Miniature railways, musical performances & hands-on experiments: Half term at the Science and Industry Museum

The Science and Industry Museum has unveiled an exciting half term programme packed full of hands-on experiences designed to spark curiosity, creativity and imagination.

The bumper programme will run from Sat 23 May – Sun 7 Jun, and features everything from a miniature steam railway, hands-on engineering sessions, live demonstrations and performances inspired by the sounds of industrial Manchester.

On the site of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the world’s first inter-city passenger railway, visitors will be transported back in time, being invited to board a miniature steam train and take a ride around the museum’s newly reopened outdoor space. Hosted by Little British Rail, rides are priced at £4 (under 1s go free) and can be booked in advance here, or on the day at the museum.

Expert Explainers will host hands-on Curiosity Stops for those waiting to board the train, using playful discovery to explore how engines power our lives. The new outside space will also host an array of garden games, including family favourites, Connect 4, Quoits and Cornhole. For those looking to unwind, you can pull up a deckchair and kick back with ice creams, drinks and snacks from a pop-up stall run by caterers, Benugo.

Live demonstrations of the moving machinery will invite visitors to experience the sights, smells and sounds of the engine-driven ideas that started in Manchester and went on to change the world.

Manchester-based percussion group, Drumroots, will host free, drop-in workshops inspired by the thuds, bumps and pulses of historic steam engines, with live performances celebrating the sounds of industry, while the final weekend of the holiday (Fri 5 Jun – Sun 7 Jun) will see members of Urmston & District Model Engineering Society steaming onto site with its early 20th-century Fowler Showman’s traction engine and Foden steam wagon.

The museum’s free galleries will all be open to explore throughout the holidays, including the hands-on science playground, Experiment, the mighty machines in the Textiles Gallery, and Manchester’s rich legacy of industrial innovations, creativity and world-changing ideas in Revolution Manchester.

Power Hall: The Andrew Law Gallery, originally built in 1856 as a shipping shed for transferring goods from railway vehicles for distribution around Manchester, is filled with stories behind the city’s industrial heritage, and a brand-new interactive trail that brings the machines to life.

The museum’s latest exhibition, Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos, which takes visitors on a playful, out-of-this-world adventure across the Solar System, will be open to explore, and Ultimate gaming experience, Power Up, will also be available during the first week of the holiday and every weekend.

Available activities will be dependent on the date of visit. Museum admission is free, but tickets to Horrible Science and Power Up are paid for. For the full programme of daily events throughout half term, and to book your visit, click below.