The Great Exhibition Road Festival

2027 PROPOSALS PROCESS GUIDANCE

Introduction:

The Great Exhibition Road Festival is Imperial College London’s flagship public engagement event, held in collaboration with cultural icons like the Royal Albert Hall, Science Museum, and V&A. It celebrates Exhibition Road as a hub for science and the arts.

In 2026, over 57,000 visitors enjoyed hundreds of free activities such as workshops, live music, performances, and hands-on experiments, all with the help of close to one thousand Imperial staff and students. The Festival returns on 19-20 June 2027, running from 12.00–18.00 daily.

From 8 October until 2 November 2026, the Festival team are offering an open call for teams across Imperial to submit their ideas for Festival activities that will entertain, educate and engage next year’s visitors. 

Before submitting a proposal, we strongly recommend you read this guidance document. It sets out the support available to you before and during the Festival, and details the audiences that we want to attract, plus the experience we want to give them – and yourselves as potential exhibitors. It also covers the different specific opportunities for Imperial staff and students to get involved in the Festival programme, as well as the roles and responsibilities that come with submitting a proposal. 

1. Aims of the Festival

  • To create a unique Festival that connects some of the world’s most iconic institutions in an inspirational fusion of the arts and sciences.  
  • To deliver a dynamic range of participatory visitor experiences that generate curiosity and a pioneering spirit among our audiences and institutions.  
  • To engage 55,000+ people through events taking place on Exhibition Road and across partner institutions over the Festival weekend. 
  • To engage communities and audiences who do not usually access our institutions through co-created projects that are part of the Festival weekend.  
  • To celebrate diversity – the diversity of our communities, and that within art and science. 
  • 2. Available support

    a. During the proposal process

    If (after reading this guidance document) you would like to discuss your Festival ideas further, we would recommend you join our online Great Exhibition Road Festival advice session, taking place on Tuesday 20 October, 13.00-14.30. At this event you can hear all about the Festival from its organisers, learn about the proposals process, receive feedback on your initial ideas, and get answers to some of the logistical questions you may have.   

    If the above session (and this guidance document) still leaves you with questions, you can also book a one-to-one session with the Festival programming team. 

    We understand that online forms such as the one used for the Festival proposals process can present a barrier for certain people. If that is the case, we are open to receiving your proposed ideas over email, over the phone, or during an in-person meeting. Please contact James Romero, Senior Public Engagement Programmes Manager, if any of those options are preferable (email: j.romero@imperial.ac.uk).

    Exhibitor talking to a child at the Great Exhibition Road Festival

    a. During the proposal process

    If (after reading this guidance document) you would like to discuss your Festival ideas further, we would recommend you join our online Great Exhibition Road Festival advice session, taking place on Tuesday 20 October, 13.00-14.30. At this event you can hear all about the Festival from its organisers, learn about the proposals process, receive feedback on your initial ideas, and get answers to some of the logistical questions you may have.   

    If the above session (and this guidance document) still leaves you with questions, you can also book a one-to-one session with the Festival programming team. 

    We understand that online forms such as the one used for the Festival proposals process can present a barrier for certain people. If that is the case, we are open to receiving your proposed ideas over email, over the phone, or during an in-person meeting. Please contact James Romero, Senior Public Engagement Programmes Manager, if any of those options are preferable (email: j.romero@imperial.ac.uk).

    Singer with pink hair holding a guitar and smiling

    b. If your proposal is successful

    If your Festival proposal is successful, you will be contacted early in the new year with details of your Festival point of contact and a specific location across the Festival site where you will be based. You will also be invited to two meetings that at least one member of your Festival team will need to attend. 

    1. Intro to your Festival Zone Manager (mid-late January) – you will be introduced to your Festival zone manager via a short Microsoft Teams call with everyone else in your Zone/part of the Festival programme. The call will cover: 

  • some general advice around turning your initial idea into a fully realised and successful Festival activity.
  • any location or audience specific considerations to bear in mind when planning your activity. 
  • the key paperwork you will need to fill in over the next 4-5 months.  
  • the deadlines you will need to meet to submit the paperwork.  
  • We would expect the person taking the lead on each successful Festival proposal to attend these sessions, though other members of the team are also welcome to join. 

