Cheltenham Science Festival paves the way for thinkers of tomorrow

From the cosmos to the countryside, Cheltenham Science Festival (4-13 June) embarked on a tour of the universe during six days of explosive demos, talks, debates and creative workshops.

The six-day event inspired the next generation of thinkers to consider and engage with the biggest issues of our time, while being home to familiar faces including space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock, award-winning physicist Brian Cox and Deadly 60 presenter Steve Backshall.

236 speakers across more than 100 events and three Interactive Zones brought the best of groundbreaking science sharply into focus for approximately 47,000 Festival-goers, offering curious minds the chance to delve into everything from mental health, neurodiversity and clean air to predicting the outcome of the upcoming election with comedian and host Dara Ó Briain.

Speaking to BBC Radio Gloucestershire before his event, Dara said: ‘Cheltenham Science Festival is an excellent Science Festival; it's without a doubt one of the best in the country, with a broad range of topics and lots of interactive stuff for all ages.’

Science-inspired songs, quizzes and bingo nights brought joy to the Festival town, demonstrating the power of bringing the arts and science together in helping us to understand the world around us.

Campaigning for Change

The Festival began with ChelTechne, a roundtable that aimed to identify policy responses to the UK's digital skills gap. The first known gathering of central figures from government, academia, education, the cultural sector and industry, the event arrived at a key set of policy recommendations that will appear in a joint report address to the incoming government. The report will be co-produced in the coming weeks by Cheltenham Festivals, tech training leaders QA and the Chartered Institute for IT, BCS.

As part of the Festivals'commitment to developing and showcasing the thought leaders of tomorrow, the Festival programme spotlighted its Young Changemakers cohort in a series of events including activist Charli Clement, chair of Bite Back Tasha Mhakayakora, recipient of Dark Sky Defender award Dani Robertson, and STEM Ambassador Tosin Sonubi.

Cheltenham Science Festival’s year-round outreach programme, FameLab UK – aimed at nurturing the UK’s best science communicators – was also celebrated on stage, with eight finalists delving into everything from blackholes and gravitational pull, to the future of brain imaging. FameLab alumni and astrophysicist Maggie Aderin-Pocock was among the judging panel, highlighting the extensive role the Festival plays in creating an international, life-long community of science-related researchers and communicators.

Joni Wildman, FameLab UK finalist and winner of this year’s competition, said: “Sharing what I’m passionate about with such an enthusiastic audience was exhilarating – I’m so happy people found fungi as interesting as I do. Being surrounded by the amazing energy and talent of everyone involved and supported by a community of like-minded, welcoming people means so much to me. I’m excited to continue talking about the science that I love!’

In its first year, DataFace– the trailblazing data interrogation, analysis and visualisation project powered by Cheltenham Festivals, and in collaboration with CyberFirst and the Jean Golding Institute – exhibited the work of more than 60 students from 14 Gloucestershire schools in the Discover Zone, while 20 schools participated in the project overall. Thousands of school children and families explored the creations which visualised contemporary issues including environmental protection, the cost-of-living crisis and gender equality, highlighting the importance data ethics and integrity has to play in the role of education.

Joyful Discoveries and Festival Firsts

In a Cheltenham Science Festival and world first,Brian Cox and Robin Ince debuted a roaring Infinite Monkey Cage Family Special with special guests Adam Kay and Steve Backshall. Other family events included a goal-smashing demo, nature photography and space-inspired baking with Netflix’s Baking Impossible expert,Andrew Smyth.

Reaffirming its place as a world leader in showcasing cutting-edge technologies, discoveries made during the week included the unearthing of a brand-new species of plant by taxonomist Tammy Horton and a revelatory insight into microplastics from Mark Lythgoe. The Festival also played host to two astronauts, Tim Peake and Meganne Christian, who revealed what the future of space could look like.

Marieke Navin is Head of Science Programming for Cheltenham Festivals, the charity which organises the Science Festival each year alongside its Literature, Music and Jazz Festivals. “Science truly is for everyone and it’s a part of everything we do. Every year we’re so proud to be able to bring the very best of science and technology to as wide an audience as possible, while uncovering brand-new scientific discoveries for the very first time” she said.

“Each year, our speakers and Festival-goers come to Cheltenham from all over to connect with like-minded thinkers and curious minds to showcase science in its widest possible forms, while inspiring the next generation to interrogate and question the world around them in creative and joyful ways. We can’t wait till 2025!”

Science for Everyone

Across the week, 8,000 school children from 85 Gloucestershire schools explored the Festival Village as part of the Science for Schools programme, embarking on a journey through the Interactive Zones where they were encouraged to be curious, creative and dive into the science of the everyday.

Nearly 29,000 Festival goers dropped into three Interactive Zones which were free to explore: The Arcade, MakerShackand Discover Zone, which posed a series of creative and cryptic challenges to show how new technologies will shape our culture in the future.

F2 powerboat pilot Mette Bjerknes and her JRM Racing team allowed visitors the opportunity to sit in the cockpit of her carbon fibre raceboat, while Travelling Light Circus brought a mesmerising Pendulum Wave Machine to illustrate the ideas of philosopher Ernst March as part of its ...around town programme in association with Cheltenham BID.

Ali Mawle, co-CEO of Cheltenham Festivals, said: “In a world that is ever-evolving and fast-changing, science sits at the heart of helping us understand the world around us, while showing us how we can all make a positive difference, no matter how big or small. Each year, Cheltenham Science Festival is made possible thanks to our fantastic speakers, volunteers, creators, Partners and supporters, who come together to celebrate the innovation of science and technology, while widening access to science for everyone. Here's to 2025!”