Nottinghamshire Festival of Science and Curiosity marks a decade of discovery

The festival is celebrating ten years of sparking curiosity

Nottingham Trent University is a partner of the festival, which aims to showcase science in all its forms and provide families with a unique opportunity to explore the wonders of science in a fun, engaging, and accessible way.

This year's event – which runs from February 10-21 – spans across 45 venues, with over 50 free events all brought to life by a passionate community of experts.

Colleagues from across NTU will be contributing, covering topics such as owl pellet dissection and how to extract DNA from strawberries using every day household items, along with running a session on using clay to make cells, and demonstrating with specialized cameras how different animal eyes see the world.

Visitors will also get the chance to see a ‘planeterella’ developed at the university, which shows how electrical currents can flow through space, mimicking the spectacular visual effects of the Northern Lights.

This year marks a significant milestone for the festival, as it celebrates ten incredible years of sparking curiosity, and inspiring young minds across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

Since its launch in 2015, FOSAC has inspired over 55,500 guests, collaborated with more than 200 schools, and delivered nearly 450 awe-inspiring events. This enduring success reflects its vital role in making science exciting and inclusive for young people.

FOSAC is produced by Nottingham-based education charity Ignite!, with support from a wide range of festival network organisations.

Megan Shore, Programme Manager at Ignite! said: “Our mission is to spark curiosity and give families — especially those with limited access to STEM activities — a chance to enjoy hands-on experiences that make science fun and engaging.

“We’re thrilled to celebrate ten wonderful years of inspiring children and young people across our region and can’t wait to bring joy and inspiration to budding young scientists and their families once again.”

Professor Sarah Speight, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost at Nottingham Trent University, said: “NTU is proud to be one of the partners that enable FOSAC to reach so many communities every year. It fits with our strategic goal to ‘enrich society’, enabling us to share our learning, and learn with and from festival participants. It is great to see such an exciting programme in place for 2025.”

Other events this year include robot building, slime making, captivating planetarium sessions, immersive Virtual Reality (VR) demonstrations, and much more.

The popular drop-in Science Fun Days will be back, now available at more venues than ever to meet growing demand.

Nottingham Cathedral will also host SEND Science Fun Days and immersive planetarium sessions, thoughtfully designed to provide a fun and accessible experience for families with children with special educational needs and disabilities.

The festival culminates on Friday 21 February with a celebratory Stargazing party at Green's Windmill, Sneinton.

This year’s festival is delivered in partnership with Bassetlaw District Council, Broxtowe Borough Council, Catalent, Explore Manufacturing, Gedling Borough Council, Mansfield District Council, Neos Networks, Nottingham Trent University, Nottinghamshire County Council, Quotient Sciences, Rolls Royce, Royal Society of Chemistry, Sygnature Discovery, UKAEA, University of Nottingham, University of Nottingham Institute of Policy & Engagement, and Upperton Pharma Solutions.

For more information including detailed event listings, please visit www.nottsfosac.co.uk