Manchester Science Festival

Manchester Science Festival, produced by the Science and Industry Museum, will return from Friday 21 – Sunday 30 October 2022. The first details of its packed programme have been announced, including a never-before-seen exhibition and new cosmic dance experience, all aimed at exploring what makes us human and asking the question, ‘What does the future hold for humanity?’

Prepare to get hands on with brand new headline exhibition, Turn It Up: The power of music, which will showcase the new melody-making opportunities unlocked by science and technology and the fresh perspectives revealing how music affects our bodies and minds. The space will be alive with music, supporting visitors to open their ears and hearts by listening to tunes and experimenting with sounds. Through intriguing objects, musical commissions and interactive experiences, including an incredible “musical playground”, discover how technological advancements continue to push the limits of music.

This multi-sensory, hands-on exhibition will provide accessible experiences for everyone, and encourage visitors to feel and reflect on what music means to them and others. It will premiere at Manchester Science Festival and run until May 2023 at the Science and Industry Museum, before taking off on an international tour.

Festivalgoers can also enjoy an out-of-this-world dance experience that will help to create the first dance in space. Acclaimed choreographer, Corey Baker, is working with the European Space Agency to design a dance routine to be performed by astronauts. An accompanying interactive installation has been commissioned and will premiere at Manchester Science Festival.

Visitors can throw shapes as avatar dancers to see how they move under different gravity conditions. The results will be shown around the room against spectacular backdrops filmed in space. They will add to our understanding of how the human body might behave when dancing outside of earth’s atmosphere, with the possibility of visitors’ moves appearing in the European Space Agency astronauts’ dance.

There will be lots more for visitors of all ages and interests to enjoy at the festival, including opportunities to get hands on with some of science’s most cutting-edge developments, get lost in immersive technology, investigate the future of humanity and explore the role of cities like Manchester in creating communities of tomorrow. From family-fun games and tinkering to after-hours adult events and live music performances, Manchester Science Festival will include an unmissable line-up of entertaining and playful experiences for everyone.

The majority of the festival’s events will be hosted at the museum, with experiences also taking place across the city at Central Library, Manchester Arndale and a special collaboration with the National Trust at the new Castlefield Viaduct.