    2. A communications and engagement skills workshop (throughout late April-early May - exact dates TBC) – this half-day, in-person workshop will run numerous times in the late spring/early summer. It will focus on:

  • Sharing practical tips and effective strategies to communicate scientific ideas and prompt discussion confidently and creatively with the public.
  • improving the quality of dialogue taking place at exhibits and during workshops. 
  • highlighting key considerations to ensure your exhibit is as accessible and inclusive as possible for a diverse Festival audience.
  • We require one or two members from each team to attend. Ideally these would be individuals who are less experienced in engagement, and certainly individuals who have not attended similar training in the run up to previous Festivals. 

    b. If your proposal is successful

    If your Festival proposal is successful, you will be contacted early in the new year with details of your Festival point of contact and a specific location across the Festival site where you will be based. You will also be invited to two meetings that at least one member of your Festival team will need to attend. 

    1. Intro to your Festival Zone Manager (mid-late January) – You will be introduced to your Festival zone manager via a short Microsoft Teams call with everyone else in your Zone/part of the Festival programme. The call will cover: 

  • some general advice around turning your initial idea into a fully realised and successful Festival activity.
  • any location or audience specific considerations to bear in mind when planning your activity. 
  • the key paperwork you will need to fill in over the next 4-5 months.  
  • the deadlines you will need to meet to submit the paperwork.  
  • We would expect the person taking the lead on each successful Festival proposal to attend these sessions, though other members of the team are also welcome to join. 

    2. A communications and engagement skills workshop (throughout late April-early May - exact dates TBC) – this half-day, in-person workshop will run numerous times in the late spring/early summer. It will focus on:

  • Sharing practical tips and effective strategies to communicate scientific ideas and prompt discussion confidently and creatively with the public.
  • improving the quality of dialogue taking place at exhibits and during workshops. 
  • highlighting key considerations to ensure your exhibit is as accessible and inclusive as possible for a diverse Festival audience.
  • We require one or two members from each team to attend. Ideally these would be individuals who are less experienced in engagement, and certainly individuals who have not attended similar training in the run up to previous Festivals.

    3. Audiences

    The Festival draws a diverse audience of all ages and science interests. While London-based families form a large proportion of visitors, the Festival is also popular with adults-only groups. In 2026, adult visitors coming alone/with other adults slightly outnumbered those attending with children.  

    Exhibitor talking to visitors at the Great Exhibition Road Festival

    Under-represented audiences

    The Festival aims as much as possible to attract a representative London audience and by digging into the data around last year’s attendees, we are able to identify which groups we need to work harder to attract (see list below).  If your team is particularly keen to engage (or is already engaging) one or more of these under-represented groups, or believe your Festival ideas could be particularly engaging for one or more of these audiences, please make that clear in your proposal. 

    Under-represented audiences

    The Festival aims as much as possible to attract a representative London audience and by digging into the data around last year’s attendees, we are able to identify which groups we need to work harder to attract (see list below).  If your team is particularly keen to engage (or is already engaging) one or more of these under-represented groups, or believe your Festival ideas could be particularly engaging for one or more of these audiences, please make that clear in your proposal. 

    Black African and/or Caribbean audiences

    The proportion of 2026 visitors identifying as belonging to this group was 10%, compared with 14% across London. However, this has increased from 7% in 2025, which we believe is the result of a greater focus in this year’s programme on the experiences and cultures of Black communities, alongside more opportunities for local projects, community groups, creatives and artistic practitioners to contribute to the Festival. London is a diverse and culturally mixed city, and we want the Festival audience to reflect that diversity. This is particularly important given the significant amount of Black African and/or Caribbean communities in the three boroughs closest to Imperial.

    Local audiences

    We have historically experienced a lower Festival turnout from the most under-served parts of the three boroughs that Imperial College London work hard to engage with: mainly those living in the northern wards of Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster. The Festival is always keen to hear from teams working with patients’ groups, local community groups or creative practitioners in these boroughs.

    Young people

    Young people aged 13-25 have stated in the past that they don’t feel like they have a space at the Festival. That is why we created a zone specifically for this age group. The Next Gen Zone will return in 2027, co-produced once again with 5-6 local young people who help us to understand how to best engage their age group. We will once again be looking out for content that specifically targets or might be of interest to this age demographic. More details about what works well for this audience in our NextGen Zone can be found in Section 4.

    Young person wearing a VR headset

    Young people

    Young people aged 13-25 have stated in the past that they don’t feel like they have a space at the Festival. That is why we created a zone specifically for this age group. The Next Gen Zone will return in 2027, co-produced once again with 5-6 local young people who help us to understand how to best engage their age group. We will once again be looking out for content that specifically targets or might be of interest to this age demographic. More details about what works well for this audience in our NextGen Zone can be found in Section 4.

