NI Science Festival celebrates 10 years of inspiring the future
Delve into the wonders of science, technology, engineering and mathematics at the stimulating and entertaining NI Science Festival.
NI Science Festival, Northern Ireland, Botanic Gardens, Belfast
With over 150 events across more than 90 venues, the NI Science Festival (12–23 February 2025) presents world-class speakers and a diverse programme of events, and in just 10 years has become one of Europe’s leading science festivals.
By day, the festival offers a range of workshops, tours, talks and interactive activities for people of all ages. In the evening, it presents an eclectic mix of experiential events for adults including scientific debate, talks, theatre, comedy, music and film.
Over the years, the festival has hosted some of the biggest names in science, including Brian Cox and Alice Roberts. This year, leading environmentalist Chris Packham will talk about the challenge of climate change and what young people can do. And BAFTA award-winning naturalist and explorer Steve Backshall will look at the world beneath the waves.
Children will love How to Survive in Space with Dr Dan and Dr Raph and fans of Indiana Jones will enjoy Raiders of the Lost Ark with Archaeology Demonstration.
NI Science Festival, Northern Ireland, The Mac, Belfast
Ancient history meets the wonders of science in the Chemistry and the Celts roadshow while the Tiny Wonders roadshow gives children across Northern Ireland the opportunity to examine natural curiosities under the microscope.
Robo Bingo, an adults-only show, involves robots, comedy and alternative bingo. The power of storytelling will be examined in an inspiring conversation hosted by Kwame Daniels with Hannah Peel, Oliver Jeffers, Sir Tim Smit and Martin Green.
The festival includes a number of exhibitions in partnership with Belfast 2024, a year-long celebration of Belfast’s culture through creative projects that invite its citizens to imagine and invent what the city could be in the future.
These include the Faces of Belfast exhibition which features 20 hours of footage from over 300 people who contributed their stories about life in Belfast in 2024. The work of Belfast’s emerging artists is displayed in Eclectic, while StoryMakers will feature screenings of newly commissioned audiovisual pieces alongside live performance to explore the intersection of art, history and storytelling.
Belfast City hall at Night, Belfast
As well as a chance to explore the wonders of science and connect with leading experts, a visit to the NI Science Festival is an opportunity to experience Northern Ireland’s vibrant cultural scene through its many first class museums, art galleries, heritage sites and performance spaces.