International Museum Day 2025
Celebrating research and education
We’re hoping you love museums as much as we do.
You do? Excellent. Come and celebrate International Museum Day with us and we guarantee you won’t regret it.
The theme of this year’s celebration is research and education, so we’re giving you the chance to get under the skin of the Museum and find out more about the work of our curators and schools team.
There’s be a series of drop-in and bookable activities throughout the day, including The Big Question. We’ll be asking what is the most important specimen in Manchester Museum?
You’ll also be able to enjoy a Time Odyssey taster session, giving you a chance to try out this interactive app aimed at seven to 11-year-olds, taking on quests while enjoying our galleries. Or take part in a Carbon Ruins drop-in workshop to help develop the next edition of this ongoing exhibition – what would you put on display to show how society has changed by 2050?
Schedule
10am-12pm, Time Odyssey
Kanaris Theatre, booking required in advance
Are you ready for an adventure through time? Four time explorers have become lost in history – your challenge is to help them find their way home. You’ll need fantastic family teamwork to complete the four challenges in this incredible augmented reality quest, brought to you by ArtExplora and 1UP Studios.
For families (children 7+). Booking with refundable deposit required. Each booking is a group of 3-7 people including at least 1 adult.
11am-12.30pm, The Big Question 1
Top Floor Classroom, drop in
We love to ask questions at Manchester Museum! Come and answer one of the BIG Science Questions through our resource bag. Teachers, this is a great chance to discover our free self-led resources for schools – you are welcome to come along with or without children! For families (children 7+) and primary teachers.
11.30am-12pm, Research Bites 1
Research Studio, drop in (limited capacity)
Join us for a workshop on Digital Touch Replicas — innovative, touch-sensitive recreations of fragile artefacts. Learn how these replicas enhance sensory engagement, making history and storytelling more immersive and accessible and discover how touch can be used bring the past to life in new ways. For families (children 11+), adults and educators.
12.30-2pm, InstAcademy Demo
Top Floor Classroom, drop in
Education researchers from Manchester Institute of Education are building a digital tool using A.I. to help young learners and families understand Science and Maths through everyday activities like being in a park or visiting the museum. Take our Science Stories trail around the museum to see how you can understand curriculum topics through everything from Stan and April the dinosaurs to the microscope and peppered moths! You will be able to share your own learning content, discover different ways to use A.I. to support learning and have the opportunity to contribute to the design of an app. For families (children 7+) and educators.
1-2pm, Carbon Ruins
Top Floor Workshop, drop in (limited capacity)
It’s the year 2050 and we’ve reached all of our zero carbon targets. To celebrate this, Manchester Museum is putting on an exhibition called Carbon Ruins to celebrate all of the work we’ve done to learn to live more sustainably. The exhibition will contain everyday items from the 2020s that, in the year 2050, have become rare museum pieces because they’re no longer used or needed. What would you put in this exhibition and what story would it tell about how society changed to become more sustainable? Join us in this workshop and create your own poster to show your chosen object and the story it tells. For families (children 7+), adults and educators.
1.30-2pm, Research Bites 2
Research Studio, drop in (limited capacity)
Join us for a session on Indigenous led and related research into Manchester Museum’s collections. Learn how our research helps us to build meaningful relationships with Indigenous partners and learn even more about collections here at Manchester Museum. For families (children 11+), adults and educators.
2-4pm, Time Odyssey
Kanaris Theatre, booking required in advance
Are you ready for an adventure through time? Four time explorers have become lost in history – your challenge is to help them find their way home. You’ll need fantastic family teamwork to complete the four challenges in this incredible augmented reality quest, brought to you by ArtExplora and 1UP Studios.
For families (children 7+). Booking with refundable deposit required. Each booking is a group of 3-7 people including at least 1 adult.
3-4pm, The Big Question 2
Top Floor Classroom, drop in
We love to ask questions at Manchester Museum! Come and answer one of the BIG Science Questions through our resource bag. Teachers, this is a great chance to discover our free self-led resources for schools – you are welcome to come along with or without children! For families (children 7+) and primary teachers.
3.30-4pm, Research Bites 3
Research Studio, drop in (limited capacity)
The Vivarium team at Manchester Museum has developed the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to support the conservation of endangered tropical amphibians. This non-invasive research was refined through collaboration between the University of Salford and museum staff who developed and tested methods using water samples from our live herpetological collection. This research provides conservationists with a powerful tool to detect and safeguard some of rarest and most threatened species on the planet. For families (children 11+), adults and educators.