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We’re so excited to invite you to the 2026 Resonate Summer Festival Day Out! This event will see the return of some favourites, and lots of new and exciting activity to explore!
With dazzling performances, fascinating demonstrations and our first Summer Science Zone, we can’t wait for you to bring your curiosity to campus.
This event is aimed at people of all ages though not every activity or event is suitable for everyone, with the most to do for those aged 5-11 and their accompanying adults. Thanks to feedback from our Resonate Community, we’ll also be hosting our first under 5’s zone.
Explore performances and workshops…
The Quest of Velvatina Stinger (Performances at 1:00pm and 2:30pm)
Beneath the backyard, the ants of Colonytown have a dream and Velvetina is leading the charge to build the Glass Dome, the flashiest, fiercest structure ever stomped into the soil. But just as it starts to rise, boom! The Ant Busters burst in. Suited up, sprayed up, and ready to squash the spectacle. Now it’s build vs bust in an all-out, rhythm fueled dance battle. It’s six-legged showtime. A story of grit, curiosity and the power of team work.
House of MASH will also be hosting workshops throughout the day to help you explore your own circus skills!
Let's Make Shakes Pop! (Performance 12:30pm, Workshop 1:00pm)
Explore how the plays of William Shakespeare can be reconceptualised and remade through popular music! See a performance of Shakespeare-inspired compositions, using a loop pedal to build soundscapes and songs on guitar, bass and vocals, and join the workshop to create your own response to specific plays and characters.
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Many of Shakespeare's plays involve explorations of gender, peril, sexuality and violence, so attendees should be aware that playtexts may touch on one or more of these themes.
There's No Place Like Panto! (Performance 1:45pm, Workshop 3:00pm)
The Warwick Pantomime Society are back!
Join them for a short 15 minute pantomime style adaptation of The Wizard of OZ, suitable for all ages, featuring music, comedy and audience interaction. Come join us over the rainbow for some classic pantomime fun!
Warwick UniSlam: Live Spoken Word Performance (Performance at 3:15pm)
The Warwick UniSlam team, twice crowned national champions, will present powerful spoken word performances exploring identity, community and lived experience. Through poetry, rhythm and storytelling, the group brings together a range of voices and perspectives, sharing work that reflects on growing up, belonging and navigating the world today; showcasing how poetry can be both personal and collective, and how it can spark conversation across generations.
A Book of Portraits
Join us to celebrate the 120th anniversary year of the 1906 Warwick Pageant. This free, family-friendly performance will feature live music and participatory theatre by A Book of Portraits. We’ll be honouring the heroes and stories of Warwick, and paying homage to the creativity of those that brought together the pageants of yesteryear.
Look out for…
'Stories That Made Us' Pop Up Exhibition featuring the DESIblitz Truck Art Bus
This exhibition takes the visitor on a South Asian heritage trail of cultural, political and social stories told through art, photos, music, posters, clothes and so much more including an opportunity to experience the beautifully decorated Truck Art Bus. Hardish Virk, the curator of the critically acclaimed exhibition, 'Stories That Made Us - Roots, Resilience, Representation' will be on-site to speak with visitors about his heritage and curatorial work as well as the objects in the pop up exhibition.
The DESIblitz Truck Art Bus takes art(s) directly into communities, playing a valuable role in addressing inequality of access whilst providing DESIblitz and other organisations a platform upon which to build participation.
Our very first Under-5s Zone! (Blue Zone)
We’ve turned Warwick Arts Centre into your dedicated spot for Under-5s fun! Take a look at the programme below, with full timings to be provided before the day:
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Learn about stars through songs, movement and instruments!
With a theme of ‘Stars, Space and Planets’ informed by research from the university, Natalie will draw on a recent publication describing the pitches of ‘white dwarf pulsars’ to create an outer space soundscape.
The session will explore songs and music about space, chime bars, star finger puppets and books related to space.
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Join us for a day of imagination and play! Start with our Toddler Rhyme Time, filled with songs and actions for the little ones. Then, come back for Story Explorers, where we’ll be reading two wonderful tales followed by a creative craft session. Don't miss the chance to bring your favourite stories to life and take home your very own handmade masterpiece!
13:15-14:00 - Rhyme Time with Coventry Libraries
15:15-16:00 - Storytime with Coventry Libraries
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Multilingual song and story time
Come along and join in with some songs in different languages - no singing experience needed, and noisy participation is welcome! These sessions also include a sit-down with a story in French, German or Spanish. Everyone welcome.
12:20-12:40 - Stories and Songs: French with the theme of Cats
12:45-13:05 - Stories and Songs: Spanish with the theme of Feelings
14:15-14:35 - Stories and Songs: German with the theme of Numbers
14:40-15:00 - Stories and Songs: Spanish with the theme of Colours
15:05-15:25 - Stories and Songs: French with the story of a Penguin
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Warwick Research with Kids is a group of researchers from the Department of Psychology. We study how infants and young children develop and especially how they learn to understand and use the language(s) being spoken around them. Join us to find out more about child language development and the different ways in which we study it. Includes the opportunity to try out our eye-tracker - a cool machine that uses infrared light to track your gaze on a computer screen in real time (Warning: other people might be able to read your mind!). Plus have a go at some of our fun language learning games featuring weird objects and even weirder words.