    People with disabilities

    One visitor group that are not necessarily under-represented, but require additional consideration in your Festival activity, are people who identify as disabled. This also includes people who identify as neurodivergent – i.e. someone who processes information differently, such as those living with dyslexia, autism, ADHD, and more. To cater for neurodivergent families and other visitors with similar needs, we have established popular, relaxed morning slots on the Sunday in the Family Zone and Adults Only Zone. However, it is important that all our participating teams consider the needs of people with disabilities more generally in the accessibility of their Festival activity. A good place to start is Imperial’s own EDI pages on dyslexia and neurodivergence.

    4. Confirmed parts of the Festival programme

    Whilst the Imperial Public and Community Engagement Team tries to allow the results of this proposals process to steer the Festival programme, we have already committed to hosting certain zones of themed activities – either because they have proved popular in the past, or because we are keen to freshen up the Festival each year.

    To make it easier for the organising team, the Festival proposal form gives you an opportunity to tell us which, if any, of these pre-agreed parts of the Festival programme you would be happy to be part of. To help you answer that question, below is a bit more detail on the plans for these areas of the Festival: 

    Confirmed Programming

    Two young people doing a crafting activity in a room lit with fairy lights

    NextGen Zone

    This zone is aimed at 13–25 year olds, and will be hosted in the Science Museum's Smith Centre. This zone doesn’t have a theme; more of a vibe. In previous years the Young Producers (the young people that co-produce this zone) have been drawn to interactive/hands-on activities where young people can actively get involved (even better if they can take home what they create!) and exhibits on topics that feel relevant/current to young people. Food related activities are always popular if free samples are available to try. If you are not only interested in being part of this zone but also interested in co-producing your exhibit with the Young Producers, please state that in your application

    Two adults relaxing on a bench in a dimly lit bar

    Adults Only Zone

    Our 18+ space will be in the more “grown-up” setting of the Royal Geographical Society – towards the north end of Exhibition Road. We are keen to receive lots of adult-focused activity ideas in the 2027 proposals process, tackling topics and issues that may not be suitable for our younger audiences and allowing space for our adult visitors to reflect and ask questions about cutting-edge research. Just because the zone is for adults, doesn't mean its visitors don't want to have fun whilst learning about Imperial research, or to be given chances to get hands on, creative and playful.

    An adult leading a group of children in a yoga class

    Family Fun Zone

    This outdoor zone is programmed within a series of lawn-based marquees, and a family performance stage. It is attended predominantly by parents with children under 12, and there will be a dedicated space for under 5s who need their own specific type of activities. It's important that teams in the Family Zone have creative, hands-on activities to bring their science to life for this younger audience. However, don't forget about the parents as well! There are always opportunities to engage them in meaningful conversations while the children play.

    A researcher engaging a group of visitors with their exhibit

    Enterprise Zone

    The Festival is developing a new dedicated Enterprise Zone for Imperial spin-outs, start-ups and student ventures, creating opportunities to showcase emerging ideas, research translation and early prototypes to thousands of visitors. We would particularly welcome proposals that use public engagement, consultation or co-design to gather insight and test concepts, especially for teams where a fully functional prototype is not yet available.

    A parent and child examining a model skeleton

    Be A Scientist Zone

    This zone is designed to support Festival activities that incorporate public input into academic practice: from co-creations with non-academic partners, to citizen science and live data collection. We know many Festival attendees enjoy being consulted or involved in active research, so let us know if you are keen to use your time at the Festival in this way. You can read more about how teams first used participatory approaches at the 2025 Festival here. If you are interested in participatory research, please sign up to our next Public Engagement Masterclass on this topic.

    A giant elephant puppet on Exhibition Road, with a child pointing to it happily

    Exhibition Road

    For the Festival weekend, this central road is brought to life through a Main Stage and a collection of outdoor marquee spaces that attract a very diverse range of audiences – from families to adult-only groups. These are often occupied by mass participatory high throughput experiences and workshops that are best suited to the busiest part of the Festival site.

    A woman in a carnival butterfly costume on Imperial College Road

    Imperial College Road

    This road is another outdoor space where marquee spaces are available for workshops and exhibits. While marquees will again experience large crowds, there is more of an opportunity here than on Exhibition Road for teams to run timed rather than exclusively drop-in workshops for discreet dedicated groups of up to 30 people at a time (see workshops part of section 7 below for more details).

