The Swindon Imaginarium, located inside the Brunel Centre, offers a free drop-in experience for families, children and curious adults looking to explore the world of science and the arts.
It has been launched by the team behind the Festival of Tomorrow and aims to build on the success of the February event, which attracted more than 45,000 people from across the region.
The Imaginarium will be open daily from 10am to 4pm until Saturday 1 November.
Visitors can expect a variety of free workshops and activities led by local artists, scientists and researchers from organisations such as Diamond Light Source, Southampton Clinical Unit, the University of Bath and the University of Oxford.
Louise Halliday, organiser, said:
“We were blown away by the enthusiasm for the Festival of Tomorrow earlier this year.
“Families told us how much they valued opportunities to get hands-on with science and creativity, and the chance to chat with role models from the worlds of research and arts.
“We wanted to create something that would help keep that sense of playful curiosity going throughout the year.
“Swindon Imaginarium will be a relaxed, welcoming place for everyone to explore, create and play.”
The pop-up has transformed an unused retail unit into a space for creativity and conversation, with activities changing daily.
These include making music with chemistry, discovering how autumn leaves change colour, sculpting nature-inspired wall hangings, and building fossils while learning about the prehistoric world.
There will also be brain-teasing drawing machines and other interactive challenges.
The initiative is funded by UK Research and Innovation and the Sustainable Futures Programme, via a Community Benefit Fund managed by Wiltshire and Swindon Community Foundation.
Support also comes from the Swindon and Wiltshire Institute of Technology.
Swindon Imaginarium is part of Be More Swindon, a two-year programme to support and promote the town’s cultural sector, backed by Arts Council England’s National Lottery Place Partnership Fund.
For more details and updates, visit www.festivaloftomorrow.com
