Hands up if you think science is, well, just a little boring? We’re hopefully about to change your mind, or rather the Edinburgh Science Festival is!
When it comes to festivals Edinburgh is no longer just about its world famous summer event. There are myriad festivals throughout the year and this one coincides with school holidays.
This year’s scientific extravaganza bashes through the capital from 6-21 April. Its busy programme has something to suit all ages and interests, from slime making workshops to interacting with robots in the Robotarium. There are also more serious debates like How Smart are Smart Devices?
The festival spreads its wings across an eclectic range of venues. These include the National Museum of Scotland, the Pleasance, Dynamic Earth, the Royal Botanic Garden and Summerhall. For families its key hub, though, is the City Art Centre .
City Arts Centre
You need to buy a Day Pass to get into the City Arts Centre. This ‘science playground’ features workshops, shows and swathes of interactive events. There are drop-in sessions as well as ticketed events. I’d recommend pre-booking the latter as they tend to be very popular.
In the past our kids have checked out the likes of Timmy the Turbine, where story, songs and rhymes gently introduced them to renewable energy. We’ve also taken part in a family-orientated game show – Cosy Cosy Game Show – where we learned about energy efficiency by trying to stop the heat leaking from model houses. This year they have Virtual Worlds, Geo Explorers and Robo Constructors in their sights.
National Museum of Scotland
This year the National Museum of Scotland is hosting a range of hands-on pop-up activities. Events that we’re keen to check out consider ways to tackle air pollution and look at how a nuclear reactor works. Our eldest daughter is also keen to learn about basic computer programming. The museum also has a large-scale model of NASA’s Mars Rover and our kids are huge fan of all things space related.
Packed Edinburgh Science Festival Programme
The festival programme is packed and half the fun comes from pouring over it, circling the things you fancy doing and chatting about what they will be like. Our girls pretty much want to see and do everything in the programme!
Other anticipated highlights include the open air photography exhibition The Human Touch at the Scottish Parliament and the Aliens of the Deep workshop at Dynamic Earth.
Booking Information
For more information on the Edinburgh Science Festival see www.sciencefestival.co.uk. The Box Office number is 0131 226 0005.
For details on Edinburgh’s range of festivals see www.edinburghfestivalcity.com.
