Cheltenham Science Festival

Cheltenham Science Festival

Coordinates: 51°53′24″N 2°04′41″W / 51.890°N 2.078°W / 51.890; -2.078 The Cheltenham Science Festival is one of the UK's leading science festivals, and is part of Cheltenham Festivals: also responsible for the Jazz, Music and Literature Festivals that run every year.

The logo of the Cheltenham Science Festival

Contents

Introduction and History

The youngest of the Cheltenham Festivals, the Cheltenham Science Festival was first held in 2002, and has quickly grown to become one of the most significant of its kind in the UK.

The 2011 event will take place between 7-12 June.

Guests and Directors

Co-Directors Kathy Sykes and Mark Lythgoe at the 2009 Cheltenham Science Festival

The Festival has attracted many significant names in Science over the years, including Robert Winston (the first 'guest director' in 2004), David Puttnam (Director 2005), Jonathon Porritt (Director 2007), Adam Hart-Davis, Susan Greenfield, Richard Dawkins, Lucy Hawking, A. C. Grayling, Tony Robinson and Richard Hammond.

Programme

The Cheltenham Science Festival aims to engage in entertaining, challenging and deliberately discussing controversial issues and experiences.

Discover Zone

A main feature of the festival is the Discover Zone. Billed as 'Interactive Science for all ages', it is a free interactive exhibition space that takes up the main space of Cheltenham's Town Hall.

FameLab

FameLab® was set up in 2005 by Cheltenham Science Festival in partnership with NESTA with sponsorship and in-kind support from Pfizer, Silicon 19, Channel 4 and The Daily Telegraph. In 2007 the competition was adopted by the British Council as one of its flagship science engagement projects first in a South East Europe pilot and then expanding this in 2010 to include 14 across Europe, Asia and Africa. Thus FameLab has truly become a growing global phenomenon!

Festival History

2011 (Upcoming)

Festival Directors

Guest directors

Themes

Celebrating the 10th Cheltenham Science Festival, the theme is 'X', "With a whole host of linked events from X-Men to X Chromosomes"[1] There have also been invited comedians like Robin Ince.[2]

New Features / Expansion

This year marks an expansion from a 5 day event to 6 days.

2010

Festival Directors

Guest director

Themes

2009

Festival Directors

Guest director

Themes

Including:

  • Darwin - 2009 being 'Darwin Year', 200 years since his birth
  • Galileo - celebrating the International Year of Astronomy
  • Climate change

One of the Festival Partners is Chosen Hill School, the first secondary school to ever sponsor the festival.

2008

Festival Directors

Guest Director

  • Nick Ross - Journalist, broadcaster and presenter of BBC Crimewatch

Themes

Some of the major topics for 2008:

  • 'Taboo'
  • Mental capital and wellbeing
  • The sustainable world

New Features / Expansion

A larger main area, two days of free outdoor activities, and more external events around Cheltenham. Also new - the 'Talking Point' - a place to continue debates and discussions inspired in events. The year 2008 saw the creation of SciFest, the International Science Festival, held in St Louis USA. This Science Festival was set up as a collaboration between Cheltenham Festivals and the St. Louis Science Center, in St Louis, Missouri, USA; and is run in a similar way to the UK festival on which it is based.

2007

Festival Directors

Guest Director

Themes

Some of the major topics for 2007:

  • Climate Change
  • 'Perfect Humans'

2006

Festival Directors

Guest Director

No named Guest Director.

Theme

  • Relationships - Including between humans and the planet and humans and urban spaces.

New Features / Expansion

The ExperiTent was introduced this year which was used for hands-on workshops aimed at schools and families.

2005

Festival Directors

Guest Director

Theme

  • Other Worlds - Including developing countries, extreme environments and altered states.

2004

Festival Directors

Guest Director

Theme

  • Perception

New Features / Expansion

This year saw the introduction of a Guest Director who programmes events related to their area of interest and expertise. The first two years saw events taking place in the Cheltenham Town Hall and the Everyman theatre. This year, the Everyman was not used and instead The Arena, a large marquee built on gardens outside the Town Hall, was introduced which was used as the venue for the more popular events.

2003

Festival Directors

Theme

  • Time and Space - Including exploring the cosmos, the science of ageing and the past and future of our planet.

2002

Festival Directors

Cheltenham Festivals

The Cheltenham Science Festival is just one of the four festivals that Cheltenham Festivals run each year. Combined with the Jazz, Music and Literature Festivals, Cheltenham Festivals host over 700 events across 12 months. The four festivals have worked together to ensure Cheltenham’s enviable reputation as the festival capital of Britain, and attract some of the art’s biggest names.

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ Cheltenham Festivals Science11 Brochure. 2011. http://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/sites/default/files/documents/science/science_brochure_2011.pdf. 
  2. ^ "Robin Ince: Who needs religion?". New Scientist. June 15, 2011. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21028165.800-robin-ince-who-needs-religion.html. Retrieved June 16, 2011. 
  • Cheltenham Science Festival Programmes 2004-6 and 2008-9
  • [1] Cheltenham Festivals Website accessed through the Internet Archive WayBackMachine [2]

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