Manchester University opens its doors to the public with Community Festival

Ever wanted to visit places where world-changing discoveries have been made? Fancy making your own 3D model? What about walking on custard?

Well now you can. Following on from the huge success of its first Community Festival last year which attracted nearly 2,000 visitors, Manchester University will be opening its doors again on 15th June to give you another chance to find out about some of the fantastic things they do there.

The University of Manchester’s Community Festival showcases the cutting edge research of one of the UK’s leading universities. Over the years the university has been home to some world-changing discoveries in science, medicine and the arts, contributing to Manchester’s history as a birthplace of new ideas.

You’ll get the chance to go behind the scenes and find out about the work the university does and get hands-on with activities like live experiments, interactive demonstrations and live music performances. You’ll also get the chance to meet the staff, researchers and scientists to ask them all kinds of weird and wonderful questions.

This free festival is jam-packed with fun activities for all the family.

Activities include:

Making your own 3D models; Play with 3D doodle pens and make your own 3D models! Then discover how the digital fabrication centre uses 3D printing for research and building models.

Walking on Custard; Walking on custard I hear you ask? Some liquids like custard or toothpaste become a solid when you apply pressure to them. Find out why this is by getting hands on with these amazing liquids.

The Flash-Bang Show; Everyone’s favourite, open your eyes to the amazing world of chemistry that is all around us. There will be fantastic colour changes, flashes and the occasional bang, so hold on to your hats!

Slime-the body’s great defence; Meet Team Mucus and explore how this marvellously sticky substance is made using microscopes, models and experiments.

The Secret History of the Manchester Bee; Manchester’s secret societies – discover the hidden story of the Manchester Bee and learn to spot signs of secret societies on Manchester buildings.

Heritage Tours; Journey around the university’s fine neo-gothic architecture and sites of ground breaking discoveries. Visit sites including those where Ernest Rutherford split the atom and where Alan Turing helped lay the foundations of modern computing.

The Hidden World of Hearing; Step into an interactive sensory experience exploring the hidden world of hearing, the science of the ear and the importance of protecting your hearing.

Peterloo Protest; Find out about a defining moment in Manchester’s history as the John Rylands Library explores the 200th anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre.

The Great British Numbers Quiz; Manchester is home to people from all over the world, but how much do you know about the ethnicity of Manchester and the UK? Test your skills in the Great British numbers quiz.

Manchester University Community Festival is on 15th June from 11am-4pm at The University of Manchester on Oxford Road.

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