Cheltenham Science Festival

The Cheltenham Science Festival is six days of talks, shows and experiments in the middle of Cheltenham every June, held in Imperial Gardens and the Town Hall beside them. The 2027 festival runs from Tuesday 8 to Sunday 13 June, the festival's 25th anniversary year; it began in 2002.

What happens

Scientists, doctors and engineers give talks on everything from sleep and the weather to the planet's future, and there are comedy and stage shows as well as straight lectures. The Festival Village in Imperial Gardens is free to enter and has hands-on stands that children enjoy. In 2026 its free interactive zones were the Discover Zone, the MakerShack and The Arcade. The talks are in the Town Hall, including its Pillar Room, and in tented venues in the gardens.

Tickets and who it suits

Each talk needs its own ticket, and tickets go on sale from Cheltenham Festivals once the programme is announced. The village suits families on a weekday after school or at the weekend; the evening talks are aimed at adults.

The Town Hall has ramped access at the front and a step-free ground floor, including the main hall and the Pillar Room, with wheelchair-accessible toilets on the ground floor. There is a hearing loop in the ground-floor stalls of the main hall but not in the Pillar Room, and the balconies are reached only by stairs. A few spaces for disabled visitors in the rear car park must be arranged in advance by email through the Cheltenham Trust box office; ask the organisers about access to the tented venues when you book.

Getting there and parking

The Town Hall is a mile and a half from Cheltenham Spa station, with taxis outside; Stagecoach's D bus runs from the station to Clarence Street, five to ten minutes' walk away, and National Express coaches use the bus station in the town centre. The nearest car parks are Rodney Road, Regent Arcade and Bath Parade. For more on trains, see getting to the Cotswolds.

June evenings are long enough to walk up to Cleeve Common after a day of talks, or to stay up on the hill at the Cleeve Hill Hotel.

Next in the town's year is Cheltenham Music Festival in July.