Manchester Science Festival family events

Gemma Gibb, Associate Editor

Visit now

Manchester Science Festival free family events

18-28 October 2018

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Science and Industry Museum
Book now

There is always something out of the ordinary to get involved in at the peerless Manchester Science Festival, and the free family events at this year’s edition will not disappoint.

The joy is it doesn’t matter if you are geeky, arty,  practical or haven’t a clue how to start – it’s about playing, investigating and experiencing something new in a brilliantly supportive and energetic environment that you won’t forget in a hurry.

There are hundreds of events across Manchester but a good place to start is at the Science and Industry Museum – the home of the producers of England’s largest science festival.

Highlights here include the Power Playground. Explore new exhibition together Electricity: the Spark of Life then get hands on with future fuels, drones, thermal cameras and making your own solar powered car.

Get involved in endless amounts of other creative and scientific endeavours with daily science shows and events. Manipulate matter with magnets, explore how electricity powers nature, learn coding and play with sound and light.

Manchester Science Festival free family events

Manchester Science Festival family events across the city include Big Fish Little Fish’s Animal Fantastical family rave on October 28, the Ugly Animal Roadshow at Gallery Oldham on October 27, and Deep Ocean Lab featuring YouTube and Blue Peter science sensation Greg Foot at the Lowry on October 22.

We love that not only are the activities truly targeted at all ages from tiny tots to teens (and older boffs of course) but they are so imaginatively produced that we will be experiencing some of the most exciting and innovative science in the world today. Exciting stuff.

Where to go near Manchester Science Festival family events

Manchester
Restaurant
Teppanyaki Chinatown

A Japanese teppanyaki restaurant in the centre of Chinatown. The focus is on high-quality food with a minimum of theatrics. It doesn’t disappoint.

Manchester
Music venue
Castlefield Bowl

The Castlefield Bowl is an outdoor events pavilion in the inner city conservation area of Castlefield in Manchester. The 8000-capacity arena is often used for food festivals and music events.

Great John Street Hotel in Spinningfields in Manchester.
Castlefield
Hotel
Great John Street Hotel

A converted Victorian school house nestled on the edge of Spinningfields, the Great John Street Hotel has a relaxed and decadent atmosphere.

Castlefield
Bar or Pub
Cask

Cask is a well-loved pub on Liverpool Road in Manchester. It has an excellent selection of continental beers and a cosy beer garden.

Castlefield
Event venue
Castlefield Viaduct

Launching in summer 2022, the National Trust and Twelve Architects and Masterplanners will be bringing a new lease of life to Castlefield Viaduct.

Campfield Open Day-3
Castlefield
Event venue
Campfield Market Hall

Having undergone years of transformative and restorative work, the complex will now be known as Campfield Mega Campus, Manchester’s most ambitious creative-tech destination.

Saul Hay Gallery
Manchester
Gallery
Saul Hay Gallery

Saul Hay Gallery, located one of Castlefield’s Victorian red brick buildings, is one of Manchester’s most important commercial galleries.

Manchester
Restaurant
Fenix

Modern Greek Mediterranean cuisine from the team behind Tattu.

Castlefield
Restaurant
Trading Route

Trading Route serves up time-honoured Sunday grub, in a modern Manchester setting. Worth a visit for the expertly-curated soundtrack alone.

Altrincham
Shop
IDAHO

Every piece in IDAHO has something special and will guarantee to make your homes, offices and wardrobes feel a little more inspiring.

What's on: Families

Culture Guides

A busy image created using generative AI. The image depicts a man at the centre with grey hair and rosy cheeks, surrounding him are fairies that appear to be created in his own image with multiple limbs and unique bodily proportions. Around them are hundreds of vials, microscopes and dated scientific equipment.
Exhibitions

Spring has sprung a wealth of great exhibitions in the North West, from intimate photographic shows to huge installations.

Theatre

Closer, riskier, more immediate. Our small-scale theatre picks stretch from unsettling fables about nationhood to the inner workings of a mind trying to hold itself together.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.

Fatoumata Diawara by Alun Be.
Music

This month’s live music picks move between ambitious new work, grassroots celebrations and a few memorable settings.

Food and Drink in the North

Spring has arrived, bringing with it al fresco dining and a rush of high-profile food and drink-related events in Manchester.

Emily Lloyd-Saini as Grace in Space and Harrie Hayes as Lieutenant Strong in Horrible Science
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.