Prime ’em with science
MADEIRA
The festival is based in a series of hubs.
The City Arts Centre near Waverley train station (edinburgh museums.org.uk, 0131 529 3993) is the flagship venue. Here you can time-travel back to 1989, the year of the first science festival, mix it up in the Blood Bar like you’re Tom Cruise in Cocktail, create your own version of The Blob, or bring people back to life in ER Surgery (not really). Glow sticks and dirty dancing in the silent disco are a bonus.
At the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street (nms.ac.uk/ national-museum-of-scotland, 0300 123 6789) there are drop-in events introducing us to geology and robotics, where you can draw with UV light or make 3D models as well as the regular free exhibits.
Summerhall (summerhall. co.uk) at the edge of The Meadows park south of the centre has interactive shows looking at language, the brain, air pollution and the importance of the outdoors.
For instance, Valentina’s Galaxy is a theatre production that takes preschoolers on an intergalactic journey.
The Ornithopter blends puppetry, object manipulation and physical theatre to introduce an inventor who dreams of touching the sun. At the Royal Botanic Garden to the north of the city (rbge.org.uk) there are exhibits about the science of plants and food as well as live music. As a destination in itself, it’s well worth a visit too.
The zoo is on the main road west out of Edinburgh (edinburghzoo.org.uk, 0131 334 9171) and features special wildlife trails and animal demonstrations throughout the fortnight. It’s also home to the only giant pandas in the At National Museum
UK, Tian Tian (Sweetie) and Yang Guang (Sunshine). If you prefer to just stumble on something new while you’re sightseeing, look out for the ‘busking bikes’ which will be stationed at various points around the city. The G&V Royal Mile Hotel, George IV Bridge (quorvuscollection.com, 0131 220 6666) is a luxurious, five-star place with a spa and a first-class restaurant in a central location on a corner of the Royal Mile. Ask for a room overlooking the castle for an extra-special treat. To buy tickets for the Science Festival, go to sciencefestival.co.uk or ring the booking hotline on 0844 557 2686. Prices vary from £5 to £8.50 but many events are free.
Go to edinburghfestivalcity. com to find out about every festival that Edinburgh has to offer.
By the way, in case you were wondering about the result of last year’s science poser, the Rich Tea took the biscuit.
In tests it managed an impressive 14 dunks before falling apart. It’s all about the cerealfat-sugar ratio, apparently.