    5. Responsibilities of participating teams

    By submitting a Festival proposal, you are entering into an agreement that you will accept certain responsibilities associated with your proposed activity.

    Good communication with your Festival point of contact

    Each team is assigned a Festival Zone Manager as their go-to-contact from January to the Festival in June. At a 1-hour kick off meeting, they will introduce themselves, give you information about the Zone you have been placed in as well as details on upcoming deadlines and support available. They will also later provide feedback on your proposal before collating the logistical and operational information on your activity. After any initial meetings or proposal feedback emails, we ask that you: 

  • stay in contact with your Festival Zone Manager over the 6 months leading up to the Festival. 
  • promptly reply to their requests for paperwork updates. 
  • proactively inform them of any changes in the makeup of your team or what you can deliver over the Festival weekend. 
  • Organise a sufficiently large team to deliver your activity

    The Festival can be tiring, so if you are proposing an exhibit stand or workshop, it is vital you can call upon sufficient human resources. For a single exhibit table, we would expect at least 3-4 members of your team to be engaging the public at any one time during the busiest periods of the Festival. Adding in the needs to provide breaks for team members to take lunch and/or see the wider Festival programme, we would expect a minimum of 6 volunteers per day across the Festival weekend for even a single trestle table exhibit (with increasing numbers required as the size and complexity of what is proposed increases).

    Organise a practise session and run throughs 

    In the weeks leading up to the Festival, your Zone Manager might get in touch to organise in-person run throughs - particularly for teams delivering an activity for the first time. Please make time to attend and invite as many of the team who will be working with you over the weekend. If you are giving a talk, we hope you would have written most of your talk by the time of the run-through so your Zone Managers can provide useful feedback on its structure and audience appropriateness. 

    Plan your set up, pack down and the staffing of your activity  

    In the months leading up to the Festival, you will be allocated a slot to set up your activity ahead of the Festival opening. Please make best use of this time. This should include testing all electronic and internet connected devices in situ. If there are likely to be any challenges transporting equipment over the Festival weekend, please raise these with your Zone Manager in good time. The Festival operates under the agreement that our campus and Exhibition Road are back to normal operations by Sunday night, so please ensure your pack down plans take this into account. 

    Take full responsibility for the health and safety of your event 

    As always, everyone delivering any type of activity across the Festival weekend will need to fill in a risk assessment form, which will be provided by your Zone Manager in the new year. It is your responsibility to not just fill in this form and get it signed off by a departmental or faculty level safety officer, but also to ensure any mitigating actions are adhered to over the weekend. If you expect your activity to be high-risk, please flag this with your Zone Manager as early as possible.

    Co-promote your event locally and on social media  

    The Festival benefits from everyone involved getting behind it and sharing invites with all their friends and families. Towards the end of spring/start of summer we will provide marketing materials with registration links for you to share over email, across social media or even on WhatsApp groups. 

    Meet your deadlines in the Festival timeline

    Below is a table covering key actions and dates for the 2027 Festival. When you meet your Festival zone managers in January, we will provide a more detailed timeline with deadlines allocated to specific days. Please keep to these deadlines. 

    Action

    When?

    Notes?

    You will receive a response on whether your activity can be accommodated within the 2027 Festival programme 

    January

    Whilst we try our best to accommodate as many teams as possible each year, the Festival site has a limited capacity and budget.

    For those unable to take part, we are committed to helping them deliver their activity at future Festivals or other public engagement events throughout the year.

    Festival proposal leads to attend an online kick-off call with their new Festival Zone Manager 

    Mid-late January

    These calls will focus less on the details of your ideas and more about the logistical and operational considerations of your allocated space, as well as a more detailed list of the paperwork you will need to complete and deadlines for submitting them.

    As a result, only the people leading on the Festival proposal need to attend.

    Approve copy and key info for Festival website and/or printed programme

    End of February

    Relevant only to teams proposing talks, workshops, installations, performances or shows.

    Your Festival Zone Manager will provide templates for you to fill in, or first drafts of text for you to feedback on.

    Feedback on draft equipment orders and zone floorplans 

    End of February

    After reviewing all the proposals in their allocated zones/Festival programme, your Zone Manager will draw up a first draft floorplan and equipment order for feedback.

