We look forward to welcoming you to Southampton for British Science Festival 2026!
We hope that the information below will help you have a great experience. If you cannot find an answer to your question, please email us at festival@britishscienceassociation.org.
Please note: We’ll be adding additional information to this page in the lead-up to the Festival, so we recommend checking back closer to your visit for the latest updates.
We look forward to welcoming you to Southampton for British Science Festival 2026!
We hope that the information below will help you have a great experience. If you cannot find an answer to your question, please email us at festival@britishscienceassociation.org.
ATTENDING EVENTS
This year, the British Science Festival takes place across venues in Southampton from Wednesday 16 to Sunday 20 September.
You can find a map of all British Science Festival venues and their facilities here. Click on the icons on the map or on the left-hand menu for more details.
Go to the ‘Book Now’ page to see our full programme and book your tickets. All events are free, but booking is required for most events.
All our festival events are recommended for 16+ but are open to all ages.
If for any reason you are unable to attend, please cancel your tickets as soon as possible to allow entry for other visitors.
Unsure which of the over 100 events to attend whilst at the festival? Need help with finding a venue? Have an urgent question between events? Head to our Info Desks in Highfield Campus and the City Centre where our Festival Assistants can help you with your queries.
Info Desk
Highfield Campus:
Locations: Centenary Building (100) (Main Entrance) and Hartley Library.
- Wednesday 16 September: 10.00–15.00
- Thursday 17 September: 10.00–15.00
City Centre:
Location: Sir James Matthews Building (Main Entrance)
- Friday 18 September: 16.30–20.30
- Saturday 19 September: 11.00–17.00
- Sunday 20 September: 10.00–17.00
To gain entry to ticketed events, please make sure to bring your tickets with you on an electronic device or as a printout. You can access and print your tickets through your confirmation email from Ticketsolve. There will be no printing facilities available on site.
Please note that right before the start of each ticketed event, we will be offering any empty seats to walk-in audiences without tickets. As such, your ticket does not guarantee admission. We advise arriving in good time as the capacity is overbooked and seats are not allocated.
Regardless of room capacity, doors to ticketed talks close 15 mins after start time to avoid disturbance to speakers and other attendees. You will not be able to gain admittance to ticketed talks after that time.
GETTING TO SOUTHAMPTON
This year, the British Science Festival is taking place in venues across Southampton.
For information on accessible transport, please see our ‘Accessibility & Venues’ Page.
By train
Traveling by train is often faster than driving or flying, and Southampton has excellent rail connections. You can learn more about the many ways to reach the city by train on the Visit Southampton Website.
Southampton Central is the city’s main railway station, offering connections from across the UK. It is within 15-minute walking distance from all of our city centre venues.
Southampton Airport Parkway is the closest railway station to Highfield Campus, and is a 50 minute walk, or 20 minute bus from venues.
Bitterne Train Station is the closest train station for Bitterne Village.
By coach
Coaches are a good option for cheap travel to Southampton from almost anywhere in the UK or Europe.
National Express runs services to Southampton from across the UK. Get off at Southampton Coach Station (Harbour Parade) for events in the city centre, and University of Southampton for events at Highfield Campus.
Highfield Campus is served by the U1, U2 and U6 UniLink routes from the city centre. Please remember to tap on and off with your bank card while using the service.
Bitterne Village is served by bus routes 18, 3 and 6 from the city centre.
For local travel you can use MyJournery Southampton.
By car
We encourage you to support our sustainability pledge by avoiding driving to the Festival where possible. However, we understand that public transport may not always be feasible. In those occasions, please check and plan your route before your travel.
If you plan to drive, Southampton is well connected to the UK motorway network, with access via the M3 and M27 motorways.
If you plan to drive in Southampton, plan ahead by researching car parks near your destination and pre-booking a space if necessary. Car parking in the city is available, although can be expensive.
Visit the Parkopedia website to search for parking spaces at your destination. Southampton weekend park & ride offers affordable parking further out, with a shuttle bus to the city centre every 20-30 minutes.
For information on disabled/blue badge parking, you can visit our ‘Accessibility & Venues’ page or email us at festival@britishscienceassociation.org.
