Let’s get the summer started with a bang – literally – with Fiesta, an exciting mini children’s festival of curiosity!

As well as all the usual Science Centre fun, there's lots more to excite the whole family both inside and outdoors - all included with general admission. 

What’s included with your general admission ticket:

• Bug Olympics interactive activity
• Music Makers Mini Opening Ceremony hands on fun
• Science of Us activity zone
• Free live science show, What Happens: Our Body and Exercise
• Two floors of exciting hands-on exhibits
• Huge ‘don’t try this at home’ demos in Science Live

 
Find out more...

Welcome to Fiesta, an exciting mini children’s festival of curiosity. It’s free with general admission and this year it’s all about the Olympics and Paralympics!

Adventure outside to enjoy interactive activities, perform on the mini stages and compete against your friends and family in the stunning backdrop of the South Downs National Park. Plus, back inside, enter the curious world of our bodies and discover the science of us.

Bug Olympics – South Downs Lawn

Are you as fast as a dragonfly? Do you have the accuracy of a Bombardier Beetle? Are you as strong as an ant? Find out at the Bug Olympics! Join forces with your friends and family to take on the bugs of the South Downs and beyond.

Did you know that a dragonfly has a maximum speed of up to 34mph? And ants can lift up to 100 times their own weight. How do you compare to the elite team of bugs competing in the Science Centre Bug Olympics? We can’t wait to see you work together with your human team to see if you can beat the bugs!

Music Makers Mini Opening Ceremony – The Star mini stage in the Bio:Space Garden

It wouldn’t be the Olympics without an epic opening ceremony. And at the Bug Olympics nature sounds amazing! Let’s recreate it on The Star mini stage. What sounds can you make that replicate nature with our musical instruments?

And in the shadows of the Planetarium, it’s time to become a star! Play your favourite sounds to an audience of your family and friends on The Star mini stage. Enjoy the spotlight in a solo, grab a friend for a duet or get the whole family involved for a group performance.

The Science of Us Zone – Bio:Space

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a superstar athlete at the Olympics and Paralympics? Athletes listen to their bodies to help improve their performance. In our Science of Us area find out how to listen to your body and see firsthand how exercise changes the way it works.

Have a go at the pedometer challenge. Find your heartrate. And learn how to listen to your body. What will you discover? Plus, we’ll be exploring the way that medical technology has evolved to enable even more people to take part in sport.

What Happens: Our Body and Exercise – Science Theatre live show

Olympic and Paralympic fever has taken over the Science Theatre this summer with our brand-new science show – What Happens: Our Body and Exercise. Join our science Inspirers as they limber up and discover the science behind how our body works during sport and exercise.

Exciting experiments and inspiring demos will bring this energetic topic to life in an exciting 20-minute live show. Discover more about how and why our heart rate increases in order to push blood around our body. Be wowed by how strong our bones are with an exciting audience participation demo. And watch as we explore the fiery nature of the foods we need to fuel and energise our bodies for exercise. On your marks, get set, go and grab your free ticket now!

Plus all the usual Science Centre fun

Take a break in the Planetarium for the return of the ultimate family summer journey, Solar System Adventure, a live presenter-led show. Or be wowed by the colourful visuals of We Are Aliens, a subtitled film show that will take families on an adventure to discover if there is life beyond Earth.*

And don’t forget our two floors of exciting hands-on fun! Discover more about sound, hearing and vibration on the upper floor. Climb inside a giant guitar. Explore the acoustic rocket. And even learn some British Sign Language. On the lower floor blast off on a journey through Explorer:Space. Discover more about what it’s like to live and work in space in our interactive space zone. Plus, don’t miss the huge ‘don’t try this at home’ explosive demos taking place at regular intervals right on the exhibition floor in Science Live.

*Please note, the Planetarium is an additional £4 cost