List of Scottish science festivals
The table below includes the dates and locations of the science festivals that take place in Scotland, as well as a couple that have a UK-wide scope. Events are
listed in calendar year order. Details updated 15/2/17.
Science Festival Website
Contact / Email
Application Deadline
No formal deadline, but
unlikely to be possible to
be involved in the 2017
edition now.
2017 dates
th
th
20 – 26
February 2017;
Family event:
25th – 26th Feb
Usually
Strathearn
Festival of
Science (Perth
and Kinross)
http://www.strathearnsciencefes Steuart Cuthbert
tival.org/
([email protected])
Late Feb – early
Mar (last: 20th –
27th Feb 2016)
Falkirk District
Science Festival
(Grangemouth
Science Festival)
No website. Doesn’t look as
though it is running anymore.
Ayrshire Science
and Engineering
Festival
http://ayrshiresciengfest.tumblr.
com/
Dr Rebecca Crawford, Development
Manager at Glasgow Science Festival
([email protected])
No news on 2017.
Doesn’t look as though it
is running anymore.
Unknown if
went ahead in
2016
Early-to-mid Mar
(last: 1st – 15th
Mar 2015)
Dunbar SciFest
http://dunbarscifest.org.uk/
Dee Davison, Dunbar SciFest Coordinator
([email protected])
Suspended for 2017;
usually Nov/Dec
deadline.
Planning for a
return in 2018
Early-to-mid Mar
(last: 4th – 13th
Mar 2016)
The Big Bang UK
Young Scientists
and Engineers
Fair (NEC,
Birmingham)
http://www.thebigbangfair.co.uk
/activities/
[email protected]
Deadline usually in early
Sept.
15th – 18th
March 2017
British Science
Week (last: 16th
– 19th Mar 2016)
Late Feb – early
Mar (last: 28th
Feb – 14th Mar
2015)
Smaller events associated with The Big Bang run throughout the UK. Information about these can be found here – http://nearme.thebigbangfair.co.uk/ - using
the search facility towards the top of the page. Unfortunately, the Scotland version (previously held in Glasgow in June) did not run in 2015 or 2016.
Moray Science
Festival
http://www.moray.uhi.ac.uk/mo
ray-science-festival
Hebridean
SciTech Festival
No website. Doesn’t look as
though it is running anymore.
Mary Johnston, Festival Co-ordinator
([email protected])
Deadline unknown
Cancelled in
2017. Will
return in 2018.
British Science
Week (last: 12th
Mar 2016)
Latter part of
British Science
Week
College Engagement Team, The University of Edinburgh, Feb 2017
Science Festival Website
Contact / Email
Application Deadline
2017 dates
Usually
Caithness
International
Science Festival
(Highland)
http://www.science03.org/index
.html
Prof Iain Baikie, ScienceO3 Chair
([email protected]) / Rachel,
coordinator
([email protected])
January appears to be
final deadline.
Mid-March
2017
Latter part of
British Science
Week (14th – 19th
March 2016)
Edinburgh
International
Science Festival
http://www.sciencefestival.co.uk
/
General call: See online submission
pages (available during call for
submissions only)
Early Sept 2016
1st – 16th April
2017
University of Edinburgh Families
Programme
End of Sept 2016
Usually three
five-day blocks
in festival.
Edinburgh Easter
holidays (Last:
26th Mar – 10th
Apr 2016)
Dumfries and
Galloway Science
Festival
http://dandgsciencefestival.tum
blr.com/
Dr Rebecca Crawford, Development
Manager at Glasgow Science Festival
([email protected])
Unknown (Usually midDec)
24th – 29th Apr
2017; Family
Day: Sat 29th
Apr
Early May (last:
3rd – 7th May
2016; Mayhem
Day on 7th)
Inverness
Science Festival
http://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/invern
ess-science-festival
Dr Evelyn Gray, UHI ([email protected])
Deadline unknown
Early May 2017
– TBC
Early May (last:
29th April – 7th
May 2016)
Borders Science
Festival
http://www.liveborders.org.uk/li
braries_and_archives/borders_sc
ience_festival_2016
General contact address
([email protected])
Ongoing – deadline
unknown
Throughout
May 2017
May (1st – 31st
May 2016)
Fife Science
Festival
http://www.fifesciencefestival.or
g.uk/
Paul Strachan, Festivals and
Community Engagement Officer
(paul.strachan@dundeesciencecentre
.org.uk)
27th Feb 2017, 5pm.
