The ever-expanding event directory is LIVE!
In June we launched the directory and now we have over 3000 fantastic events listed so far – with the number growing by the day! So the last few months have been extremely busy behind the scenes, testing the coding to ensure that everything works, communicating with our organisers and reading THOUSANDS of entries.
As someone with the unique insight of reading nearly all the events this year, I know that this year's festival will be spectacular! From explorations of our Astounding Inventions theme to highlighting the hidden heritage beneath our feet, there is something for everyone. We even have some virtual events that you can attend from the comfort of your own chair.
New faces to help you find highlights
Two new faces have joined the team to give you some inspiration in your event searches. Kelly and Yidan, our fabulous volunteers, are working very hard to create festival spotlight posts highlighting some of the unique and intriguing events taking place. They have many exciting topics up their sleeves, so keep your eyes peeled!
Venturing up North-ish
Liam and I also travelled to Liverpool in June to attend the fantastic AIM conference (Association of Independent Museums), which was held in the appropriately sunny Port Sunlight. We had a great time meeting new and old faces and promoting all the hard work that our organisers put in to make this festival a reality. While we were there, we had the opportunity to meet some of them and learn about the city's hidden heritage.
- We discovered how the George's Dock Building keeps Mersey Tunnel clean, despite its important role being perfectly concealed by its Art Deco exterior.
- I also met up with the Friends of Williamson's Tunnels, who showed me how vastly Joseph Williamson had quarried out during the 1800s, as well as the many fascinating objects unearthed during its re-discovery.
We don't often get the chance to visit our organisers but when we do, we love to see first-hand the fascinating heritage that we read about in your event entries, hear about your festival experiences and how you think we can continue to grow the festival as a whole. The George's Dock Building and the Williamson's Tunnels events are back for this year’s festival and definitely worth a visit!
A New Wave washes ever nearer
As I type Liam’s sorting out the orders for bunting and all things festival pink to send to coordinators. Over the past few months though he’s been busy working with this year’s New Wave cohort on developing their exciting events. Look out for a spotlight post later in August highlighting all their brilliant plans.
Matchmaking
Meanwhile, Sarah’s been matchmaking between local sites and subject specialists, thanks to our work with the excellent Icon (Institute of Conservation) and WES (Women’s Engineering Society). Keep a look out for events featuring Conservation Stations or stories about Women in Engineering this September.
Find out more
- What's on? - Explore the event directory and find events near you.
- Festival Spotlights - Be inspired for your event searches with our highlight posts
- Newsletter - Sign up for regular updates on the festival and beyond
- Read more on the blog - Look out for ‘Take 5 with the team’ posts in our Blog stream
- Meet the team
