Summer Fun at the Science and Industry Museum

Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor

Visit now

Summer Fun at the Museum of Science and Industry

24 July-5 September 2021

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

Summer Fun at the Science and Industry Museum
Image courtesy of the Science Museum Group.
Book now

Round up the family tree and make your way to the Science and Industry Museum for a fascinating summer season of hands-on workshops, fun activities and must-see exhibitions. Suitable for all ages, many of the activities are free, and with plenty to get involved with, we can’t think of a better way to occupy those young minds over the summer holidays.

There’s something fun for everybody to explore at the Science and Industry Museum this summer. Discover more about the top-secret world of codebreaking, ciphers and secret communication at the museum’s free exhibition Top Secret: From ciphers to cyber security. Gather more information from the museum’s expert Explainers and put your own codebreaking skills and knowledge to the test with interactive games and challenges.

We can’t think of a better way to occupy those young minds over the summer holidays.

Go back in time to the working mills of 150 years ago in the Textiles Gallery. Find out more about the cotton industry and Manchester’s heritage, and discover how the textiles industry is firmly woven into the history of computing. Pick up a free activity trail to guide yourself through the gallery and have fun with games and challenges along the way.

To see science brought to life in front of your eyes – make your way to Experiment, a free interactive gallery for the whole family. You can also find out more about Manchester’s trailblazing history and all of the discoveries, inventions and big ideas to come out of the city in the Revolution Manchester gallery.

Come rain or shine – the Science and Industry Museum is always a firm favourite during the summer holidays.

The museum has partnered with CBBC and CBeebies for a special weekend-long event taking place from 20-22 August too. Manchester Science Festival Family Weekender promises to be a fun-packed three days of special events and activities exploring our changing climate and ideas for a better world.

So whatever the weather – come rain or shine – an action-packed day at the Science and Industry Museum is always a firm favourite during the summer holidays.

Where to go near Summer Fun at the Science and Industry Museum

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.

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.

Castlefield
Theatre
Versa Manchester Studios

Formerly the Old Granada Studios, VERSA Manchester Studios is evolving into a dynamic Studio Campus with TV, Film, Motion Capture and VR / AR Studios alongside a glamorous new Soho House.

What's on: Exhibitions

Until
Exhibitions
The Vessel at PINK

Chris Thompson transforms PINK into an uncanny, interactive cabinet of obsessions, inviting visitors to uncover its shifting, unstable narratives.

Free entry
Until
ExhibitionsCity Centre
Just Browsing at the Bluecoat

Please DO touch – Bluecoat’s new exhibition ‘Just Browsing’ allows audiences to get closer to the artworks and engage beyond looking.

Free entry

Culture Guides

Music in the North

Manchester’s starting the new year with a run of gigs from some of the country’s best underground exports.

Textured portrait image of Jarman
Theatre in the North

Theatre across the North West splits between festive escape and sharp, urgent work exploring politics, power and resistance.

A doll with makeup peeks out of a hanging wall of butter yellow fabric. Red and black threads descend and cascade around the doll.
Exhibitions in the North

This season, exhibitions across the North West feel attuned to the world beneath the world – the forces and stories shaping how we see, feel and imagine.

A performer in a bright red costume sits on a snowy stage set, holding a large snowball between their legs with a surprised expression. The colourful winter backdrop features snowflakes, hills, a snowman, and a traffic light with glowing lights.
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.

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.

Food and Drink in the North

Hear ye, hear ye. Take some eating-out tips from our wintertime guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.