If the weather is uncertain this summer, you can console yourself at the Science Museum as Power Up is back to stay from Thursday 27 July. Perfect for ages 5 and above: parents and grandparents alike can show off arcade skills with Pac-Man; while young people can challenge their families and friends to their own favourites like Fortnite. The whole family can join the racetrack in Mario Kart, discover the latest VR games together, or battle it out with fellow gamers on FIFA or Super Smash Bros.

The Science Museum will celebrate the permanent opening of the popular gaming extravaganza, alongside the 75th anniversary of the NHS, at Gaming Lates. The adults-only, after-hours event invites visitors to get hands-on to discover the importance of play and games for human wellbeing and brain health, while exploring the past, present and future of healthcare with leading experts. Visitors can see the George Cross medal, awarded to the NHS in England by Queen Elizabeth II in 2021, on display in Medicine: The Wellcome Galleries until December 2023.

With the introduction of Power Up annual passes, visitors can have unlimited access to over 160 consoles all year long for only £15. Repeat visits to the gaming experience can be combined with other exciting opportunities at the Science Museum. Teenagers can discover an interactive world of careers in Technicians: The David Sainsbury Gallery, while families can see science in action in Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery, walk beneath real rockets in Exploring Space or step aboard an interactive interplanetary adventure with Science Fiction: Voyage to the Edge of Imagination – which closes this August!

And if that wasn’t enough, IMAX: The Ronson Theatre within the museum is one of only three UK venues that will screen Christopher Nolan’s epic blockbuster Oppenheimer in IMAX 70mm – how he intended his much-anticipated film to be viewed. And, for the first time since early 2017, full access to Level 1 is now available, following the opening of new permanent gallery Engineers, which is dedicated to world-changing engineering innovations and the fascinating range of people behind them.

The museum is open 10.00-18.00, seven days a week. To pre-book a free ticket to the Science Museum, please visit this link. For further details about other galleries and exhibitions, please visit our See and Do page.

TICKETED EXPERIENCES

Power Up
From 27 July 2023
Ticketed, daily passes: £10, annual passes: £15
Age: 5+

Following five hugely successful runs, Power Up will make its permanent home at the Science Museum from July, allowing visitors to try over 160 consoles and hundreds of the very best video games, all year long.

With the new Power Up annual passes, visitors can return again and again to journey through the world of gaming. Experience the evolution of gaming – from classics such as Pong and Street Fighter to the latest PlayStation and Xbox – while discovering the science and history behind gaming’s most iconic developments.

Visitors enjoying Power Up at the Science Museum © Science Museum Group 

Science Fiction: Voyage to the Edge of Imagination
Until 20 August 2023
Ticketed: £15

Science Fiction: Voyage to the Edge of Imagination invites visitors into a unique story-led exhibition traversing the world of science fiction. Visitors will be guided aboard an alien spacecraft by an artificial intelligence of unknown origin, and will encounter authentic items from celebrated sci-fi films, television series and literature, as well as significant scientific objects that have shaped modern life.

L-R: Visitors gather underneath a swarm of bioluminescent creatures in Science Fiction: Voyage to the Edge of Imagination © Science Museum Group; Visitor walking through the wormhole jump gate in Science Fiction: Voyage to the Edge of Imagination © Science Museum Group

Oppenheimer IMAX 70mm (15)
Friday 21 July – Thursday 3 August 2023
IMAX: The Ronson Theatre
Running time: 180 minutes
Ticketed, from £18.50 (concessions available)
Age: 15+

Set during the Second World War, Oppenheimer is an epic IMAX 70mm immersive experience which follows the events of J. Robert Oppenheimer and his time leading the Manhattan Project. A pioneer of nuclear physics studies, Oppenheimer created the atomic bomb in his endless mission to save the world and establish peace – even at the risk of destroying it.

IMAX: The Ronson Theatre is one of only three UK venues that will screen Oppenheimer in IMAX 70mm: how director Christopher Nolan intended this thriller to be viewed.

IMAX: The Ronson Theatre
Ticketed, from £10

The Science Museum’s IMAX is one of only two screens in Europe to bring together IMAX 70mm film and next-generation IMAX with Laser.

Visitors can catch Antarctica 3D (U), featuring footage from the filmmakers of the iconic Planet Earth II; A Beautiful Planet 3D (U) which showcases the tasks of crew onboard the International Space Station; Hubble 3D (U), which follows a team of astronauts attempt to perform one of the most difficult and important tasks in NASA’s history; Under the Sea 3D (U), follows an expedition investigating the mysteries of oceans and the threats they face from climate change; and Asteroids Hunters 3D (U) takes a look at asteroids, their origins and the danger they pose to our world.

L – R: The Ronson Theatre at the Science Museum © Science Museum Group; Cameraman Rolf Steinmann filming king penguin chicks on South Georgia for Antarctica 3D © BBC NHU.

Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery
Ticketed, from £9 (under-3s go free)
Recommended ages: 7–14

Visitors can explore Wonderlab, the museum’s popular interactive gallery, be amazed by live science shows and enjoy demonstrations led by a talented team of Explainers.

