The Science and Industry Museum offers wondrous entertainment in May and beyond

Promising a rich, captivating range of new science displays, hands-on family fun, immersive exhibitions and decades of gaming magic, the Science and Industry Museum offers a feast of wonder and discovery for parents and children alike this May and beyond.

On Thu 25 May, the Science and Industry Museum unveils their brand new display, Stephen Hawking at Work, celebrating the extraordinary life of the world-renowned theoretical physicist through an array of fascinating objects from his office.

Through significant items such as Hawking’s PhD thesis, a wager he made with his peers on whether everything that falls into a black hole is forever lost to our universe, and an invitation to a party for time travellers that Hawking hosted – famous for reinforcing his theory that backward time travel is impossible, having sent the invites after the party had actually happened.

The display will also provide illuminating insight into Hawking’s links to Manchester, as discoveries by scientists in the city cleared the path to develop two of the most important ideas about our universe, quantum theory and general relativity, while his experience of motor neurone disease is explored through examples of the innovative technologies behind his wheelchair and pioneering vocal synthesizer.

Featuring cutting-edge research, art installations, AI robots and more, Turn It Up: The Power of Music invites visitors of all ages to discover the secrets behind music’s grip on the human imagination, with an exhibition featuring specially commissioned interactive art, intriguing objects, personal stories, innovative technology and immersive activities including a musical mirror and a ‘digital playground’. Open since October, this month marks the last chance to enjoy the blockbuster world-premiere exhibition in Manchester, with the doors closing on Mon 29 May. Following a critically acclaimed inaugural run, Turn It Up opens at London’s Science Museum on Thu 19 Oct.

From Sat 27 May to Sun 4 Jun, the museum hosts a special family-friendly half-term programme themed on robotics, technology and the boundless possibilities of digital discovery. Visitors can play with chip the robot dog and practise programming with BeeBots, while flying drone displays take place inside the museum and the team of expert Explainers help with learning to code.

Alongside the variety of brand new experiences, the Science and Industry Museum encourages visitors to explore some of their relevant historic objects, from the origins of binary processing with a 19th century Jacquard Loom to Baby, the first computer to store and run a programme from memory.

Open on weekends and throughout school holidays during 2023, hands-on gaming exhibition Power UP welcomes players to ‘revel in the very best video games’ and hop on over 160 consoles, with hundreds of classic playable titles from the past five decades.

From addicting, nostalgic favourites like Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario, Pac Man and Pong to industry-changing games on the PS5 and latest-gen virtual reality systems, Power UP offers the perfect cross-generational bonding experience during which parents and kids can both discover – and rediscover – the magic of gaming. In addition to the interactive area, Power UP features a section dedicated to the Manchester-based developers and companies who have transformed the city into a nerve centre of the global gaming industry.

Celebrating the city’s status as an innovator of modern-day travel as well as its revolutionary role in the country’s creative industries, the Revolution Manchester gallery displays a number of iconic objects which each tell a story of our town’s incredible scientific history. From early innovations like A V Roe’s aircraft manufacturing to the influence of Factory Records and the city’s reputation as a crucible of broadcast journalism, the expanded displays shed new light on pioneering Mancunians from the Industrial Revolution to the present day.

For more information and to book tickets for the Turn It Up and Power UP exhibitions, head to the Science and Industry Museum website.