Science festivals and fairs are a great way to engage people of all ages in the value of science and technology

The British Science Festival is one of Europe's largest science festivals, taking place each September. The festival is in a different location in the UK each year and their week long, programme offers thousands of people the opportunity to join in talks, plays, debates, hands-on activities and more.

The Times Cheltenham Science Festival 2009, which will take place from 3-7 June 2009, will see some of the world’s top leading scientists answering some of the most press science questions. The festival features a sparkling line up of leading scientists in their fields, well-known science figures including Professor Lord Winston and Alice Roberts and celebrities with a passion for science and engineering, such as Heston Blumenthal, James Cracknell and Richard Hammond.

And smaller organisations are also realizing the potential; Dalziel High School in Scotland ran their first science fair last June 2008 and are currently planning their second fair, scheduled for next month. As part of the event, pupils will research areas of science and technology then build a device to demonstrate how these items work. The students then get the chance to display these devices to the local community. The school was overwhelmed with the positive response from both the community, parents and the pupils, all of whom were excited by the fair. To see their Science Fayre 2009 website: click here

So whether large or small, science festivals and fairs give a great opportunity for people of all ages to get stuck in to learning more about science in a fun and engaging way. Why not look out for a science festival near you using the Science: So What? So Everything calendar.