    Please be understanding of the need for the Festival to accommodate as many Imperial teams as possible, whilst also ensuring there is comfortable space for the public.

    Engage with departmental/faculty safety officers to discuss your risk assessment

    End of March

    A risk assessment template and guidance document along with filled-in examples from previous years will be shared in the new year.

    Safety officers have asked for Festival teams to approach them for advice or sign off no later than the end of March.

    Submit completed risk assessment form signed off by a department safety role.

    Early April

    Send completed and signed off forms to your Zone manager

    These forms will then be passed to the Central H&S team who may come back with more questions which will be passed on to you by your zone manager

    One or two members of your team to attend the Public Engagement training session/workshop 

    Mid-April to Mid-May

    These workshops will be held in person, in both South Kensington and White City.

    There are several dates to choose from, and a booking link will be shared with you.

    Not necessary for anyone who has been on this Festival training in previous years, but recommended for anyone new to the Festival and/or public engagement.

    Confirm requirements around overnight storage of Festival equipment

    Early May

    There is limited space for overnight storage so requests will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis (with priority given to non-South Kensington teams based at other campuses)

    Submit final list of exhibiting names, CID numbers and dietary requirements for lunch

    Early May

    A lunch order template will be shared by your Festival Zone Manager in the new year.

    Lunch is only available to individuals volunteering for a full day or more across the weekend.

    Confirm details of any vehicle drop-offs or collections during Festival set up or break down 

    Early May

    Ideally any equipment should be dropped off on the Friday, or the week leading up to the Festival, and collected on the Sunday night/Monday morning.

    Confirm details of any parking spaces required

    Mid-May

    Please be aware that parking spots over the weekend will be extremely limited. Spaces are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis so please tell us as soon as you can.

    6. What we are looking for in the 2027 Festival proposals?

    Each year we evaluate the Festival and collect feedback from exhibitors, visitors, and volunteers to find out what they most valued. Based on this, and the Festival aims listed above, we have the following suggestions for teams wanting to take part in 2027. Whilst we are not expecting each proposal to include all the elements below, we recommend at least considering how you might incorporate each into what you are submitting. 

    We also strongly recommend teams consult the variety of engagement toolkits and resources that have been developed by Imperial’s Public and Community Engagement team. Some of the most relevant ones for different types of activities are linked to in the final section of this guide. 

    Ideas linked to specific areas of the Festival site

    This guide has identified above some specific locations and themed areas that will form part of the 2027 programme. Please make it clear in your application if your activity fits into any of these pre-agreed parts of the Festival programme. There is still plenty of room for ideas outside of these pre-agreed themes if your idea doesn’t fit. 

    Programming for under-represented audiences (see list above)

    This can come in many forms. Broadly, we would welcome proposals that are targeted specifically at, or co-developed with, our under-represented communities. In particular we are interested in ideas targeted at Black-British audiences, but also those working with local community organisations, linked to our key age demographic focus around young people (aged 13-25), or supporting people with disabilities with activities that are particularly accessible to them (or organised with members of that community). This could also include showcasing members of the Imperial community who are themselves representatives of marginalised or under-served communities. If a proposal aims to celebrate a scientist or academic (Imperial affiliated or external) from an under-represented group who influenced them and/or their field, that would also be warmly welcomed. 

    Science and art collaborations

    In surveys, our visitors frequently comment on the unique interaction between the arts and sciences – particularly in relation to creative workshops, striking public art, immersive experiences or live performances. If you already have a creative collaborator in mind, that's great. If not, we can help identify someone to work with you.  

    Contributions to a participatory research culture

    As mentioned above, we know many Festival attendees enjoy being listened to, consulted or involved at any stage of a research cycle. Our ‘Be a Scientist’ zone will again provide a home for projects that contribute in any way to a more participatory culture around Imperial research. However, we would hope all teams consider how they can listen and learn from the public as part of their proposed Festival activity.

    Immersive or reflective experiences

    In many of the indoor venues, we have access to secluded or closed off areas or rooms which are perfect for individual teams to take over and create immersive experiences or chilled out environments for a different type of engagement with Imperial research. We would be keen to work with any teams who have ambitions to create this type of experience for our Festival visitors – and again, there is the option for us to commission experienced immersive/installation artist to work with you.