By Plane
We encourage you to support our sustainability pledge by avoiding air travel to the Festival where possible. If flying is necessary, Southampton is served by Southampton International Airport, with connections across the UK, Europe, and beyond. The airport is a 5 minute walk from Southampton Airport Parkway railway station which has connections to the city centre.
For more information about air travel to Southampton, including transport from the airport, visit the Southampton Airport website.
MOVING AROUND
This year, the British Science Festival is taking place in venues across Southampton from Wednesday 16 to Sunday 20 September.
You can find a map of all British Science Festival venues and their facilities here. Click on the icons on the map or on the left-hand menu for more details.
Public transport
Public Transport is the best way to get around Southampton and our Festival venues.
To plan your journey in Southampton, we recommend using MyJourney Southampton’s journey planner.
The University of Southampton is easily accessible via local busses. Routes U1, U2 and U6 UniLink all travel between the city centre and Highfield Campus. Please remember to tap on and off with your bank card while using the service.
Bitterne Village is easily accessible by train and bus. Bus routes 18, 3 and 6 all travel from the city centre and Bitterne Village and Bitterne Train Station is nearby.
Most of our city centre venues are within a five-minute walk of each other.
For more information on public transport options and how to pay for your journey, visit the Southampton City Councils Public Transport Website.
Cycling
Southampton has an expanding network of cycling lanes and paths and secure bike racks are available at most Festival venues.
You can find more about cycling in Southampton on the Southampton City Council Website.
You can find a map of cycling route on the Southampton City Council Website.
E-scooters and E-bikes are available to hire via Voi. Please note you need a provisional driving licence to ride them and E-scooters can only be ridden on roads and designated cycle paths.
Parking
We encourage visitors to support our sustainability pledge by using public transport where possible.
If you need to drive, plan ahead using services like Parkopedia to find nearby parking options. Be aware that city centre parking is limited and often expensive.
For information on disabled/blue badge parking, you can visit our ‘Accessibility & Venues’ page or email us at festival@britishscienceassociation.org.
Taxis
Taxi ranks can be found at Southampton Central railway station, Southampton Airport Parkway station, outside Westquay Shopping Centre and the High Street.
Taxis can be hired online or by phone through local private hire services like Delta Taxis and ComCab which additionally has an app. Uber is also available.
ACCOMMODATION
There are plenty of hotels and accommodation options in and around Southampton. Check Visit Southampton for suggestions.
If you plan to attend events throughout the Festival, most city centre venues are within a 10-minute walk from each other or short public transport ride from each other, and Highfield Campus is 20 minutes away by bus, making it easy to get around Southampton on foot or by bus/train.
ACCESSIBILITY
We endeavour to be a Festival that everyone can enjoy and aim to provide as many details as possible to help you plan your visit.
Please visit our ‘Accessibility & Venues‘ page for general accessibility information, as well as details for each British Science Festival venue.
If you have additional accessibility questions, please email us at festival@britishscienceassociation.org.
PLACES TO EAT
If you’re looking for somewhere to eat during the Festival, we recommend The Artisan in the city centre. It offers a wide choice of hot meals, sandwiches, snacks, cakes and drinks, including plenty of vegetarian and vegan options. The Artisan is a great place to relax before, between or after festival events, whether you’re stopping for lunch, dinner or a coffee.
You can view the menu before your visit here.
Food on the University Campuses
There are several food and drink outlets available at the University of Southampton Highfield Campus.
- The Stag’s
- Centenary Restaurant (menu)
- La Piazza (menu)
- There are also various cafes across the campus.
There are water fountains and bottle filling stations located in all of our campus venues – please ask our Festival Assistants for directions.
Food around Southampton
Southampton has lots of food outlets offering a wide variety of choices.
A number of our festival venues sell food and drinks on their premises. You can see different options on our festival map here. Click on the icons on the map or on the left-hand menu for more details:
SUSTAINABILITY
Visit our ‘Our sustainability policy‘ page to see how we have redesigned our approach to improve the Festival’s environmental and social sustainability, and find ways to join us in our sustainability pledge!
TERMS & CONDITIONS
Film & Photography
Filming and photography will be taking place at events. If you don’t wish to be filmed/photographed, please ask one of our Festival Assistants for a yellow lanyard at the door of our events or at one of our Info Desks.
