What's on

Witness a stunning spectacle as handmade puppets, created from bamboo and dyed cloth, move along Exhibition Road.

Make candy models to learn more about the structure of molecules, and race blood cells though mazes to discover how disease affects blood flow.

Did you know how much owning a pet can impact the environment? Learn how we can reduce our pets’ eco pawprints!

Head to our Family Stage and enjoy a programme packed with interactive performances, music and science shows especially for families.

Reimagine the Great Exhibition of 1851 for the 21st century, bringing your own personal stories and ideas into the spotlight.

Get ready to dance the afternoon away at our Bandstand! Join us for a programme packed with traditional music, dance workshops and performances.

Step inside our interactive maths marquee to expeirence a side of maths you never knew existed. Ready to play?

Explore how your electricity will be generated and used in the future through interactive models and games.

Rethink and create with waste and Science Owl. Design, build and race your own car made from broken toys and household materials.

Explore new flavours and ingredients, as chefs and scientists whip up dishes for you to sample right there and then!

Explore the Royal Parks' incredible wildlife and unique heritage through hands-on activities for all ages.

Investigate the art of printing, and the science of pigments, in this hands-on creative workshop from the Science Museum!

Explore the Natural History Museum’s Nature Discovery Garden and join their Learning and Science teams to discover the range of plants and animals that live there.

Check out a solar-powered, unmanned aircraft developed for a record-breaking flight attempt by a team of aeronautical engineers!

Take the ultimate test of your engineering skills by designing, flying and and redesigning the perfect paper plane.

Discover what your blood is actually made of and how it keeps you healthy by helping us build a giant blood-themed sculpture

Find out how medical robotics and innovative fibre-based devices are revolutionising surgery.

Roll the giant dice and put your heart to the test! Learn about heart rate variability and what it tells us about how our bodies respond to stress, movement and relaxation.

Try out a life-sized twist on Snakes and Ladders where vaccines take centre stage. Alternatively become a scientist, interviewing your friends and family to support ongoing medical research.

Help us create a woven installation, showcasing the way our diverse experiences shape understanding of how our brains age and neurodegenerative diseases.

Help us build a record‑breaking paper DNA helix and discover how the code of life is assembled, decoded and understood.

Make your own black hole-inspired decorative ornaments with theoretical physicists studying the surprising science behind these extreme objects.

Watch a giant sand sculpture of the iconic Crystal Palace take shape across the festival weekend—presented by the Museum of Architecture.

Make art inspired by maths and its connections to the Islamic print tradition of Ebru marbling.

Check out luminous cells and soundscapes inspired by molecular biology, before creating your own contributions to our glowing gazebo gallery.

Take a trip to Antarctica and find out what it's like to conduct research on the coldest, driest and most remote continent on Earth!

Join a paper folding workshop and watch a live demo of a foldable Mars heat shield, revealing how creative ideas are shaping future spacecraft design!

Exhibition Road is transformed into an open-air art gallery with ten new works painted live over the weekend, exploring how scientific ideas move through time.

Join Nostalgia, the UK's first steel band as they welcome you to play, learn, and explore the rich heritage of steelpan music.

Snap a photo against one of our large-scale backdrops and take home a memory of your own Festival day!

Invent, draw and print playful, imaginary machines which you can take home or exhibit with Royal College of Art graduate Tamsin Loxley.

A bold and thought-provoking artwork exploring Imperial College London's history and heritage.

From robotics to new materials, meet the student innovators, researchers and start-up founders whose emerging technologies are reshaping everyday life and tackling global challenges.

Sample delicious planet-friendly dishes and discover practical ways to reduce your food footprint.

Step inside a tent full of surprises for curious minds— visualise sound, learn about hydrogen heroes and create with the Inventors Lab!

Create waves, test sea defences, trigger a storm in a teacup and step inside a world-class hydrodynamics lab to discover how engineers protect coasts!

Create your own wearable art with artist Gayle Chong Kwan in this hands-on creative workshop.

Head to our Main Stage for a jam-packed schedule of vibrant and lively music, from Jazz and classic brass bands to Cuban and Congolese fusion!

Learn about epilepsy and design your own seizure-predicting jewellery, helping to inspire the future of wearable technology supporting people with epilepsy.

Antibiotics have changed all our lives, but resistance to them is catching up. Play a game to explore antimicrobial resistance and discover how you can help protect these life-saving medicines.

Explore the past, present and future of medical imaging and robotic surgery through interactive games.

Consider your relationship with the different organisms living inside your body through this interactive art installation.

Climb like a gecko, reflect like a beetle, or sense heat like a dog's nose as you explore the potential of nature-inspired materials.

Ever wondered what happiness sounds like? See how scientists turn serotonin signals into music in this interactive blend of neuroscience and art!

Step inside an immersive and interactive digital art piece that explores the strangeness of the quantum world and challenges perceptions of our role in shaping reality.

Make your own mini zine that creative reflects on how invisible disabilities like Sickle Cell Disease can shape people’s everyday experiences.

Create your own textile body bots with artist Woo Jin Joo and bring them to life using pull-string mechanisms!

Set inside the 1970s living room of a Caribbean family in London, this immersive experience explores how genes, culture, community and migration shape health and identity.

Get creative while practising French and German language skills! Write a poem, enjoy storytelling, experiment with cyanotype printing or write a love letter inspired by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

Make your own junk sculpture using upcycled and everyday materials!

Bring your best moves for Earthbeat, an immersive dance experience for all ages, inspired by secret worlds pulsing beneath our feet.

Come see chemistry brought to life through amazing reactions, slime and explosions at this family-friendly science show!

A relaxed session for families with neurodivergent members who may need a quieter, calmer environment to explore the Family Fun Zone.