Last week our Festival Village sparked the curiosity of thousands of Festival-goers with over 100 vibrant talks, explosive demos and creative workshops during Cheltenham Science Festival 2026. 

Diving into some of the hottest topics impacting our everyday, Festival-goers heard from some of the world’s brightest minds about everything from the future of AI with Richard Susskind, how to manage your money with Dragons Den’s Deborah Meaden and what it’s like to clean a crime scene with extreme cleaner Ben Giles, andthe weird and wacky ways of nature with marine drag queen ‘Marina Trench’.  

Our audiences also heard from space scientist and The Sky at Night star Maggie Aderin, anatomist Alice Roberts, psychologist Claudia Hammond, geneticist Adam Rutherford, scientist Turi King, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and so many more on everything from climate solutions and nutrition to genetics, sleep, hormones, cyber security and the search for life beyond Earth. 

Inspiring the Scientists of Tomorrow  

Kicking off the Festival was our DataFace day, where pupils from Gloucestershire schools came together to tackle topics including obesity, climate change, gender inequality and the cost-of-living crisis in a visual storytelling showcase.  
 
Designed to inspire students to explore real-world issues through the lens of data, the programme builds students’ confidence in working with data – from understanding and interpreting it, to telling compelling stories about the global issues and challenges that matter to them.  

We also welcomed the next generation of scientists, engineers, innovators and thinkers to the Festival Village as part of our jam-packed Science for Schools programme.

Over 7,000 children and young people from Gloucestershire headed to Imperial Gardens to get hands-on with science in our three Interactive Zones. Pupils also experienced science beyond the classroom textbook: they became sorcerer's apprentices with Amanda Hartley or investigating the science behind this year’s World Cup with Mark the Science Guy.  

Families also enjoyed a packed programme of events and activities across the week, including debunking money myths with Deborah Meaden, a record-breaking visit from Guinness World Records, bug-filled adventures with poet Simon Mole and explosive interactive workshops. Plus, our free-to-enter Discover Zone, MakerShack and The Arcade brought joy to thousands of families across the weekend.  

The Future of Science Communication 
To celebrate 21 years of FameLab – the world’s longest running and furthest reaching science communication competition – 10 of the UK's outstanding science communicators took to the Helix stage to compete for the title of FameLab UK Winner 2026, each delivering unforgettable, fast‑paced unique talks designed to inspire, intrigue and amaze.

Each FameLabber had just three minutes to explain complex science, covering everything from historical horror and healthcare heroes to an odyssey into the chemical world of sugar. Our winner, Welsh finalist Tony O’Sullivan, took the FameLab UK 2026 crown with his Artemis-inspired poetry performance.  

Collaborating with our Guest Curators  Our inspiring group of Guest Curators helped shape this year’s programme. As part of their role, Adele Zeynep Walton, Jeff Forshaw, AI curator AIDA and Team Repair’s Megan Hale and Anais Engelman each curated events exploring issues ranging from social justice and wellbeing to artificial intelligence, creativity and the future of technology, helping audiences navigate some of today's most pressing questions. 

Launching the Next Chapter of Culture  
This year's Festival also marked an important milestone for us as a charity as we launched The Next Chapter (2026-2030), our organisation's vision for the future. Bringing together industry leaders and community champions, we shared the charity’s commitment to widening access, nurturing talent and creating opportunities for audiences of all backgrounds to engage with culture across our Science, Jazz, Music and Literature Festival and year-round learning and participation programmes.

Whether inspiring a young person to pursue a career in STEM, helping audiences make sense of global challenges impacting our everyday, or encouraging people to ask more questions, the Festival remains a celebration of curiosity and the belief that science is for everyone. 

None of this would be possible without the support of our audiences, speakers, Partners, schools, volunteers and supporters. Together, you help us to create six extraordinary days filled with joy, debate, discovery and inspiration.