Code of Conduct
Whilst the Festival endeavours to be a platform for constructive debate, it is also dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone regardless of their gender, race, nationality, ethnicity, disability, religious or other similar belief, sexual orientation, or age. We do not tolerate any form of harassment towards Festival speakers/participants, staff, volunteers, or attendees. We retain the right to refuse admission to an event or the Festival as a whole to anyone who we reasonably consider does not abide by this Code of Conduct.
Safety & Security
Please notify a member of staff in case of injury. We have First Aid provisions across the Festival sites and will be able to help.
For your safety, enhanced security measures will be in place and we will be conducting random bag searches. We reserve the right to request identification or remove anyone to ensure the safety and security of all Festival speakers, participants, staff, volunteers, and attendees.
Please note that there are no cloakroom facilities available throughout the Festival, so please make alternative arrangements for any large bags. You will not be permitted to leave any personal belongings unattended or in spaces where they pose a health & safety risk or disrupt the other attendees’ experience (e.g. aisles, fire exits, seats/chairs in busy event venues).
Frequently Asked Questions
Tickets can be booked individually through the Festival events page.
Some activities are drop-in sessions and do not require advance booking. This information will be clearly stated on the event listing.
Some of our events require tickets, including most talks and workshops. Other events do not require tickets, as they are drop-in activities or exhibitions. The event page will specify whether a ticket is required.
We cannot guarantee entry to fully booked events for attendees without tickets. If ticket holders do not attend, we will admit attendees without tickets where possible, so it may be worth coming along to see if space becomes available. If there is no space available, our festival assistants will be happy to recommend other nearby events with availability.
Yes. If you can no longer attend an event, please contact festival@britishscienceassociation.org and we will cancel your tickets for you.
We welcome feedback about the booking process.
The Festival uses third-party booking platforms, and while this can sometimes present challenges, we are committed to continually improving the booking experience for our audiences.
The Festival is primarily designed for audiences aged 16 and over.
While we do not offer events specifically aimed at primary-aged children, content warnings are included at the bottom of each event description. Families may find our drop-in activities particularly suitable, as these are often designed to be more accessible for younger audiences.
Please visit our Accessibility and Venues page for information about accessibility facilities at each venue. If you have any questions or specific requirements, please contact festival@britishscienceassociation.org.
Yes. Please book a ticket for yourself and anyone accompanying you. If only one ticket remains available, please book it and email festival@britishscienceassociation.org so we can arrange additional ticket(s).
We recommend arriving 15 minutes before your event.
No. The British Science Festival takes place in person and events are not currently available to attend online.
Festival events are not typically recorded or made available for online viewing after the event.
We run a dedicated press programme for journalists and media professionals.
If you are interested in attending, please contact festival@britishscienceassociation.org and we will connect you with the press programme lead for further information and registration details.
Unfortunately, the British Science Festival cannot provide visa sponsorship or invitation letters to support visa applications.
For information about UK visa requirements and applications, please visit the UK Government website.
We are not currently recruiting volunteers or event staff.
Recruitment for paid Festival roles usually opens around June or July each year. Please keep an eye on our vacancies page for future opportunities.
We hold an open call for Festival content each year, usually between November and December.
Organisations, researchers and partners interested in contributing are encouraged to apply during the open call. You can also sign up to our mailing list to receive updates and be the first to hear when applications open.
Information about future British Science Festivals, including the host institution and location, will be announced on our website and social media channels as soon as it becomes available.
Follow our social media channels and website for the latest updates, announcements and opportunities to get involved.
The Festival is organised by the British Science Association (BSA). The BSA’s vision is a future where science is more relevant, representative, and connected to society. For this BSA’s vision to come to fruition, we need to see science relating to those from all areas of society, including those who are currently least engaged. We need to be able to engage with people in groups that are poorly represented in science, and that’s why EDI will be central to our activities.
We recognise that in many settings, at the BSA and beyond, EDI can be seen as an add-on or ‘fix’ to the regular work. Our aim is for EDI to be the heart of everything we do. For more information about the BSA’s EDI commitment, find out about our 10 year strategy and our EDI objectives for the next 10 years.