Family Zone

Fun for all the family

Unlock science through the power of dance, “Blast Off Live!” on a rocket with the Space Detectives, or learn about the importance of the rain forests and the animals that inhabit them.

Also featuring Cbeebies’ Grace Webb, former Blue Peter favourite Konnie Huq and science presenter Jon Chase, the family zone has loads of fun talks and demonstrations to keep children and adults alike entertained. In this zone you will find pre-recorded and live digital events so you and your family can get involved with the fun experiments and interactive workshops in the comfort of your own home at a time that suits you.

Can't make a live-streamed event?

Check out these pre-recorded workshops, talks, and presentations which you can browse at your leisure.

A picture of a wooden house in the middle of a field, with the text 'Escape From the Witch's Garden'

Live virtual events

Streamed live, these are virtual events which you will need to sign up to attend. Some have limited capacity so make sure you sign up in advance to bag yourself a space.

Past events

Saturday 24th October 2020

2 women jumping out of cartoon explosion on Mars.

AlgoRHYTHM From Home

10:00am   Ages 7+
Unlocking science through the power of dance.
How do sand dunes move on Mars? Find out in this workshop!

Book now
a lightbulb in soil next to a seedling plant

How can we use renewable energies in everyday life?

10:30am   Ages 7+   Max capacity 10
Examine how different energy sources supply electricity and explore how renewable resources can meet energy demands.

Book now
Cartoon of 3 spiders at night

Story Time: The Frightened Baby Spider

11:00am   Ages 3-7
A baby water spider that lives in a witch’s garden is too frightened to go back in the pond. Can he overcome his fear and learn how to stay safe in the pond?

Book now
5G with buildings behind

5G The next generation

11:00am   All ages
Vodafone’s Kaja Bronowska and Tina Owen will capture your minds through exploring the incredible world of 5G and all that it is capable of.

Book now
A bee on a plant

Where have all the insects gone?

11:00am   Ages 7+   Max capacity 50
You may remember a time when your windscreens were plastered in bugs and huge moths battered at the windows. But what changed? What could it mean for us? And is there anything we can do to stop it?

Book Now
Cartoon rocket launch

Blast Off Live! (Space Detectives)

11:30am   Ages 5-11   Max capacity 70

Ever wondered how a rocket works? Love learning about Space? Then come along and investigate the science of a rocket with Space Detectives and “Blast Off Live!”

Book Now
a boy and girl in X shapes

Do You Want to be a Coding Genius?!

12:00pm   Ages 7-14   Max capacity 30

Do you have what it takes to become the next coding genius? Well, have a go and see how much fun it can be! Join the DVLA as we launch a very special Coding Geniuses competition as part of the first ever virtual Swansea Science Festival

Book Now
Technocamps. Family around laptop

Escape the Zoom

1:00pm   Ages 9-14   Max capacity 40
Join Technocamps in this fast-paced science adventure where we desperately try to escape the tyrrany of video conferencing and learn a few things along the way

Book Now
Crocodile eye

Plantasia's Deadly Dozen

1:30pm   Ages 7+
Take a close-up look at the weird and wonderful inhabitants of Plantasia, discover their deadly habits and learn about the Worlds rain forests and the importance of their survival. 

Book now
Konnie Huq drawing on whiteboard

Science, Scribbles and Stories with Konnie Huq

2:30pm   Ages 7-12
Get ready to meet Cookie – funny, science-obsessed and ready to take on the world!


Book now
Deep sea diver

The Wonders of Seagrass

3:30pm   Ages 7+
Join Marine biologist Evie Furness for an underwater journey of discovery as she examines the wonders of seagrass, her fight for this rapidly disappearing ecosystem and Project Seagrass, the UK's first ever large-scale seagrass restoration project. 

Book now
Close up of blue patterned stone

Microscopy at Home

4:00pm   Ages 8-13
Enter the microscopic world with this introduction to microscopy and discover the close-up secrets of ordinary objects in your home.

Book now
David Baddiel

Only a Matter of Time: Time Travel, Science and Fiction

4:30pm   Ages 9-12
Children's author and comedian David Baddiel will be in conversation with astrophysicist Edward Gomez about time travel.

