This summer, At-Bristol Science Centre is running a series of out of the ordinary events and experiences to spark curiosity, with the first ever Festival of What If. Over the six week summer holiday period, the Festival will focus on three 'what if' themes celebrating what it is to be curious!

Inspired by questions from visitors, each fortnight of the summer will take a different theme, based on a question, and so every two weeks the spaces will come alive with new weird and wonderful activities to get people thinking and doing. The themes are 'What if we had to live on a different planet', 'What if nature took over' and 'What if I could see inside myself'.

There will be special events, extra Planetarium shows, evening talks and outdoor film screenings.  There will also be the unique opportunity to take part in some of the schools workshops, as they are opened up to families for the very first time. Also, every Thursday night, At-Bristol's rooftop bar will be open for evening drinks before or after special evening events (Studio talks and Planetarium Nights) – with panoramic views of the city, it's a bit of a hidden gem!

With over 50 events and activities over the Festival period, there will be something for everyone, including (to name just a handful): driverless pods, designing a space house, LEGO robotics workshops, edible facemasks, visiting Vikings and drop-in Planetarium shows.

During the festival, At-Bristol will be looking and sounding a bit different too, with a fiesta weekend at the end of each fortnight, there will be a weekend celebration with live music and lots of additional activities. At-Bristol is also working with artists as they approach the three themes in different and intriguing ways. Whether it's helping to design a house on Mars or experiencing the poetry of plants, the Festival of What If is a chance to look at science from a fresh perspective.

Visit www.at-bristol.org.uk or call 0117 915 1000 (Monday-Friday, 9-5) for more information and to buy tickets.

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For further information, please contact Jen Forster – PR Manager, on 0117 9157 152/07967 334 152  or jen.forster@at-bristol.org.uk.

You can also follow At-Bristol on Twitter (@AtBristol) or on Facebook (atbristolfans)

About At-Bristol Science Centre:

1. Press Trips: If you are interested in writing a review of At-Bristol and require press tickets, please e-mail press@at-bristol.org.uk, providing media details and proposed dates of visit
2. At-Bristol is a leading science centre in the UK and a major player in the worldwide science centre movement with over 304,000 visitors a year, including over 62,000 school visits.
3. At-Bristol runs its own YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/atbristol), which is the most subscribed science centre channel in the world with over 20,000 subscribers.
4. At-Bristol makes and develops new exhibitions for Science centres and schools worldwide to purchase and hire, and won the tender to design, develop and build the London2012-inspired touring exhibition, In the Zone, on behalf of the Wellcome Trust ahead of many major exhibit developers in the UK.
5. At-Bristol aims to be a world-class science centre that makes a distinctive, valued and recognised contribution to science learning and public engagement with science across Europe.
6. A registered charity, At-Bristol has hosted over four million visits since its opening in June 2000 and continually strives towards making science accessible to all.
7. At-Bristol receives no central government funding and support from visitors, members, corporate partners and donors means it can continue to make science relevant and fun for future generations.
8. At-Bristol has achieved a 27% reduction in energy over 5 years, which won us a West of England Carbon Challenge Carbon Champions for four consecutive years 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, and we continue to work towards further goals across all areas of sustainability. At-Bristol is currently one of the most innovative sustainable buildings in the country; we were awarded Silver in the South West Tourism Excellence Awards 2012, a Gold Green Tourism Business Scheme Award, and won bronze in the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2014.