From Dundee to Mars: 15th Dundee Science Festival gets underway

The festival, running from Monday 10 to Sunday 23 February, will bring a host of activities and workshops to Dundee Science Centre, community venues, schools and online.

Coinciding with Dundee Science Centre’s 25th anniversary, the festival embraces the theme of ‘Visions of the Future,’ offering visitors of all ages the chance to engage with hands-on experiments, demonstrations and thought-provoking workshops.

Festival-goers can expect an entertaining programme of activities, from racing electric-powered cars and digging for dinosaurs to unravelling the intricacies of the human body and diving into underwater worlds with VR headsets.

Local children road-testing one of the festival’s highlights, an interactive Mission to Mars with Cerebral Ape

As demonstrated by Cerebral Ape at today’s launch (Thursday, February 6), the festival will also let visitors take control of a real robotic rover and complete interactive objectives on a realistic model Martian landscape. This unique, interactive experience will run on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 February, providing a glimpse into the challenges of space exploration.

The festival will reach every corner of Dundee, with nearly 20 outreach events hosted in various community centres, libraries and Baxter Park Pavilion, amongst others. To ensure accessibility to all, 1,000 free tickets will be distributed to children and families who may not otherwise have the chance to visit Dundee Science Centre.

In addition, the festival will welcome around 2,500 primary and secondary school pupils from Dundee, Angus, Perth and Kinross, and Fife for specially tailored activities at Dundee Science Centre and within their schools, inspiring the next generation of scientists and innovators.

Jill Farrell, Chief Executive Officer of Dundee Science Centre, said: “Since its inception in 2010, Dundee Science Festival has become a cornerstone of the city’s events calendar, doubling its audience and expanding its reach year on year.

Exploring other worlds through VR headsets!

“As we celebrate 25 years of Dundee Science Centre and the festival’s 15th anniversary, we invite everyone to join us in a joyful exploration of the past, present, and future of science. From uncovering the wonders of nature in our local parks to investigating groundbreaking research happening right here in Dundee, this year’s festival offers something for everyone.

“We at Dundee Science Centre are proud of the unique role we play in making science accessible to all. We are excited to welcome you to spark curiosity, inspire debates in homes, community hubs and schools, and really appreciate the incredible world around us, whoever and wherever we are!”

This year’s festival is made possible thanks to contributions from a range of new and returning partners, including Abertay University, Eden Project, The Art and Nature Collective, RSPB, Stemovators, University of Dundee, Dynamic Earth, Scottish Seabird Centre, Dundee & Angus College, Dundee Astronomical Society, SHARE, Scottish Nature Photography Awards, Woodland Trust, Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science, Cerebral Ape, Boulby Underground Laboratory, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and The Scottish Deer Centre & Wildlife Park.[LL1] [JD2] [3] [JD4]

Dundee Science Festival 2025 is funded by Scottish Government, The Edina Trust and OPITO.

To browse the full schedule of events, ticket information, and to pre-book, visit https://www.dundeesciencecentre.org.uk/festival/