Book now
Jon Chase

Home Science with Jon Chase

6:00pm   Ages 6-12
Join science presenter Jon Chase as he guides you through some fun science activities you can do at home, whilst sharing some fun and quirky demonstrations of how the World around us works.

Book now

Sunday 25th October 2020

2 women jumping out of cartoon explosion on Mars.

AlgoRHYTHM From Home

10:00am   Ages 7+
Unlocking science through the power of dance.
How do sand dunes move on Mars? Find out in this workshop!

Book now
a lightbulb in soil next to a seedling plant

How can we use renewable energies in everyday life?

10:30am   Ages 7+   Max capacity 10
Examine how different energy sources supply electricity and explore how renewable resources can meet energy demands.

Book now
Cartoon of 3 spiders at night

Story Time: The Frightened Baby Spider

11:00am   Ages 3-7
A baby water spider that lives in a witch’s garden is too frightened to go back in the pond. Can he overcome his fear and learn how to stay safe in the pond?

Book now
A bee on a plant

Where have all the insects gone?

11:00am   Ages 7+   Max capacity 20
You may remember a time when your windscreens were plastered in bugs and huge moths battered at the windows. But what changed? What could it mean for us? And is there anything we can do to stop it?

Book Now
Woman leaning on motorbike

Grace's Garage

11:30am   Ages 7+
Join Cbeebies’ presenter, Grace Webb, as she shows families and younger audiences some of the machines she has in her garage through this virtual workshop!

Book now
a boy and girl in X shapes

Do You Want to be a Coding Genius?!

12:00pm   Ages 7-14   Max capacity 30

Do you have what it takes to become the next coding genius? Well, have a go and see how much fun it can be! Join the DVLA as we launch a very special Coding Geniuses competition as part of the first ever virtual Swansea Science Festival

Book Now
Technocamps. Family around laptop

Escape the Zoom

1:00pm   Ages 9-14   Max capacity 40
Join Technocamps in this fast-paced science adventure where we desperately try to escape the tyrrany of video conferencing and learn a few things along the way

Book Now
DNA strand

Let's Have a look at DNA!

1:00pm   Ages 7+
Have you ever wondered what DNA from a banana looks like? If so, join us, where together we use common household products to break apart the cells in a banana, extract out its DNA, and see what it looks like.

Book now
Merlin the wizard

Merlin the Wizard’s Hocus Pocus School of Wizardry

2:30pm   Ages 3-8
Join Merlin the Wizard live from his Hocus Pocus School of Wizardry for an interactive adventure and enjoy a whole host of fun Wizard-themed activities from the comfort of their own homes.

Book now
celebrate vaccines logo

#CelebrateVaccines

4:00pm   Ages 5+
Join scientists studying the immune system to explore how vaccines work, what long-term immunity looks like, how herd immunity is achieved and how this affects the development of a vaccine against COVID-19.

Book now
Wales from space

Wales in Space

4:30pm   Ages 7+
Join Welsh-Canadian Physician and Astronaut Dafydd Rees Williams and George Abbey, former director of the NASA Johnson Space Centre as they discuss their careers in space travel and what it takes to become an astronaut

Book now
Brian Cox

Into the Future : The universe and the next 100 years

7:30pm   Ages 12+
Brian Cox and CERN’s Lyn Evans discuss and explore the universe and where science may take us next

Book now

Monday 26th October 2020

Different colour and sized balloons

It's all about balloons

1:00pm   Ages 7+   Max capacity 25
Join Science Made Simple in this highly interactive session for children and families as we investigate the weird and wonderful world of balloons and the science you can use them to look at.

Book Now

Wednesday 28th October 2020

Girl dressed in lab coat with magnifying glass

Science Sleuths

1:00pm   Ages 7+   Max capacity 25
Use simple equipment to explore how scientists solve crimes. This fun session investigates what makes us all unique.

Book Now

Friday 30th October 2020

Boy with headphones on drawing music notes on a blackboard

Sound and music

1:00pm   Ages 7+   Max capacity 25
Find out what makes sound and what makes music. Create your own noisemakers and discover how to make all sounds louder! Join us to discover who’s the loudest, watch as we make sound from fire, and discover what you would sound like as a robot!

Book Now

Find out what else is going on in other areas of the festival