Festival of Tomorrow activities to take place around Swindon this half-term

The Festival of Tomorrow is back with an even bigger line up of explosive shows, spectacular performances, insightful panel debates and arts activities.

Offering a range of activities around Swindon Town from 13-19 February, the Festival will start off with a bang, before heading to the Deanery Academy, Swindon for its finale of explosive shows, talks, panels and exhibitors.

All Festival of Tomorrow activities around the town are free, and entry to the main festival on 17-18 February, is also free. Under 18s go free to all shows and events.

There are some additional fees for adults for certain shows, and organisers recommend booking early as many shows and talks are expected to sell out. 

The Festival of Tomorrow’s About Town events include the following:

• Get up Close to the Sun, which you will find at the Steam Museum, is a 3D recreation of the Sun, created by public artist Alex Rinsley and Professor Robert Walsh, professor of Astrophysics at the University of Central Lancashire.

The Sun is making its debut at the Steam and you will find a range of free activities everyday alongside the spectacular installation whilst you take in the view. Although highly recommended, a museum admission ticket is not required to view the installation.

• An Augmented Reality Space Trail, supported by the UK Space Agency, can also be found this half-term. 

Twelve different AR, space-themed models, created by Octagon Studio have been hidden around Swindon. Simply find the Swindon Space Trail board and scan the QR code with your phone and see the models come to life. See how many you can find, take a screenshot of the models and post them online, tagging Festival of Tomorrow and #FestivalOfTomorrow. The first four locations have been announced: Bert’s Books, Swindon Hub, Steam Museum and Central Library, with more to be announced on the Festival website.

• Swindon Hub will host a Rocking Robots and Rovers workshop with a range of arts and crafts activities for families with visual artist and UK Space ambassador, Helen Schell.

The activities, held at Swindon Hub on 15-16 February, will be inspired by plans for missions to the Moon. 

• Science Sparks, a family workshop where you will learn about the Sun with the use of a plasma ball and ignite your inner scientist, will be held at three different Swindon Libraries.

Science Sparks will be at West Swindon Library on 13 February, Central Library on 14 February and Park Library on 15 February. Tickets are free but make sure to reserve a space: Swindon Libraries Events 

• Stories written in Stardust is an immersive art exhibition, using projection mapping, created by local artist, Harrie Dearing.

The experience is hosted from 13-16 February, inside the atmospheric small pool of the historic Health Hydro on Milton Road. Tickets have already been booking fast, with the possibility of more dates being added, due to high demand.

A spokesperson for the Festival said: "The lead up to this year’s Festival is more exciting than ever. Make sure you get involved in all the fun this half-term and don’t miss out on the latest news and projects within the world of science, technology and creativity, and join the conversation about the world of tomorrow!"

More information about Festival of Tomorrow can be found online at: https://www.festivaloftomorrow.com/

To book tickets to the Festival’s headline shows, those interested can visit: https://www.festivaloftomorrow.com/tickets