You can explore the extremes of nature, human capability, and creativity at Manchester Science Festival next month.
In case you missed it, Manchester‘s massively-popular Science Festival confirmed back in January that it would be making a grand return for 2024 later this year, and would be offering visitors the unique opportunity to become a genuine part of history through a wide range of hands-on events and activities when it did.
And now, the full programme for the exciting festival has been released this week – with loads of immersive experiences lined up.
📢 It’s here 📢
Our Festival line-up is officially here and it’s a packed one! We’ve got immersive installations, hands-on fun celebrating the extremes of science and exclusive adult-only events.
Manchester Science Festival – which is produced and staged at Manchester’s legendary Science and Industry Museum in the heart of the city centre every other year – is one of the UK’s largest and most popular science festivals, and the lineup for 2024 only goes to prove why that is the case, as there’s something for people of all ages to get stuck into.
This year, organisers say the festival is all about “tackling the extremes of our world”.
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Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about some of science’s most cutting-edge developments through multi-sensory experiences and hands-on family fun.
Manchester Science Festival has announced its jam-packed lineup for 2024 / Credit: Science Museum Group
Interactive events will take place throughout the 10 days of the festival, with the Science and Industry Museum itself playing host to a significant majority of them, but other city centre-based hubs like Manchester Arndale also involved.
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At the Science and Industry Museum, you can expect incredible immersive artworks with the new installation State of Mind by Squidsoup, which explores the impact of smartphones and apps on our brains, while the major exhibition Injecting Hope: The Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine – which opened at the Museum back in July – considers the extreme challenges faced during the pandemic.
STEM champion, social entrepreneur, and computer scientist, Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE, will join forces with Libby Jackson OBE, who is the UK Space Agency’s Head of Space Exploration, for the first time for a special conversation around AI in Space.
The incredible Arachnobot, a giant spider puppet, will make its way through Manchester Arndale Centre in an “unmissable” and “enchanting” spectacle.
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The popular 10-day event is returning to the city next month / Credit: Science Museum Group
Families can also visit fun-filled activity zones at the Museum too, all of which will be looking at the extremes of human performance and our planet.
There’ll be loads of different activities to do throughout the week, including some from fesrtival partners including Natural History Museum, and the universities of Manchester and Salford.
And there’ll be a special science-themed BBC CBeebies Bedtime Story during your visit too.
Ella Wild, who is the Head of Festivals and Events as the Science and Industry Museum, said the Museum is “delighted” that Manchester Science Festival is back with “an unmissable programme packed full of fun” this year.
She added that there’ll be lots of “playful experiences designed to ignite curiosity about our world”.
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“The festival is a brilliant opportunity to bring together visitors of all ages and interests to be inspired by science in action,” Ella commented, “and it’s a wonderful way to showcase Manchester’s long-standing position as a leader in innovation, so we can’t wait to welcome everyone in October.”
Manchester Science Festival 2024 kicks off on Friday 18 October and runs right through to Sunday 27 October, and tickets are officially now on sale.
Find out more and grab yourself some tickets here.
Featured Image – Orbie Pullen (via Science Museum Group)
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Thanks to Terminal 2’s major upgrade, now holidays really do start at Manchester Airport
Danny Jones
It’s a phrase that’s almost as old as air travel itself, but luckily, Manchester Airport are well and truly getting your holidays started early, courtesy of the new and improved Terminal 2.
T2‘s massive upgrade technically finished in 2025, but with other bits debuting already this year and even more to come in 2026, Manchester’s biggest terminal is a more fully-fledged travel hub than ever.
Complete everything from the essentials and a healthy supply of food and drink, to lots of luxuries and plenty of ways to unwind and kill time between both before and after flights, you can feel extra smug about getting to the airport early.
As part of their latest ‘Terminal Explorer’ campaign, we recently paid a visit to see just how much fun we could get up to in and around T2. Spoilers: quite a lot.