17th May – 10th
June 2017.
(C’beath 25-28
May / G’rothes
1-4 Jun)
Last: 7th – 8th
May / 13th – 14th
May 2016
Festival of the
Sea (Oban)
http://www.obanseafestival.org/
Helen McNeill, Festival Coordinator
(SAMS) ([email protected])
Unknown. Will be larger
event in 2018.
26th – 28th May
2017
May (last: 26th –
29th May 2016)
Glasgow Science
Festival
http://www.glasgowsciencefesti
val.org.uk/
Dr Deborah McNeill, Festival Director
/ Tom Deas, Projects and Staff
Manager
([email protected])
Dec 16th 2016
8th – 18th June
2017
Early-to-mid
June (last: 9th –
19th June 2016)
College Engagement Team, The University of Edinburgh, Feb 2017
Science Festival Website
Contact / Email
Application Deadline
2017 dates
Usually
Unsure if taking
place this year
Sept every two
years
Shetland Science
Festival
No website. Doesn’t look as
though it is running anymore.
Orkney
International
Science Festival
http://oisf.org/
Dr Howie Firth, Festival Director
([email protected])
Ongoing – deadline
unknown
7th – 13th Sept
2017
Early Sept (Last:
1st – 7th Sept
2016)
TechFest
(Aberdeen /
Aberdeenshire)
http://www.techfestsetpoint.org
.uk/tis/
Sarah Chew, Managing Director
([email protected])
Deadline unknown
Expected late
Aug – early Sept
Aug/Sept (Last:
26th Aug – 18th
Sept 2016)
British Science
Festival –
different city
each time
http://www.britishscienceassoci
ation.org/british-science-festival
Rosie Waldron
(rosie.waldron@britishscienceassocia
tion.org)
Online submission
process, see website;
deadline Mon 27th Mar
2017
Brighton; 5th –
9th Sept 2017
Early Sept
Bang Goes The
Borders
https://www.facebook.com/Ban
gGoesTheBorders
[email protected]
Deadline unknown
16th Sept 2017
(expected, but
TBC)
Mid-Sept 2015
(Last: 17th Sept
2016)
Middle of
Scotland Science
Festival
https://www.facebook.com/mos
sfestscotland/
Unknown
Unknown. Location of
festival moves. Bute in
2015.
Oct 2017?
Moved again
from summer to
9th Oct in 2016.
Midlothian
Science Festival
http://midlothiansciencefestival.
com/
Juliet Ridgeway-Tait, Festival
Administrator ([email protected]) (Online:
http://midlothiansciencefestival.com/
contact/)
Deadline usually in May,
but worth contacting at
any time.
7th – 21st Oct
2017 (expected,
but TBC)
Early-to-mid Oct
(Last: 8th – 22nd
Oct 2016)
Dundee Science
Festival
http://www.dundeesciencefestiv
al.org/
Paul Strachan, Festivals and
Community Engagement Officer
(paul.strachan@dundeesciencecentre
.org.uk)
Initial deadline expected
end of May. Could be
worth contacting after
this time.
Late Oct – Nov
2017 – TBC
Early-to-mid Nov
(Last: 29th Oct –
13th Nov 2016)
A further list of science festivals across the UK, listed in 2014 and including some of the festivals above, is provided here:
http://scicommjobs.wordpress.com/2014/03/17/uk-science-festivals-a-list-of-the-ones-i-know-about-scicomm/
College Engagement Team, The University of Edinburgh, Feb 2017