Cheltenham Science Festival is back at full scale for its 20th birthday. In year two of the Festival’s ‘Be The Change’ theme, four Guest Curators and a group of five Young Changemakers will show how science is shaping our future.

Over 130 ticketed events include Deborah James asking can we cure cancer in our lifetime? Jeff Forshaw considering if we are all holograms, and Jim Al-Khalili questioning if we are any closer to solving the mystery of time. Topics to be explored cover art and design, social sciences, psychology and neuroscience, chemistry, engineering, entertainment, the environment, history, current affairs, technology, food, sport, space and the universe.

There are hundreds more free activities in several interactive spaces on site. The Arcade is a brand-new zone, full of fun, creative and cryptic challenges. VOICEBOX will have a series of free digital events on Instagram and TikTok covering today’s hottest topics, from neurodiversity and video game design to body image and sustainable fashion, life hacks and collaborative artworks. Making a welcome return are the popular Discover Zone and MakerShack, while the Apollo stage has free events and workshops for all ages. Also on site are the GE Pavilion, Hartpury Science Hub, The Woodland Trust and a free Science Trail. Thousands of schoolchildren will be welcomed back to the Festival village to enjoy shows, get hands-on in class-sized workshops, take on challenges in the interactive zones, learn about careers in STEM and quiz scientists on their cutting edge-research.

Taking the Science Festival onto Cheltenham High Street for one day only, Highly Sprung’s CastAway is a gravity-defying outdoor performance (Saturday 11 June) that explores the impact of today’s throwaway society on our waterways.

The Festival’s Head of Programming Marieke Navin said: “We can’t wait for people of all ages to share incredible ideas and experiences at our Science Festival in June. We hope they go away energised and inspired, and able to talk more confidently about science.”

Festival theme – Be The Change

Climate Justice activist Daze Aghaji leads a group of young changemakers from different fields to envision what a new world could look like. They are conservationist and queer activist Dawood Qureshi; disability campaigner and TikTok star Evie Meg; youth in policymaking advocate Samuel Ajakaiye; mental health campaigner Sophia Badhan and cybersecurity expert Sophia McCall. Daze will also talk to veteran campaigner Jonathon Porritt about how environmental campaigning has changed across the generations as the climate crisis accelerates.

‘Be The Change’ runs throughout the programme as the Young Changemakers explore why diversity in science is vital when it comes to tackling some of the biggest issues of our time: including climate justice, conservation, inequality in mental health provision, air pollution, cybersecurity and international diplomacy.

Thanks to funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, three events in the programme will be interpreted in British Sign Language (BSL) and eight will include live captioning, making them accessible to D/deaf people.

Ticket booking opens to Cheltenham Festivals Members from 19 April and General on sale opens on 26 April