With a little help from their wayfinding screens dotted around the various areas, from the World Duty Free section and ever-growing internal shopping district, to all the bars and restaurants that have opened since the big refurb, we took ourselves on a very fun day out.
And that was without even having an actual holiday booked to look forward to, so just imagine how good it must feel to top all this off with a real trip away.
In fact, you don’t even need to think that hard about it; roughly 80% of all passengers heading in and out of Manchester Airport now come through T2, and with the experience improving all the time, they’re seeing a serious uptick in visitors and their time spent enjoying some leisure before their getaway.
From additions like the LEGO store to keep the kids entertained, as well as numerous places to grab a brew, a bite, or even your first adult beverage of the holiday, it’s up to you how you choose to explore – they’ve just given you plenty of options.
There’s no bigger testament to the latest hospitality offerings in Terminal 2 than the recently opened Great Northern Market, which brings a rather big taste of the Mackie Mayor vibe to Manchester Airport.
A VERY comfortable place to wind down any wait times before you fly.
You’ll be blown away by the amount of choice on offer in here – we certainly were – and, of course, the multi-vendor culinary destination epicentre is just one of many fantastic food and drink offerings now boasted by the T2 ‘2.0.’
For instance, we could happily spend most of the time before our next hypothetical flight just chilling in the super stylish Fever-Tree Bar, which includes a wonderful range of breakfast and light bites, charcuterie boards, small plates, sandwiches and so on – plus a cocktail menu perfect for any occasion.
Put simply, you’ve now been given all the tools and means to turn downtime of almost any duration into an excuse to explore Manchester Airport at its best; in fact, scratch that: it’s an opportunity to go for a wander and make the most of it – and it’s one you don’t want to waste.
Whether it’s stocking up pre-flight or kicking back with your first drink of many, don’t just be another person sitting watching the departures board, be a terminal explorer.
Sensory-friendly Northern Lights to illuminate Printworks’ digital ceiling to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week
Emily Sergeant
This week marks the start of Neurodiversity Celebration Week.
Approximately 15-20% of the population has a neurological difference, according to the most recent statistics, and Neurodiversity Celebration Week (16-20 March 2026) highlighting the importance of championing, raising awareness of, and accommodating neurodiverse people.
And Printworks is marking the occasion in its own special way, with a series of new initiatives designed to create a more ‘inclusive’ and ‘sensory-friendly’ environment.
You may already know that the popular indoor entertainment complex in the heart of Manchester city centre is home to more than a dozen bars, restaurants, and leisure activities – including one of the largest IMAX screens on the continent – and Europe’s largest digital ceiling too, of course, but this week’s experience is unlike anything the venue has welcomed before.
Throughout the week, Printworks will be transforming its digital ceiling with calming Northern Lights and constellations which have been specifically designed to create a relaxed, sensory-friendly atmosphere for visitors with additional sensory needs.
Northern Lights to illuminate Printworks’ digital ceiling to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week / Credit: Supplied
As part of a long-term commitment to accessibility and inclusivity, Printworks is also introducing a weekly sensory-friendly hour every Sunday too, where lighting throughout the venue will be dimmed, and music and SFX volumes reduced for a reduced-stimulus environment.
200 free sensory packs – which can be collected at Vue cinema – with a pair of ear defenders and sensory-friendly toys, designed to support visitors who may benefit from sensory tools while enjoying the venue, are also on offer throughout the course of the week.
On top of this, there’s also a range of autism-friendly cinema screenings taking place on the last Sunday of every month at 10:30am.
An additional autism-friendly screening will be taking place with a showing of Hoppers this Sunday 22 March at 10:30am, with tickets now available from Vue’s website.
“Neurodiversity Celebration Week is an important time for brands and venues to recognise and support the diverse ways visitors and audiences experience the world,” commented Dan Davis, who is the General Manager at Printworks.
Emily Sergeant -
11th September 2024 