With hands-on activity and demonstrations…
In the Purple Zone:
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Ever wondered why you, or other people love collecting things? Join us for some fun, hands-on activities where you’ll dive into the science behind collectors and collecting! Through three interactive mini-experiments, you’ll discover how people decide what’s valuable, how people arrange things into groups, how people grow their collections, and even what type of collector YOU might be! Along the way, you’ll explore cool concepts from psychology, marketing, and economics, all in an engaging, interactive way.
This activity is recommended for ages 4+ -
A 'science-meets-art' demonstration where pigments become paint and paint becomes art. Discover the atoms behind the colour and the chemistry that makes it possible.
This activity is recommended for ages 7+ -
Iron is a fundamental element for us which is acquired through food. It is essential for how a lot of the processes inside our body work, including transporting oxygen, and making energy. Our research group looks at the chemistry of iron which can be complex, and have even found forms of iron in the brain. In this activity, you can explore the chemistry of iron with us and find out more about how research it, including colour changes and even magnetic cornflakes!
Please note: this research includes links to iron found in the brain and dementia, which may be discussed at this stand. This activity is recommended for ages 4+ -
Explore the way we interact with information online with researchers from the Department of Psychology!
Digital Detectives:
Which shells does an octopus like to live in? Who discovered antibiotics? Can you discover the correct solution on these websites? But careful! Some of the information on these websites might be wrong or misleading. Are you a digital detective and can tell which websites has the correct information?
Conspiracy Cooks:
Welcome to the Conspiracy Kitchen! A good conspiracy theory requires three ingredients: - an actor, an action, and a motive. Can you be a Conspiracy Cook and cook-up the perfect conspiracy theory?This activity is recommended for ages 7+
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We'd like to welcome you to Building Belonging Island! A place and space you are invited to shape, create and connect.
Arriving at the Welcome Harbour, you’ll be greeted by an island soundscape, and a space which is divided into island zones interlinked by the pathway: the gathering space; Smooth Pebble beach; the lookout; the celebration square; the quiet cove. You will be encouraged to move around the different locations and respond to prompts to engage in interactive activities designed to get you thinking about what it means to belong.
We recognize a sense of belonging is personal. It is supported by creating a welcoming environment where everyone feels valued and included, built on a foundation of trust. Drawing on the five elements of Warwick’s Building Belonging Framework: trust, inclusion, mattering, empowerment, and connection, this activity is designed to invite participants to think about what it really means to belong.
This activity is recommended for all ages
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Lasers and light help everywhere in society. Our demonstrations show how we can use laser for large scale discoveries such as gravitational waves, to the smallest such as barcode readers. We will show how we can control light in the lab to study new materials.
This activity is recommended for ages 4+.
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Which material do you think is best at carving ice – plastic, steel, aluminium, copper, or diamond? Come along to find out!
This activity is recommended for ages 7+.
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Explore the variety of things that Engineers get to do - from a cube satellite that has gone to the edge of space, AI vs human 3D printed vases competition, to concrete guitar (that can be played!) - there are many fun things we do. Join and explore or just pop in for a game of balancing Tetris (fully built in our Engineering Build Space)!
This activity is recommended for ages 4+.
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Chemical radicals play an important role in how we treat contaminated water. But what are they? How do they get rid of pollutants? How can we better understand them? Come along to try our hands-on activities and uncover the secrets of these mysterious molecules.
This activity is recommended for ages 4+
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Help our scientists answer questions about river water. Join the testing team to check pH levels, solve the puzzle and work out what we’ll find in the river!
This activity is recommended for ages 4+
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This demonstration shows how heat can be changed into electricity using hot and cold water. When one side of a special material is heated and the other side is kept cool, electricity begins to flow. This simple experiment helps explain how energy can move and change form. The generated electricity can then power a small light or device, and introduces the idea that wasted heat from everyday sources can be reused to produce useful energy. It also helps so show how scientists are developing cleaner and smarter technologies for the future.
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Discover dinosaurs! Learn about how much fossils can tell us about how dinosaurs lived, what they ate, and how they moved. Find out what you have in common with T. rex! And can you crack the secret code hidden in dinosaur names?
This activity is recommended for ages 4+
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SymbioSphere - come learn about how microbes transform the Earth. Microbes, invisible to the eye, are masters of chemical conversions. Their chemical activity transforms metabolites, including oxygen and carbon dioxide on a global scale. Invisible to the eye, individual microbes can also come together to display "emergent" and complex behaviours. SymbioSphere is a simple device that will allow you witness microbes in action!
This activity is recommended for ages 11+.
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Step into the shoes of a surgeon in this fun, hands-on workshop! Using soft sponges and large plastic needles, learn how doctors close wounds with stitches.
Through a guided demonstration, you can practise simple stitching techniques in a safe and playful way. The session also includes a mini “operation game” to test your skills and teamwork.
