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Science comes alive at ATU’s 2025 Science Festival in Sligo
Atlantic Technological University (ATU) will open its Sligo Campus this Sunday, 9 November, to launch Science Festival 2025, a week dedicated to celebrating curiosity, creativity, and innovation in science across all ages.
Running from 9 to 16 November, this year’s festival promises something for everyone, from spectacular live science shows and interactive workshops to archaeological discoveries, starlit hikes, and thought-provoking talks exploring the future of science, design, and sustainability.
The festival begins with the Science Fair on Sunday from 12-5pm at the Sligo campus. The fair will feature family-friendly experiments, discovery zones, and live shows, including The Electrifying Energy Show with Jay Ryan, Who Are You Callin’ Airhead? with Thunderbolts & Lightning, Desert Bloom by Circus 250, and the Mad Professor with Niall O’Dwyer. Visitors can also enjoy interactive exhibits such as Science on Stilts and Marine Life Discovery, as well as hands-on challenges in ATU’s new teaching gym.
Throughout the week, festivalgoers can look forward to talks, workshops, and special events across Sligo and the northwest region, including:
- Fallout Sligo: Talks at the nuclear bunker: a fascinating look at survival, design, and nutrition under extreme conditions (Monday, 10 November)
- ATU partnerships for innovation, enterprise and growth: showcasing how ATU research drives real-world impact (Tuesday, 11 November, The Model Sligo)
- The Green Fort archaeology project: insights into new archaeological discoveries led by ATU’s Dr Fiona Beglane (Wednesday, 12 November, ATU Sligo)
- Fuelling sports performance: a dynamic evening with sports and nutrition experts, including IRFU’s Ruth Wood-Martin and Sligo’s gold medal rower Brian Colsh (Thursday, 13 November, The Glasshouse)
- The nature of immersion: a relaxed science social exploring virtual tools for wellbeing (Thursday, 13 November, Thomas Connolly Pub)
- Moonlight starlit hike: a guided nighttime adventure with Northwest Adventure Tours, coinciding with the Leonids meteor shower (Friday, 14 November, Slishwood, Sligo)
Speaking ahead of the festival, Dr Eamon Laird, Festival Co-producer and ATU lecturer, said:
This year’s festival captures the imagination at every age, from young children exploring how air pressure works, to adults discussing cutting-edge research and sustainable futures. It’s about showing that science is creative, collaborative, and part of everyone’s world
The Sligo Science Festival is presented by ATU as part of Science Week Ireland, supported by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and partners across education, industry, and the community.
All events are free, but booking is advised through Eventbrite.
Ivana Hanjs
Communications Officer
Tel: +353 89 963 9559
