Below is a list of festivals where public engagement and scicomm (science communication) opportunities may be possible. Many of these events will also offer great opportunities to get inspired by seeing what others are doing.
With many thanks to Dr Gary Kerr for compiling much of this information on his own site. We have added other festivals we are aware of in the list below and will continue to update the list throughout the year. Let us know if we’ve missed any relevant festivals you think should be listed.
Please bear in mind that participation at festivals usually requires an expression of interest/proposal to be submitted many months in advance. Check with festival organizers well in advance if you interested in being involved.
February
Nottingham Festival of Science & Curiosity
8 – 15 February 2017
11 – 25 Feb 2017
13 – 17 Feb 2017
Northern Ireland Science Festival
16 – 26 Feb 2017
Strathearn Festival of Science
Throughtout Feb 2017
March
Arts & Science Festival (University of Birmingham)
13 -19 March 2017
info tbc
Ayrshire Science & Engineering Festival
info tbc
Royal Holloway Science Festival
info tbc 2017
13 – 18 March 2017
13 – 26 March 2017
Date tbc 2017
Your Universe (UCL Festival of Astronomy and Particle Physics)
2 – 4 March 2017
Sheffield Festival of Science & Engineering
Dates 2017 tbc
Southampton Science & Engineering Festival
10 – 18 March 2017
Caithness International Science Festival
Dates 2017 tbc
10 – 19 March 2017
The Big Bang Fair (Birmingham)
15 – 18 March 2017
2 -4 April 2017
Dates 2017 tbc
Dates 2017 tbc
Women in Science Festival (Dundee)
4 – 12 March 2017
4 – 31 March 2017
Dates 2017 tbc
April
Edinburgh International Science Festival
1 – 16 April 2017
1 – 2 April 2017
27 – 30 April 2017
May
2017 dates tbc
6 – 7 May 2017
Postponed until 2019
15 – 17 May 2017
26 – 28 May 2017
28 May – 5 June 2017
Taking a break in 2017
Dumfries & Galloway Science Festival
24 – 28 April 2017
Scottish Borders Science Festival
Dates May 2017 tbc
28 April – 12 May 2017
Dates 2017 tbc
Dates 2017 tbc
Dates 2017 tbc
June
The Times Cheltenham Science Festival
6 – 11 June 2017
8-18 June 2017
16 – 21 June 2017
29 June – 1 July 2017
Bournemouth University Festival of Learning
8 – 12 July 2017
8 – 25 June 2017
Middle of Scotland Science Festival (MoSSFest)
Dates 2017 tbc
July
7 – 9 July 2017
Festival of Learning (Bournemouth)
8 – 12 July 2017
Dates 2017 tbc
Deer Shed Festival (North Yorkshire)
21 – 23 July 2017
Dates 2017 tbc
Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition
Dates 2017 tbc
Running next in 2018?
August
Electromagnetic Field (Guildford)
Back in 2018
Turing Festival (Edinburgh International Technology Festival)
Dates 2017 tbc
Einstein’s Garden at Green Man Festival (Wales)
17 – 20 August 2017
September
Orkney International Science Festival
7 – 13 Sept 2017
British Science Festival (Brighton)
5 – 9 Sept 2017
15 Sept – 13 Oct 2017
Dates 2017 tbc
TechFest (Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire)
Dates 2017 tbc
Dates 2017 tbc
Dates 2017 tbc
Gravity Fields (Lincolnshire)
Dates 2017 tbc
October
Fun Palaces (community-led grassroots arts & science campaign)
7 – 8 Oct 2017
7 – 15 Oct 2017
7 – 15 Oct 2017
Dates 2017 tbc
19 – 29 Oct 2017
24 – 26 Oct 2017
Celebration of Science (Kensington & Chelsea)
Dates 2017 tbc
18 – 25 Oct 2017
Dates 2017 tbc
Is this still running?
November
ESRC Festival of Social Science
4 -11 Nov 2017
Being Human (A Festival of Humanities)
17 – 25 Nov 2017
Dates 2017 tbc
Algomech (Festival of Algorithmic and Mechanical Movement) (Sheffield)
Dates 2017 tbc
December
