Hear Helen Sharman at the festival
When: 26th – 31st July 2018
Where: We The Curious, One Millennium Square, Anchor Road, Harbourside, Bristol BS1 5DB
£: Admission costs £15.95 for adults and £10.50 for children. Family tickets are also available. Tickets for Helen Sharman cost £20 for adults and £18 for concessions (includes entry to We The Curious for the afternoon from 1.30pm). Aardman Model Making Workshops are an additional £3.50 per person (suitable for ages 5+).
What is it?
Bristol’s We The Curious will be hosting a Festival of What If from Thursday 26th to Tuesday 31st July.
The festival will be an inspirational mix of events, activities, art, music and comedy, all framed around the question ‘What if I could change the world?’ Special events will include an audience with Helen Sharman, the first Briton in space, and special Aardman model making workshops.
Family activities at We The Curious (Photo: Paul Blakemore)
One of the festival highlights will be will be An Audience with Helen Sharman on Saturday 28th July. In May 1991, Helen Sharman became the first British astronaut when she launched on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. She spent eight days orbiting the Earth, living and working on the MIR Space Station. Hear the story of her incredible journey, from answering the advert on the radio, learning Russian and the meticulous training, through to launch and landing. Find out how weightlessness feels, the importance of team spirit, and how you readjust to life on Earth.
There will also be special Aardman model making workshops, where you can join an expert model maker from Aardman Animations and discover how to make your very own model of inventor and faithful friend, Gromit.
Throughout the Festival of What If, families can enjoy a day together making discoveries. Launching for the festival, you’ll be able to choose your mission in the new 3D Planetarium show Solar System Odyssey, a presenter-led show with multiple missions and 28 different destinations to choose from, no two shows are ever the same (additional fee applies).
Make your own Gromit at We The Curious
Families can also investigate how great ideas begin in The Lightbulb Moment studio show. Team up for the chain reaction challenge and go behind the scenes to explore some colourful chemistry in the lab.
The Festival of What If will also have a series of special evening comedy events, Planetarium nights events, robots, a free play-day on Millennium Square, and a special After Hours event.
The adult only After Hours event, on Thursday 26th July, will ask What If I Could Change the World? There will be a preview of a new VR film experience and a chance to meet grass-roots activists fueling cultural change. Authentic Syrian food will be provided by Karam Kitchen, an enterprise set up by Syrian refugees to provide employment opportunities, skills and confidence.
More info: www.wethecurious.org