Free fun at the Science and Industry Museum

Fri 19 Sept – Sun 21 Sept 2025: Free weekend events. Fun for everyone!

The wheels are being set in motion for an epic celebration of revolutionary railway history right here in Manchester. 

September 2030 will mark 200 years since the opening of The Liverpool and Manchester Railway – the world’s first steam powered, inter-urban railway. Its Manchester terminus was Liverpool Road Station, now home to the Science and Industry Museum. To mark five years until the momentous milestone, and to tie in with the national Heritage Open Days, the museum is hosting a weekend packed full of free celebratory activities. 

From Friday 19 – Sunday 21 September, visitors will be able to take part in an array of special events, including behind-the-scenes tours, hands-on tinkering and railway-themed arts and crafts. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway triggered a revolution in trade, travel and technology and the Science and Industry Museum is taking inspiration from this, as well as Manchester’s rich heritage of world-changing ideas, for a weekend of interactive STEM experiences and explorations for future technicians, engineers and creators to enjoy.  

A range of double centenary events are being planned across the historic line between Liverpool and Manchester. This programme is being coordinated by Manchester Histories under the banner of Rocket: All Aboard – a dynamic, multi-year programme aimed at highlighting the railway’s role in connecting people and places.  

As well as kicking off the five-year countdown to the bicentenary, the Science and Industry Museum’s celebratory weekend in September will mark 42 years since it opened the doors to its current home in Castlefield on 15 September 1983. Over the following four decades it has welcomed millions of visitors to explore Manchester’s unique identity and ideas that change the world. from the industrial revolution to today and beyond.  

Special behind-the-scenes tours 

Friday 19 – Sunday 21 | 11am, 1pm and 3pm daily 

During the celebratory weekend, visitors eager to discover more of the site, which is currently undergoing a multi-million-pound regeneration project, can join expert curators on special walking tours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This year’s Heritage Open Days will focus on architecture, and during the 30-minute sessions members of the public will be given behind-the-scenes access to the museum’s historic spaces, including some that are temporarily closed while conservation and repair work is underway, such as the iconic 1830 Station and 1830 Warehouse. From here, those on the tour can see for themselves the vision as the site transforms for the future. They’ll also be invited to explore the history of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, imagining what life would have been like for the workers and passengers who filled the site almost two centuries ago. The free tours will take place Friday to Sunday at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. Visitors can sign up for the tours on the day at the museum’s front desk. Capacities are limited, so visitors are encouraged to arrive in good time to avoid disappointment. 

Dive headfirst into rare archive access 

Friday 19 – Sunday 21 | 12.00, 13.30 and 16.00 daily  

The museum’s archives will also be open for the public to explore. The Research Study Area is usually only accessible via advance appointment and has been temporarily closed to the public while building works are carried out, but from Friday 19 – Sunday 21, visitors can discover original source material and reference books in the Lower Ground floor of the museum’s historic New Warehouse. From Stephenson’s proposed route map for the Liverpool & Manchester Railway, to colourful engravings and first-hand accounts from early rail travellers, find out about the birth of passenger railways from those who were there.  

Get hands-on with Manchester’s history of movement 

Friday 19 – Sunday 21 | All day 

Transport-themed arts and crafts activities will also be available over the full weekend, and visitors can explore more about the Liverpool and Manchester Railway through objects and stories in the museum’s Revolution Manchester Gallery, including 19th century workers’ wage tins from Liverpool Road Station. Whether it’s with pistons, pedals, wheels or wings, Manchester engineers and designers have transformed the way we move. Displays in the museum shine a spotlight of the stories of pioneering Mancunians whose ideas kick-started some of the world’s most innovative journeys and continue to impact how we get around today.  

Other interactive activities will bring STEM to life for visitors and highlight the heritage restoration work being carried out across the site by celebrating the skills needed to restore, repair and futureproof the museum’s historical buildings.   

Landscape architects, PlanIt, will lead drop-in events aimed at sparking curiosity in STEM skills and colleagues from the University Of Manchester will be hosting special animation and poetry workshops.  

Be transported through Manchester and time with free bus rides and tours of a historic house 

Across the same weekend, visitors can also enjoy a free ride to the museum and other cultural venues in the city. In celebration of Heritage Open Day the Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester is offering the opportunity to hop on board one of its heritage vehicles. A free Heritage Bus service will be running between the Cheetham Hill-based museum, the Science and Industry Museum and People’s History Museum on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 September. For more information, visit the Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester’s website (https://motgm.uk/events-buses.html).   

From Saturday 13 – Sunday 14 September, there will also be a unique opportunity to visit Station Agent’s House – which was once home to the Station Agent working on the world’s first passenger railway and recently restored as a holiday let by Landmark Trust. Visit the Landmark Trust’s website for more information (https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/news-and-events/opendays/station-agents-house-2025-open-days/). 

More information about the activities hosted to mark five years until The Liverpool and Manchester Railway’s double centenary at the Science and Industry Museum can be found on its website (www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk), as well as a guide to the 42 top things to see, do and discover to mark the museum’s birthday (https://www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/40-things-to-see-do-and-discover). 

Thanks to National Lottery players.