Power Hall: After Hours at Science and Industry Museum
Johnny James, Managing EditorBook now
Power Hall: After Hours
Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.
Manchester was once powered by steam, steel and industrial invention. That energy roars back to life in the Science and Industry Museum’s Power Hall, which opens its doors after hours for a special, adults-only event featuring live music, interactive games and food and drink.
Be among the first to explore the newly re-opened Power Hall: The Andrew Law Gallery, following its major repair and conservation programme. Set inside a Grade II listed former warehouse, it charts the engine-driven ingenuity that powered Manchester’s industrial rise and fuelled a global export economy. Home to one of the UK’s largest collections of historic engines, Power Hall brings you face to face with the machines that helped reshape the modern world.
For one night only, these machines share the spotlight. RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Viola delivers a performance celebrating all things power. Classically trained, the Manchester-based performer builds their drag around live musicianship, blending violin and vocals in a set that draws as much from cabaret and theatre as club culture. Mike Cunningham, meanwhile, brings high-impact show drumming, performing on illuminated LED bongos and snare. Trained at Chetham’s School of Music and Leeds Conservatoire, his metallic timbres and driving patterns will echo the sounds of industry, giving voice to the machines around you.
Between performances, dive into high-energy interactive games. Test your nerve against a giant buzz wire, navigate a tabletop maze, and challenge your friends to a pedal-powered Scalextric race. You’ll also be able to explore the museum’s permanent galleries after hours, including the mighty machines of the Textiles Gallery, hands-on science in Experiment, and the city’s world-changing ideas in Revolution Manchester.
Feel like embracing your inner child? Your ticket comes with free access to the Museum’s brand-new world premiere exhibition, Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos, as Power Up, the ultimate gaming exhibition, featuring over 150 consoles. Refuel with delicious food alongside alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, available to purchase throughout the event.
It’s a rare chance to explore the Science and Industry Museum differently – after dark, adults-only, with new performance sharing the same space as Manchester’s industrial history.
