas that have changed the world, from Baby, the ancestor of every modern computer, to the latest advances in gaming and virtual reality. Discover Manchester’s amazing contribution to the gaming industry as we look to the future, supporting the next generation shaping it through careers in science, technology, engineering and maths.
“From Pong to Pac-man there’s something for everyone this April, so whether you’re an experienced gamer or picking up a console for the first time, come along and get involved.”
General admission tickets to the museum are free. Tickets for Power UP (www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/whats-on/power-up) and Turn It Up (www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/whats-on/turn-it-up) £8 for adults/£6 for children (family discounts available). For more information about what is on at the museum and to book tickets in advance, visit the museum’s website (www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk) or call 033 0058 0058.
Further details of the spring holiday activities can be found on the museum’s website (www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/whats-on/spring-holidays-2023).
