Chelmsford Science Festival 2025

Join us for a jam-packed weekend of hands-on, interactive science activities suitable for all ages.

Discover, play and explore at ARU’s Family Science Festival.

Join us for an exciting day of hands-on science, creativity, and discovery – perfect for curious minds of all ages. Whether you're exploring the human body on our Body Quest: Anatomy Explorers' Trail, diving into immersive VR music game play, coding and flying drones, or imagining the future with our AI City Futures games, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Step into the world of performance with our participatory drama activities, and don’t miss our fun-filled science shows: Who Wants to Be a Superhero? and X-tra Factor where you'll learn about real-life scientists and engineers and how their amazing work is shaping the world around us. Explore how we can make healthier choices using smarter options through our ARU Nourishing Our Futures research, and enjoy a quiet moment with Storytime in the Library.

To help as many families as possible take part, we kindly ask that you book for just one day. Most activities will be available on both Saturday and Sunday.

Do & Discover with CSES

CSES Do & Discover Logo

Come and find us for a fun weekend of activities for all the family! A selection of exciting hands-on challenges, experiments and exhibits to test your design and making skills and discover more about science and technology. Have a go at the egg drop challenge! Build things and test to destruction! See robots in action! Find out how much you really know about electromagnetism and mechanics! Enter our real (or virtual) community art competition! And much more...

An inclusive space

This year, the SENstation will provide a calm, sensory-friendly space for children with special educational needs to regulate if they're feeling overwhelmed. It's a safe, inclusive space.

SEN hours

We're also hosting SEN-friendly hours, with quieter activities and fewer people. These take place from 9–10am.

SEN hours take place on Saturday and Sunday. If you book an SEN hour ticket, you’re welcome to stay for the rest of the day. You won't need an additional ticket after 10am.