The Great Exhibition Road Festival was a chance to explore the extraordinary this summer. Over one weekend, South Kensington’s Exhibition Road hosted a celebration of curiosity and discovery, with a new, free festival of art, science and culture.
Running from 28-30 June, the Great Exhibition Road Festival saw the area transformed, with an array of interactive workshops, behind-the-scenes tours, exciting talks and dynamic performances to inspire all ages. There were over 175 different activities in Exhibition Road and the surrounding venues.Visitors were treated to soaring temperatures as the Festival got underway, with more than 750 researchers, scientists and clinicians attending from Imperial College London.
The festival was a collaboration between 22 organisations led by Imperial College London with the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, Royal Albert Hall, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, V&A, Institut Francais, Royal College of Music, Royal College of Art, Historic Royal Palaces, Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, Design Museum, Royal Geographical Society, Ismaili Centre, Royal Society of Sculptors, Goethe-Institut London, The German Tourist Board, Royal Parks, Serpentine Galleries, Kensington & Chelsea Art Weekend, Westminster City Council and Discover South Kensington.
The iconic road was closed off to traffic for two days, as activities spilled out into the surrounding streets and scientists and curators escaped their offices to meet the public.The road was buzzing as visitors engaged with the activities, displays, workshops and music hosted by the cultural and educational venues out on the street - Albertopolis was transformed.
The Great Exhibition Road Festival celebrated curiosity, discovery and exploration on and around Exhibition Road in South Kensington. From our world to new worlds, from drones to design, and from symphony orchestras to brass bands, visitors were invited to Exhibition Road for a festival that brought together science and the arts.
There was the opportunity to explore a unique programme of creative workshops, talks, exhibitions and performances plus hundreds of hands-on activities including robots, interactive zones and virtual-reality headsets.
The Festival programming also focused on our local communities. For example, Imperial worked with families in North Kensington through EPIC on projects based around air pollution, creating young citizen scientists working with our researchers, and the Festival opened early for families with autism - this event followed on from the Natural History Museum’s Dawnosaurs event for the same audience.
We also worked with Kensington & Chelsea Volunteer Centre and Royal Albert Hall to run Albertopolis tours at the Festival providing free 40 minute tours of Albertopolis, running every 15 minutes.
We've had so much great feedback on the Great Exhibition Road Festival and it's been an extraordinary project to work on in partnership with 21 arts and science organisations in and around Exhibition Road. If you weren't able to join us, here is a lovely video Imperial College London have put together which really captures the feel of the event as well as our Twitter Moment.
It has been an extraordinary project to work on in partnership with 21 arts and science organisations in and around Exhibition Road and we are looking forward to next year's Great Exhibition Road Festival. If you don't want to miss out, sign up to the Festival newsletter here.
For more details take a look The Great Exhibition Road Festival website.
The Natural History Museum, famous for its beautiful Victorian building, is home to the nation’s finest collection of natural history specimens.
The Science Museum is world-renowned for its historic collection, remarkable galleries and inspirational exhibitions, with around 15,000 objects on public display.
The V&A South Kensington is the world’s leading museum of art and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.3 million objects that span over 5,000 years of human creativity.
The Royal Albert Hall is one of the UK’s most treasured and distinctive buildings, recognisable the world over. Well over a million people enjoy the 380+ events that are held in the Hall’s auditorium each year.
Imperial College London is a science-based university with an international reputation for excellence in teaching and research. Consistently rated amongst the world's best universities.
The Royal College of Music is one of the world’s great conservatoires, training gifted musicians from all over the world for international careers as performers, conductors and composers.
The Goethe-Institut is Germany’s cultural institute. It offers educational opportunities, promotes intercultural relations, and organises cultural events that attract thousands of people each year.
The Institut français is the official French government centre of language and culture in the UK. As part of the Cultural Centre, the Ciné Lumière is a showcase for the best French, European and world cinema.
Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens. It has been a residence of the British Royal Family since the 17th century. Today, the State Rooms are open to the public and managed by the independent charity Historic Royal Palaces.
The Royal Geographical Society (with the IBG) is the UK's learned society and professional body for geography, founded in 1830. They are a world leader in advancing geography and supporting its practitioners in the UK and across the world.
Serpentine presents world-renowned exhibitions of art, architecture and design throughout the year. There are two exhibition spaces - the Serpentine South Gallery and the Serpentine North Gallery.
The Royal Parks manages the 5,000 acres of London parkland that make up the 8 Royal Parks including Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park.
The world's leading museum devoted to contemporary design in every form from architecture and fashion to graphics, product and industrial design has opened in its spectacular location on High Street Kensington on 24 November 2016.
Part of an international family of Ismaili Centres, this is the first religious, cultural and social space for the Shia Ismaili Muslim community in the West.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is an inner London borough of Royal borough status. As the smallest borough in London and the second smallest district in England, this urban area is one of the most densely populated in the UK.
Founded in 1850 to administer the international exhibition of 1851, today it is a grant-making educational trust, providing funding for individuals, companies and organisations, particularly in scientific and technological disciplines.
The Society has ambitions to be a leading centre for sculpture & 3D art. Their programme of exhibitions and events are designed for visitors and participants to experience a diverse range of contemporary work through original exhibitions, artists' talks and creative workshops.