    Ideas with media hooks or the launch of new institutions or facilities

    Our Festival PR team always want to find exhibiting Imperial teams or speakers that have new papers or announcements tied to the research that will be shown at the Festival. It is also helpful to know about any unique visual/interactive elements of your Festival proposal that journalists or social media personalities could experience ahead of the Festival weekend to help preview the weekend's activities.

    Mother and daughter dancing with headsets on
    Artist painting large canvas
    Two figures back lit against a screen
    Speaker talking at the Festival

    Programming for under-represented audiences (see list above)

    This can come in many forms. Broadly, we would welcome proposals that are targeted specifically at, or co-developed with, our under-represented communities. In particular we are interested in ideas targeted at Black-British audiences, but also those working with local community organisations, linked to our key age demographic focus around young people (aged 13-25), or supporting people with disabilities with activities that are particularly accessible to them (or organised with members of that community). This could also include showcasing members of the Imperial community who are themselves representatives of marginalised or under-served communities. If a proposal aims to celebrate a scientist or academic (Imperial affiliated or external) from an under-represented group who influenced them and/or their field, that would also be warmly welcomed. 

    Science and art collaborations

    In surveys, our visitors frequently comment on the unique interaction between the arts and sciences – particularly in relation to creative workshops, striking public art, immersive experiences or live performances. If you already have a creative collaborator in mind, that's great. If not, we can help identify someone to work with you.  

    Contributions to a participatory research culture

    As mentioned above, we know many Festival attendees enjoy being listened to, consulted or involved at any stage of a research cycle. Our ‘Be a Scientist’ zone will again provide a home for projects that contribute in any way to a more participatory culture around Imperial research. However, we would hope all teams consider how they can listen and learn from the public as part of their proposed Festival activity.

    Immersive or reflective experiences

    In many of the indoor venues, we have access to secluded or closed off areas or rooms which are perfect for individual teams to take over and create immersive experiences or chilled out environments for a different type of engagement with Imperial research. We would be keen to work with any teams who have ambitions to create this type of experience for our Festival visitors – and again, there is the option for us to commission experienced immersive/installation artist to work with you.

    Ideas with media hooks or the launch of new institutions or facilities

    Our Festival PR team always want to find exhibiting Imperial teams or speakers that have new papers or announcements tied to the research that will be shown at the Festival. It is also helpful to know about any unique visual/interactive elements of your Festival proposal that journalists or social media personalities could experience ahead of the Festival weekend to help preview the weekend's activities.

    7. Types of contribution

    The Festival proposals form lists seven types of experiences teams could offer visitors in 2027, as well as an ‘other’ option for ideas that don’t fit into these categories.

    Here we describe each in a bit more detail:

    Children in a science exhibit

    Interactive exhibit/Hands-on Demonstration

    This is a permanent activity that occupies a space within the Festival site throughout the weekend. These are staffed by the teams who create them and bring visual and/or interactive components that will help to tell the story of an area of research. 


    Relevant resources and guides:
    How do I design hands-on activities?
    How can I engage through games and play?

    A science explainer and child with ear protectors doing a fun experiment

    Shows

    Festival shows take place in a lecture theatre but are more interactive and dynamic than a talk. Aimed at a family rather than specifically adult audience, they often have more in common with a Christmas lecture at the Royal Institution than a TEDx talk, with a central story illustrated through audience interaction and live experiments. Due to their popularity, they are often repeated several times a day across the Festival weekend. Like workshops, interested Imperial teams will often be paired with an experienced storyteller and/or show developer to create a memorable performance.

    Relevant resources and guides:
    How do I organise a science performance?

    A painting of a human heart, surrounded by figures doing exercise

    Installation/Exhibition

    Like an exhibit, an installation is a permanent feature of the Festival, but does not necessarily need to be constantly staffed, and often takes a more artistic or creative approach to introducing the research topic. Installations might include immersive experiences, interactive sculptures, escape rooms, art exhibitions or photography displays linked to Imperial research. 

    Relevant resources and guides:
    How do I create a science exhibition?

    Children in an art workshop

    Workshop

    Workshops give members of the public a chance to get involved in making, creating, or doing. ‘Making’ workshops can involve the public creating something that they take away, or leave behind as a growing installation. ‘Doing’ workshops can be performative or skills based, such as dance or movement classes, or reflective and introspective, supporting the public to think about a subject in a new way. Teams interested in delivering a workshop can get paired with artists or experienced creative professionals to help develop and/or deliver the activity. 

