Discover the Science and Industry Museum in a different light as it opens its doors after dark

One of Manchester’s best loved museums is inviting adults to visit after-hours and indulge in a playful evening of hands-on discovery, interactive gaming and an immersive adventure.

The Science and Industry Museum is hosting a Museum After Hours event on Thursday 5 October with tickets available to book now. Anyone over the age of 18 can play their way through its top experiences; getting to grips with five decades of gaming in Power Up; awakening their inner child inside its epically entertaining, world-first exhibition, Operation Ouch! Food, Poo and You; and discovering ideas that change the world in a different light by exploring its galleries after dark. 

At the special late-night opening, there will also be the chance to discover a host of activities, exhibitions and experiences that are great for grown-ups to enjoy on every visit. Whether it’s students wanting to uncover more about their new home, visitors to the city, or individuals looking for engaging things to do in their free time, there’s something for everyone to explore.

Museum After Hours

Thursday 5 October | 18.00 – 21.00 | £10 (£8 concessions)

Explore the museum in a whole new light during an after-hours event. Visitors will be transported back in time through 50 years of computers and consoles in retro gaming experience, Power Up. They can revel in the very best video games from the past five decades and get hands-on with over 160 consoles as they enjoy an evening of unlimited access to the experience.

From the Atari 2600 to the latest next-gen virtual reality, players will rediscover retro classics like Pong and Pac-Man, take on friends or foes during multi-player showdowns, or experience first-hand how gaming technologies have advanced through the ages.

The museum’s blockbuster exhibition, Operation Ouch! Food, Poo and You, will also be available to explore. The lively adventure encourages visitors to leave their inhibitions at the door and embrace silliness in the name of science as they dive headfirst into digestion and celebrate the amazing inner workings of the human body.

Child-like wonder will be awoken through interactive experiments and opportunities for physical play as the wonderfully weird, gloriously gross and epically entertaining journey busts the taboo around poo and empowers people to get to know their bodies better.

The museum’s permanent galleries will also be open. Visitors can relax with a drink in Revolution Manchester, where iconic objects from the city’s pioneering past are on display.

This is also where MicroCosmic, a unique audio-visual spectacle by artist, Paul Miller, will showcase a journey from the microscopic to the infinite vastness of the universe, and the Microbial Puppet Masters team from the Universities of Salford and Liverpool will be revealing the secrets of bacterial communities in the human body through giant interactive models and drop in activities.

Guests can also journey through Manchester’s textiles history in the Textiles Gallery experiencing the thundering machinery in action during live demonstrations, and play their way through the interactive Experiment gallery, seeing science brought to life right in front of their eyes.

The Science and Industry Museum is currently undergoing a multi-million-pound renovation project across its seven-acre site to open brand new spaces and make significant improvements to some of its best-loved galleries. Although this means some of its buildings are temporarily closed, there is still a wealth of ongoing activities for grown-ups to enjoy on every visit.

Discover more about Manchester

Manchester’s pioneering past is waiting to be uncovered through the museum’s top 40 things to see, do and discover guide.

The Science and Industry Museum sits on the site of the oldest surviving passenger railway station, in the heart of the world’s first industrial city. Today, it is devoted to exploring Manchester’s rich heritage and world-changing ideas, making it the ideal place to visit for anyone looking to familiarise themselves with the city’s history and understand more about its unique identity. The new digital discovery guide caters to the curious by charting the top 40 things to explore at the museum, from its most iconic objects to inspiring stories and interactive activities.

Stephen Hawking At Work

Open now | Free

Find out more about the remarkable life of a world-renowned theoretical physicist in Stephen Hawking at Work. Ground-breaking science is on display in an intimate exploration of 15 specially selected objects from the acquisition of Hawking’s Cambridge University office, which provide insights into his remarkable life as a scientist, science communicator, and as a person who lived with motor neurone disease.

Revolution Manchester

Open now | Free

The museum’s Revolution Manchester gallery is home to some of its most iconic objects, and new displays have recently been unveiled to delve deeper into Manchester’s status as an innovator of modern-day travel as well as its revolutionary role in the country’s creative industries. The extended displays shine a spotlight on the stories of pioneering Mancunians and ideas that have started life in the city and gone on to impact people and places across the world.

For more information about what’s on at the Science and Industry Museum, visit www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk.