Affordable fun this January at the Science and Industry Museum

The festivities might be over, but there’s still plenty of fun to be had at one of Manchester’s best-loved family attractions this January.

The Science and Industry Museum is hosting an abundance of wallet-friendly activities for families to feast on this winter. Whether it’s discovering the mystery of music, exploring 50 years of gaming, taking the last-chance to see a whimsical world on display or witnessing historic working machinery in action – there’s something for everyone to do, see and enjoy.

Free Activities

There’s plenty to do, see and explore for free at the Science and Industry Museum.

Until Sunday 8 January there is still time to catch the winter holiday activities. Discover the secrets of light and colour through a series of interactive activities, special shows and immersive experiences.

Take a journey from the Sun back to the Earth in a brand-new science show led by the museum’s team of expert Explainers. Discover how light travels through our atmosphere, the science of solar flares and the secrets behind the Northern Lights.

Visitors can also get hands on with a range of light-themed activities, tinker with shadows and experiment with reflections and colours to create their own miniature light show.

On Saturday 7 – Sunday 8 January Shadowgraph extraordinaire Drew Colby will be performing his renowned Hand Shadow show, using the magic of light to share this ancient art.

Stay snug in a series of cosy corners dotted around the museum, giving visitors comfortable spaces to get creative with colour or relax by playing games with friends and family.

Fans of the 1965 film, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, have until 15 January to discover the charming final work of one of Britain’s best loved artists and sculptors, Rowland Emett, the creator of the inventions of ‘Caractacus Potts’ in the classic film.

His unique moving sculpture, ‘A Quiet Afternoon in the Cloud Cuckoo Valley,’ was constructed in 1984 and tells the story of a train journey through a fictional landscape.   – The whimsical world comes to life twice a day, when visitors are treated to the whirring of cogs and met by characters toasting teacakes and diving into water, while also discovering what this whimsical sculpture has in common with the museum’s thundering textiles machinery.

Visitors can also discover a decade of the BBC in Manchester through the BBC 100 temporary display.

Part of the Science Museum Group’s Broadcast 100 celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the BBC and the 40th anniversary of Channel 4.

Uncover the story of 2ZY Radio, one of the UK’s earliest radio stations, which was based in Manchester and managed by Metropolitan Vickers, one of the founding companies in the original BBC consortium. Find out more about how people listened to early broadcasts, buying or building their own radio sets to tune in at home.

Then take a look at some of the latest developments in broadcasting being developed by the BBC at MediaCityUK and explore new technologies that will change the way we watch and listen forever.

Play and explore science in action in the recently revamped Experiment gallery– a favourite among family visitors.

Test your senses and flex your superpowers. See through walls, find out how you can shake hands with yourself and discover whether you’re strong enough to lift a car with one hand. Plus, experience Heat Vision with our thermal camera, play with magnetic art and tell stories with our shadow wall as you enjoy the newest interactives.

Journey through Manchester’s rich legacy of industrial innovations, scientific discoveries and ideas that changed the world in the newly updated Revolution Manchester gallery. Including finding out just how much computers have advanced since 1948 as museum volunteers demonstrate ‘Baby’, the Manchester Small-Scale Experimental Machine – the very first computer to store and run a program.

Pay a visit to the Textiles Gallery to discover why Manchester is a city built on cotton. Meet the machines, people and stories that made Manchester the first industrial city and find out how ‘Cottonopolis’ changed the world we all live in today. Join the volunteers for daily demonstrations transporting visitors back in time to the working mills of 150 years ago experiencing the thundering sounds of the machinery and finding out what life was like for thousands of mill workers.

Learning all the tricks of the trade as we turn cotton into the thread that made everything from napkins to knickers, finding out which job you’d have and what life was like for the workers that made Manchester.

Under £10

Explore the science of music’s mysterious hold over us and how it drives us to create, perform, feel and share in the world-first immersive exhibition, Turn It Up: The power of music.

Discover that everyone is musical and that there is no right or wrong way to create and enjoy music. See what happens when light and sound collide in the specially commissioned ‘musical playground’, where everyone can play, experiment and make music together.

Find out in the locker room how music can improve our sporting ability. There’s even a chance to throw some shapes as the ‘Boogie to the Beat’ digital mirror motion tracks visitors’ Vogue, Renegade and Twist in the name of science.  

Tickets cost: £8 adults, £7 seniors, £6 child/concessions. Family discounts are available.

Every weekend gamers can get hands-on with over 160 consoles and hundreds of games for an immersive journey through the history of gaming at Power Up.  

From the Atari 2600 and the Dreamcast, to the Playstation 5 and the latest in virtual reality technology, Power UP gives visitors of all levels the chance to live their best gaming life and experience first-hand how far games and gaming technologies have advanced over the years.  

Join beloved characters like Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario on a journey through their decades-long development. Revel in nostalgia with retro arcade classics Pong and Pac-Man, rock out on Guitar Hero, tackle a virtual reality mission with Astro Bot and floss it out on Fortnite. Discover games made by winners and nominees from the Bafta Young Games Designers Awards, including this year’s winners.

Tickets cost: £8 adults, £7 senior, £6 Child/Concession. Family discounts are available.

Revolution is currently in progress to restore and transform the Science and Industry Museum, meaning that some areas remain closed to the public. Through a multi-million-pound restoration programme, we’re revealing inspirational new spaces and perspectives for all to enjoy, play and learn in.

This includes carrying out crucial work to restore and tell the stories of the historic listed Power Hall, 1830 Station and Warehouse; building awe-inspiring new indoor and outdoor experiences for families; bringing to life the story of the revolutionary railway; using our collections to create new galleries revealing the wonder of how Manchester’s past and present continues to shape the modern world; and decarbonising our site.

For more information about what is on at the museum and to book tickets in advance, visit the museum’s website (www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk) or call 033 0058 0058.

Additional free activities are below:

A Quiet Afternoon in the Cloud Cuckoo Valley

Wednesday – Sunday 11.30am and 2pm

Subject to availability – visitors should ask at the information desk upon arrival

Suitable for all ages

Meet Baby

Wednesday – Friday 10.30am – 1.30pm

Subject to availability – visitors should ask at the information desk upon arrival

Recommended for ages 12 and over

Spotlight Talks

Dates and times vary

Subject to availability – visitors should ask at the information desk upon arrival

Suitable for all ages

Textiles Demonstrations

Daily shows (when possible) – 11.00am, 13.30pm and 14.30pm

Subject to availability – visitors should ask at the information desk upon arrival

Suitable for ages 5 and over