The gallery’s hands-on activities will inspire visitors to engage with the science all around them, through exhibits including a giant friction slide, live lightning demonstrations, a large rotating model of the solar system and more.

L-R: A young visitor is reflected inside the Infinity Boxes in Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery © Science Museum Group; Visitors play with Flowing Mist exhibit in Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery © Science Museum Group

EVENTS

Gaming Lates
Thursday 27 July 2023, 18.30-22.00
General admission: free; VIP tickets: £10
Age: 18+

Explore the power of play and its potential to change minds, improve wellbeing and mental health at an evening that celebrates the return of Power Up and 75 years of the NHS and the exceptional efforts of NHS staff and volunteers.

At Gaming Lates, an adults-only, after-hours event, visitors can discover the importance of play and games for brain health. Play your way through the museum whilst uncovering the role this plays in our emotional and physical wellbeing.

Lates will also mark the 75th anniversary of the NHS as the George Cross medal it received goes on display in Medicine: The Wellcome Galleries. The award recognised the ‘courage, compassion and dedication’ of NHS staff and volunteers during the pandemic. With events exploring how to stay young and the potential for AI to transform medicine, visitors can explore the past, present and future of healthcare with leading experts.

Contagion: The IMAX Experience (12A)
Thursday 27 July 2023, 20.20-22.20
IMAX: The Ronson Theatre
Ticketed, £14.50
Age: 18+

The prescient cult classic revolves around a deadly disease outbreak, the people determined to keep it at bay and those that struggle to survive in a society as it falls apart. Oscar®-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh directs a stellar cast including Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Jude Law and Laurence Fishburne.

Part of Gaming Lates, Contagion is introduced by Dr Larry Brilliant, Senior Technical Advisor to Contagion and epidemiologist that worked with the World Health Organization to eradicate smallpox; Scott Z. Burns, screenwriter for Contagion; and Selina Hurley, Curator of Medicine at the Science Museum.

FREE DISPLAYS, EXHIBITIONS AND GALLERIES

Engineers
Free

The brand-new Engineers gallery uncovers the creative work of engineers which changes our everyday lives. Human stories are at the heart of the gallery, which offers a fresh perspective on the breadth and diversity of these important roles.

Marking a decade of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, the gallery will showcase previous winners alongside some of the most exciting engineering innovations of recent years. Visitors will have the opportunity to take a closer look at iconic objects such as the first digital camera and the cutting-edge CMR ‘Versius’ surgical robot arm, as well as learn more about the remarkable people who invented them.

Technicians: The David Sainsbury Gallery
Free

Technicians: The David Sainsbury Gallery is a unique interactive gallery for 11–16-year-olds which aims to celebrate the role of technicians. The new gallery helps bring the overlooked but crucial world of technicians to life, with visitors invited to hear inspirational stories and explore a variety of one-of-a-kind interactive exhibits.

Step into Shuri’s Lab, a film set recreated from Marvel Studios’ Black Panther, to learn how technicians create blockbuster movies; try your hand at creating lifesaving drugs as a pharmacy technician; pilot a remotely operated vehicle on the ocean floor; or even control a robotic arm to discover the role of advanced manufacturing technicians.

L-R: Visitors try out the lighting technician interactive in Shuri’s Lab at Technicians: The David Sainsbury Gallery © Science Museum Group; A visitor tries out their welding skills in Technicians: The David Sainsbury Gallery © Science Museum Group; Energy Networks area in Technicians: The David Sainsbury Gallery at the Science Museum © Science Museum Group

George Cross Medal display
Until December 2023
Free

The George Cross medal, awarded to the NHS by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of the ‘courage, compassion and dedication’ of NHS staff and volunteers during the pandemic, is now on temporary display in Medicine: The Wellcome Galleries. The medal also commemorates the work of the NHS since it was established in 1948 and it can be seen near objects which highlight the NHS’s 75-year history.

Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine
Until summer 2024
Free

Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine explores the history and science behind the international coronavirus vaccination programme, telling the story of the global effort to develop vaccines at speed. It unpacks the development of the COVID-19 vaccine and explores the logistical challenges behind one of the fastest immunisation programmes in history to consider how the pandemic response is being built upon for the future.

L-R: Visitor in Injecting Hope looking at a COVID-19 vaccine vial © Science Museum Group; Visitors in the Injecting Hope entrance tunnel with Angela Palmer’s Sphere that changed the world © Science Museum Group.

Pattern Pod
Free
Ages: Under-8

This stimulating interactive gallery encourages children to develop science skills using play in a fascinating multi-sensory area. From sound to time patterns, they can explore robot trails, water ripples, textured walls and more.

L-R: Young visitors play in Pattern Pod © Science Museum Group

The Garden
Free
Ages: 3-6

An exciting interactive space, created especially for children aged 3-6 and their parents and carers. Inquisitive children can explore construction, water, light and sound.

Highlights Tours
Free activity, drop-in
Dates and times vary

Join 30-minute walking tours with the Science Museum’s experienced volunteers and discover the hidden stories behind the museum’s most iconic objects and galleries.

Tours are available for different galleries, with information available daily on our website or at the information desk.