Edinburgh Science Festival is an annual two-week festival that runs over the Easter holidays. 

Our programme includes more than 200 events in a variety of formats: from shows and performances to talks, discussions and debates, interactive workshops, drop-in activities and exhibitions. 

Searching for Events

Events for the 2019 Science Festival are available online and in our brochure from 13 February 2019.

You can see all events online here. You can download our brochure here.

­­If you would like a copy of the brochure sent to your address, please email our marketing team on marketing@scifest.co.uk

If you would like a copy of the brochure in a different format, please also email our marketing team marketing@scifest.co.uk, and we will do our best to provide you with one in your desired format.

Online

You can search for events by date, title, age range and suitability, theme (which is labelled as Frontier), type of event, open access performances, venues and the #SciFive discount.

Each event listing will have the time, date, price and venue included as well as information about what the event entails.

Open Access Events and Additional Resources

We have a number of open access performances at the Science Festival in 2019. If there is something specific you would like to request for an event or ask a question, please call our Box Office on 0131 226 0005 or email boxoffice@scifest.co.uk.

Live Captioned discussions

• Benedict Allen: The Ultimate Explorer | 5.30pm, Saturday 6 April at Pleasance
• Robin Ince: I'm a joke and so are you | 8pm, Tuesday 9 April at Pleasance
• On the Future: Prospects for Humanity | 5.30pm, Sunday 14 April at Pleasance

Relaxed performances

• Melody and Sam: Record Breakers | 1.30pm, Saturday 13 April at Pleasance
• Ugly Animals: Weird Life Underwater | 11am, Saturday 13 April at Plesance
• A Multi-Sensory Polar Adventure | 11am and 2pm, Monday 8 April at Pleasance
• Early doors at the National Museum of Scotland for Build it, Break it | 9am Monday 15 April and 9am Tuesday 16 April, National Museum of Scotland

Mobiloo at Pleasance

A Mobiloo will be available at Pleasance Monday 8 April and Saturday 13 April. It will be open from 10am-8pm. Please note users are required to bring thier own sling.

Sensory backpacks

In 2019 we are delighted to partner with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society and offer their sensory backpacks for free to our audience. All that is required is a form of photo ID and a phone number and email address. They will be available from the Science Festival box offices at National Museum of Scotland, City Art Centre and Pleasance.

The backpacks are free to borrow and we ask the actual backpacks and ear defenders are returned to where you borrowed them from. Everything else in the backpack you are welcome to keep.

• Ear defenders
• Fidget spinner
• A piece of chewable jewelry from Chewigem
• Water bottle from Scottish Water
• Stress ball from Scottish Power

If you don’t need a backpack or ear defenders, you can grab a Science Festival tote bag with everything included to take away. These will be available at National Museum of Scotland, City Art Centre and Pleasance.

We would like to say a big thank you to Edinburgh Fringe Festival Society for providing the backpacks and extra items, Chewigem for providing chewable jewelery, to Scottish Water for providing water bottles and Scottish Power for providing stress balls.

Social story

With the help of Scottish Autism and PAMIS, we have developed a social story for anyone attending the Science Festival. The social story is available in downloadable PDF format. 

Download social story

How to book tickets

Edinburgh Science Festival is an e-ticket Festival. This means when you book tickets to an event you are emailed a ticket which you can present on your phone for scanning or showing at the door.

Box Office contact details:

Phone: 0131 226 0005

Email: boxoffice@scifest.co.uk

You can book tickets in a number of different ways:

Online:

You will need to log in or register an account in order to book tickets with us online. This means you will keep all your Science Festival transactions in one place. You can do this by clicking in the top right corner where it says ‘sign in’.

Once you have logged in and found which event you want to book tickets for, follow the prompts which will direct you to the booking page. If you have any troubles, please contact our Box Office.

If you are using a public computer and wish to sign out of your account, you can do so by scrolling to the bottom of our page and clicking ‘sign-out’ in the website footer.

In person:

During the Festival, you can book tickets at four venues around the city. The Fringe Box Office is open to book tickets in person from 13 February 2019.

The Fringe Box Office at Old Assembly Close, High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1QS (open from 13 February)

• Level access via a steep slope, a hearing loop and a dropped counter

Pleasance Box Office at Pleasance Courtyard, 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh, EH8 9TJ (open from 6 April)

• Level access with a dropped counter, Box Office is located to the left as you come in the main glass doors

National Museum of Scotland at Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF (open from 6 April)

• Level access, elevator available. Box Office is located on the first floor near the elevator

City Art Centre at 2 Market Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1DE (open from 6 April)

• Level access, Box Office is located on the ground floor in front of the café

Phone

You can book tickets over the phone by calling the Science Festival Box Office on 0131 226 0005. Payment can be made over the phone and the e-ticket will still be sent to your email address.

Contact Scotland

If you are a BSL user Contact Scotland is a free interpretation service you can use for booking tickets. Log in to Contact Scotland here and you will be put through to an interpreter, who will then call our Box Office and help make the booking.

If you are having problems

If you are experiencing problems booking tickets, please contact the Box Office on 0131 226 0005 or boxoffice@scifest.co.uk and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.

Access ticketing link

If you have booked a ticket via email with the Box Office, you will be sent a ticketing link to securely input your card details.