    Relevant resources and guides:
    How do I use arts-based methods in research?

    Musicians on the main festival stage

    Stage performance

    The Festival has numerous stages and tents which are open to proposals from both professional and amateur performers. We are always keen for ideas that include audience interaction and/or where music or dance can be used to illustrate areas of Imperial research.  

    A scientist on stilts entertaining a crowd

    Roaming performance

    We are keen to bring Exhibition Road and Imperial College Road to life wherever possible, and one of the best ways to do this is organising mobile demos or exhibits that can move up and down the road. The roaming act itself can be the science storytelling device, or it can be attached to a workshop where the public help contribute to the roaming acts’ performance. Roaming performers will be given a wet weather back-up location. If there is the potential to recreate part of a street roaming performance on stage –e.g. as part of an Art of Science Talks session – that could be a great way of sharing the more detailed science story behind the roaming performance. 

    Talk or discussion

    Festival talks give a predominantly adult audience (16+) a chance to hear about a particular subject in a bit more depth. They must be developed and delivered for non-experts with a publicly appealing title. As well as individual speakers, we are always interested in panel sessions that bring speakers from different backgrounds together to discuss a single topic. Discussion panels need to be diverse in as many ways as possible and can include external speakers – ideally, though not necessarily, from the Festival partnership or the local community. If you'd like to give a talk at the Festival, please read our guide on how to give an engaging talk.

    The 2027 Great Exhibition Road Festival will feature four talks programmes running throughout the two days:

    Someone in a lecture theatre giving a talk

    Spotlight Talks

    These talks explore big issues, highly topical events or widely appealing trends, whilst often looking at science or technology topics in their wider context e.g. their potential broader societal impact.

    Someone at a lecturn giving a talk

    Art of Science

    Here, we showcase individuals, projects or initiatives that blur the traditional lines between science/technology/health/environment, and the arts and other creative sectors. We also bring together panels of people from these ‘different worlds’ to discuss topics of common interest

    A group of people performing on a stage

    Science Cabaret

    In our Adults-only Zone, straight up science stories are brought to life through creativity, whether it's through competitive games, live performance, or fun-filled audience participation.

    People giving a talk at a stand that says 'Future Food Live'

    Future Food Live

    On Imperial College Road, chefs and scientists create innovative dishes for the public to sample whilst telling accompanying stories – e.g. tales related to food science, gut health or nutrition.

    8. Support offered for different types of content

    The central Festival team will provide different types of support to teams depending on the nature of the activity. While there will always be exceptions to the rules listed below, this table gives a sense of what you can expect from the central Festival team for each type of Festival content listed above.

    Talks

    Workshop

    Exhibit

    Installation

    Stage performance

    Roaming

    performance

    Show

    Support and advice from our programming team

    Yes

    Yes

    Yes

    Yes

    Yes

    Yes

    Yes

    Provision of furniture and electrical equipment

    Yes

    Yes

    Yes

    Yes

    Yes

    Yes

    Yes

    Pre-event promotion of your Festival activity

    Yes

    Yes

    Maybe

    Maybe

    Maybe

    Maybe

    Yes

    Capturing of your activity in official Festival photography and videography

    Maybe

    Maybe

    Maybe

    Maybe

    Maybe

    Maybe

    Maybe

    Event management staff to help in your activity delivery

    Yes

    No

    No

    No

    Yes

    No

    Yes

    Ticket office/Pre-registration managed by the Festival

    Maybe

    Maybe

    No

    No

    No

    No

    Yes

    Material costs covered by Festival

    N/A

    Maybe

    No

    Maybe

    Maybe

    No

    Yes

    Fees for external speakers or artistic collaborators covered by the Festival team

    Yes

    Maybe

    No

    Maybe

    Maybe

    Yes

    Yes

    Your activity will be featured in the Festival printed programme

    Maybe

    Maybe

    No

    Maybe

    Maybe

    No

    Maybe

    Your activity will be featured in the Festival online programme

    Yes

    Yes

    No

    Maybe

    Yes

    Maybe

    Yes

    And in return...

    Expected delivery time across the weekend

    Up to 1 hour

    2 full days (minus time for resetting)

    2 full days

    2 full days

    Up to 30 minutes performance – perhaps

    repeated 2–3 times

    Minimum of 3 hours of performance each day

    30–40 minute show repeated 3–4 times each day

    We look forward to reading your proposal!

    Crowds at the Great Exhibition Road Festival