Curious Mancs can explore brand-new science displays, immersive exhibitions, decades of gaming, and more this May half term and beyond.
With only a week to go now until schools right across Greater Manchester and the North West are out, the Science and Industry Museum in the heart of Manchester city centre is gearing up to host a half term “packed full of digital discovery”, as well as unveil a hotly-anticipated new display dedicated to the remarkable life of one of the most important theoretical physicists of all time.
Not only that, but one of its most successful world-first exhibitions has also been extended until the end of the month so more visitors can catch it before it closes, and there’ll also be the chance to explore the world of gaming and discover groundbreaking ideas that “change the world”.
No matter whether you’re after an engaging day out with the family, an afternoon spent immersed in science, a look forward to the future of tech, or a journey back though Manchester’s industrial past, the Science and Industry Museum has got you covered.
Here’s everything you can get involved in over the next few weeks.
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Stephen Hawking at Work
Thursday 25 May – onwards
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Stpehen Hawking at Work / Credit: Science Museum Group
Visitors will able to get up close to rare personal items of Stephen Hawking’s in the Science and Industry’s newest display opening next week.
Stephen Hawking at Work explores the remarkable life of a world-renowned scientist, who passed away in 2018 – with significant objects from his office giving an insight into his life as a scientist, science communicator, and as a person who lived with motor neurone disease.
Highlights include a rare copy of his PhD thesis, and a wager he made with his peers about whether things that fall into a black hole are lost forever, while there’s also a ‘time traveller’ party invitation that he sent to his peers after the party had taken place, to prove that time travel to the past is impossible.
Turn It Up: The power of music / Credit: Science Museum Group
This month is your last chance to join the over 30,000 visitors who have already been able to discover more about “the science of music’s mysterious hold over us”, and how it drives us to create, perform, feel and share.
Officially closing on Monday 29 May, you can experiment with beats, melodies, and harmonies in the exhibition’s Musical Playground, uncover how music influences our mood, shopping habits, and even the taste of food, or explore first-hand accounts from people pushing the boundaries of musical innovation.
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Turn It Up: The power of music is packed full of opportunities for visitors of all ages and interests to explore their inner music maker and determine what music means to them.
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Power UP
Open every weekend & school holiday
Power UP / Credit: Science Museum Group
If you haven’t had the chance to catch the “ultimate gaming experience” that is Power UP yet, then this May half term is the ideal time.
Open every weekend, and seven days a week throughout the school holidays, Power UP caters for gamers of all ages and skill level, and welcomes players to revel in the very-best video games from the past five decades, while getting hands-on with over 160 consoles.
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You’ll get to experience cutting edge technology and the latest developments in virtual reality, as well as rediscover childhood favourites played on classic consoles.
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Other special activities for May half term
Saturday 27 May – Sunday 4 June
May half herm at the Science and Industry Museum / Credit: Science Museum Group
Especially for May half term, the Science and Industry Museum is hosting a programme of family fun themed around robotics, digital discovery, and tech, so visitors can meet and interact with real-life robots, practise programming to influence their movements and actions, and imagine what having a robot best friend might look like.
The team of expert Explainers will be on hand to help visitors “conquer digital coding”, while also helping you explore some of the museum’s historic objects and stories like the working replica of the Manchester Baby, and the 19th century invention that is the Jacquard Loom.
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There’ll even be a series of flying drone displays taking place inside the museum too.
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Featured Image – Science Museum Group
Art & Culture
Manchester’s ‘most energetic’ live art competition is back next month
Emily Sergeant
The city’s most energetic live art event is coming back to a Greater Manchester centre next month.
Art Battle Manchester will see artists battle both the clock and each other for a night filled with live art, delicious local street food and drinks, and plenty of entertainment.
If you’re unfamiliar with the event, Art Battle Manchester was first established in 2013 and has since seen more than 250 artists step up to the challenge in unique locations across Manchester, including the likes of Albert Hall, Victoria Baths, and London Road Fire Station – with no venue being used twice, which organisers say offers a ‘fresh and original’ experience.
It’s an evening of fast-paced art and entertainment, featuring painters, illustrators, tattooists, street artists, and other creatives in a head-to-head spectacle like no other.
Manchester’s ‘most energetic’ live art competition is back next month / Credit: Supplied
Set to take over Stretford Mall, in what is one of the last opportunities to explore the complex after hours and experience the building like never before, the space will be transformed into an artistic battle zone for 10 talented painters, who’ll have half an hour to create a masterpiece in front of a live audience.
Each of the artists will be elevated on individual stages, making it the very first promenade-style Art Battle – and a totally unique event.
Residents of Stretford and beyond are invited to take their place in the live audience at the hugely-popular event when it arrives next month and cast their votes for their favourite artistic creations, all before the created artworks get auctioned at the end of the competition.
Half of the funds raised from the auction go to the winning artist, and the other half are donated to a local charity.
The Art Battle’s collaboration with Stretford town centre is not only the latest in a long line of iconic artistic partnerships that have taken place in the town over the years, but it will also celebrate the future of the town’s unique creativity with an exhibition from Trafford College art students installed for the duration of the event.
“When the opportunity arose to bring the battle to Stretford Mall, we couldn’t resist,” commented John Macauley.
“As well as the painty shenanigans we’ll be bringing together some of Stretford’s finest independents serving an array of food and drink to the crowd.”
Art Battle MCR is coming to Stretford Mall next month on 20 June, and tickets are now on sale here.
Featured Image – Supplied
Art & Culture
A music festival is coming to a Manchester skate park
Danny Jones
With the sun starting to shine more consistently and the music festival season well and truly on its way, we’ll admit we weren’t expecting to see an event taking place on a Manchester skate park, of all places.
Projekts Skatepark, the long-standing skating hub and cultural hotspot located under Macunian Way, is set to host the fourth edition of the unapologetically named ‘Metlchester’.
Starting out life as little more than a small Oldham Street takeover, the city centre festival is returning for this year, bringing plenty of alternative music, skate vibes, bevs and more.
You can see the lineup confirmed so far down below:
The 2025 edition of the festival, a.k.a. ‘Metlchester Vol. 4’, is taking place later this month.
Projekts has been catering to local boarders for the past two decades, and along with their on-site cafe and bar, the space has been put to use for several other special events – case and point, Meltchester Festival, which first started back in 2022.
Bringing a healthy dose of garage rock, post-punk and psych music to NQ from the outset, now it’s expanded, you can expect even more variety when it comes to genre this time around, as well as a well-stocked in-house bar and street food stalls.
Oh yeah, and of course there’ll be the usual merch and skate shop for you to browse.
As for the aforementioned tunes, while last year’s festival was headlined by Night Beats and Frankie & The Witch Fingers, topping the bill this year are Snapped Ankles, along with a mix of grassroots artists, including local duo, Slap Rash, who recently featured as one of our Manc artists of the month for April.
Projekts opened back in 2004Slap RashCredit: Supplied
Set in collaboration with Sour Grapes Records, an equally longstanding regional promoter with hundreds of successful events to their name, they make up part of the Greater Manchester Music Commission.
Serving up an exciting springtime event full of energy, from the skate culture to the performances themselves, this is the perfect appetiser ahead of a busy summer schedule as we approach festival season.
They also happen to be the event coordinators for local music venue Big Hands, where not only are current Sicilian traders Rizzo’s are based (also set to join the festival for the day) but where this year’s after party will be held, which is free for ticket holders, by the way.
Set to kick off from 12 noon on 17 May, with a pro skater session running until 2pm before the tunage, Metlchester sounds like a belter.
Emily Sergeant -
19th May 2023 
