Registration for our highly anticipated, annual celebration of creativity and science has opened today!
The Great Exhibition Road Festival returns to South Kensington on 7-8 June 2025, led by Imperial College London alongside institutions like the Science Museum, Natural History Museum, and the V&A. Over 50,000 visitors are expected to enjoy hundreds of talks, workshops, interactive exhibits, and hands-on demonstrations blending art and research.
There will be something for everyone to enjoy, including an exciting programme of music and dance performances, as well as delicious street food from all over the world! All events at the Great Exhibition Road Festival are free—but register for the latest updates and to hear when free tickets are released for popular events.
Unique experiences
This year's Festival is set to be a sensory experience, full of engaging activities immersing visitors in a diverse range of Imperial science.
Design your own butterfly wings with researcher Mahika K Dixit and Mahogany Carnival Designs, choosing features inspired by environmental changes. Then, take flight and show off your wings at our Butterfly Carnival Parade, spreading awareness of how small creatures can teach us big lessons about climate change.
Join Isobel Jupp, a dance researcher from Imperial's MSk Lab, and Bollyqueer, a dance collective celebrating empowerment beyond gender norms, for an inclusive Bollywood workshop blending dance, neuroscience, and mindfulness.
The hugely popular Paint Lab is returning, transforming Exhibition Road into a giant gallery as ten local London artists create artworks in real time, inspired by conversations with Imperial scientists on how we sense the world around us.
Finally, as 2025 is the UNESCO International Year of Quantum, several talks, activities and workshops at this year's Festival are inspired by the quantum revolution—including our Quantum Disco! Strut your stuff like a quantum particle in this unique movement class created by physicists from the London Centre for Nanotechnology.
Shape Imperial Science
In the Be a Scientist Zone, visitors can contribute to research happening right now, from saving seagrass to developing new VR tech! While the Festival has always encouraged two-way engagement between Imperial researchers and the public, this brand-new zone will bring participatory research to the forefront.
"Creating opportunities for the public to meaningfully connect with the amazing work happening at Imperial has always been at the heart of the Festival." Vicky Brightman Director of Public Engagement at Imperial and Festival Director
"Creating opportunities for the public to meaningfully connect with the amazing work happening at Imperial has always been at the heart of the Festival," said Vicky Brightman, Director of Public Engagement at Imperial and Festival Director.
"We're excited to build on this with the Be a Scientist Zone, where visitors will make valuable contributions to cutting-edge projects addressing important challenges of today—ensuring responsible research and innovation!"
Collaboration is also central to the Eureka Zone, bringing together Imperial researchers with their partners from across Europe, as they work together to make ground-breaking discoveries in space exploration, robotic construction, cancer therapy and more.
Fun for all ages
Alongside performance stages and talks venues, the Great Exhibition Road Festival is split into themed zones. Some zones host content for specific audiences, making sure visitors of all ages have exciting spaces dedicated to them.
Like the Family Fun Zone in Prince's Gardens—full of science and art adventures designed for children 12 and under! With spectacular shows on the Family Stage, green spaces to relax in, and the chance to help build an art installation inspired by chromatography.
Or you can drop into the Adults Only Zone, hosted in the Beit Quad for the first time. Grab a drink from the bar before joining a sewing workshop exploring the vaginal microbiome, take a yoga class inspired by insect movements, or play maths-inspired bingo in our Science Cabaret.
Our Young Producers have been working hard to help programme the NextGen Zone, a space created by and for 13-25-year-olds.
Want to engage in inspiring activities exploring everything from mosquitos to nuclear power? Or prefer to eat chemically engineered popcorn while relaxing in a quiet space? Whatever your vibes, the NextGen Zone has something to match them!
Want to take part?
The Festival team are looking for a new group of amazing volunteers! Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, learn about the incredible research happening across Imperial and have an interesting day out. 92% of last-year's volunteers had such a good experience that they said they would volunteer at the Great Exhibition Road Festival again.
Watch this video to learn the key facts about volunteering, hear from a volunteer first-hand and download our guide to find out if it's for you. Interested? Sign up by Wednesday 14 May (the earlier you sign up for shifts, the more say you'll have in which zone you're placed in or the type of activity you'll support).
To keep up to date with public engagement activities, training opportunities and other opportunities to engage wider audiences with Imperial's work, sign up to the Societal Engagement newsletter.