This activity is designed to spark curiosity about medicine while building confidence, coordination, and problem-solving skills. No experience is needed just come ready to learn and have fun!
Please note: this activity involves a simplified demonstration of medical stitching (suturing). While it is designed to be child-friendly and uses safe materials, it may include basic discussion of wounds and medical procedures. This activity is recommended for ages 4+ -
We will be using microscopes to examine pollen and the underside of a leaf which reveals details that are not visible to the naked eye. Pollen grains have a range of shapes, sizes, and surface patterns, which can help distinguish between plant species. Similarly, looking at the underside of leaves allows us to view structures such as stomata, which regulate gas exchange.
This activity is recommended for ages 4+
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Did you know that great apes and some monkeys build a brand-new bed high in the trees every night? These nests are carefully constructed from branches and leaves to create a stable, comfortable platform for sleeping safely above the forest floor. But building a good nest takes skill.
At this interactive activity, explore a real nest structure and discover how apes engineer their sleeping platforms. Then have a go yourself! Using natural materials and art supplies, try to design and build your own nest and see what makes a strong, comfortable bed.
This activity is inspired by research at the University of Warwick investigating how nest-building reveals the evolution of intelligence in our closest animal relatives. Come and test your skills as a nest builder and learn how studying ape behaviour helps scientists understand the origins of technology in humans.This activity is recommended for ages 4+
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Come and meet mosquitoes and find out more about their life cycle!
Please note: this activity is recommended for ages 7+ and includes live insects
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Join us to explore the engineering and manufacturing industries, learning about how we control machines with code, how we can make things move, and how things are made.
This activity is recommended for ages 4+
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Can you crack the code? Join the team from Computer Science to try out some puzzles and learn to think like a computer! From decrypting a secret message to learning about machine language, find out more about how we use this subject every day.
This activity is recommended for ages 4+
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Come and get creative with maths! Make origami, mathematical patterns, 3D shapes and games. You can even build a tensegrity - a floating structure!
This activity is recommended for ages 4+
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Find out more about computer models of matter! From moiré pattern models to exploring atomic structures and materials behaviour, see simple visual demonstrations showing how scientists use simulations and computing to understand real-world materials.
This activity is recommended for ages 7+
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Hunt for objects and see whether they are “treasure”. Armed with expert advice and a road map of the law, you will work out whether you've found something that is legally defined as treasure. But what should happen to it? Do you have to hand it in? Who does it belong to? Should it be displayed in a museum and kept forever? This activity provides an opportunity to explore these questions by engaging with the legal rules, to see how they help us to care for important historical objects and make them available for future generations.
Do you often walk by buildings and see blue circles telling you about the people who used to live there and their exciting lives? This practice of commemorating important people has been happening in the UK since the 1800s and remains in place today. In addition to a nationally-run scheme, many local community groups decide who has played an important role in local life and who they want to commemorate on their streets. This hands-on activity gives you the opportunity to create blue plaques to decorate your door.This activity is recommended for ages 4+
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One teapot, three liquids!
This is a specially designed teapot to pour multiple liquids using the physics of air pressure.
This activity is recommended for all ages.
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Description text goes hereJoin us for an exciting, family‑friendly activity where children can explore the amazing work of our emergency services.
Strike a pose at our “Dress as Your Hero” section, where kids can try on real emergency responder gear and show off their hero look. There will also be a sit-down colouring activity where children can bring emergency heroes to life with crayons. They can also experience virtual reality by trying on the VR glasses and stepping into a short, guided view by expert clinicians of what it looks like inside an ambulance, seeing the equipment and space just as our emergency teams do.
Try on real emergency responder gear, explore an ambulance through virtual reality, meet friendly emergency professionals, learn about the life‑saving work they do every day, and feel a bit more confident in an emergency.Please note: this activity will be hosted with medical professionals in uniform, and discuss medical themes such as ambulances and responses to medical emergencies. VR activity is recommended for ages 10+.
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Building on our co-produced research question, "How do we talk about Autism in Culturally and Ethnically Diverse Communities?" we invite you to come and learn about the importance and various approaches to co-produced research through fun craft activities and by talking to researchers and families who have been involved in this research.
Please note: the project considers barriers and stigma that autistic people and their families may face, which may form part of the discussion at this activity. This activity is recommended for ages 4+ -
G-Hive (Golden Generation Hive): Little Builders, Big Ideas is a hands-on family workshop where participants explore how small creative ideas can make a positive difference at home, in school, and in the community. The activity will be delivered through two pathways: one for toddlers with their parents or carers, focused on playful collaborative making, and another for children aged 7-10, focused on teamwork, problem-solving, and simple idea prototyping. Families will identify an everyday challenge, imagine a helpful solution, and build a simple visual model using craft and modelling materials. The workshop encourages creativity, empathy, communication, and confidence, helping attendees see that anyone can begin shaping positive change.
The activity explores creativity, kindness, teamwork, problem-solving, and how families and children can improve everyday life through small practical ideas.
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Come and learn about refugee communities in Jordan! In this workshop we will look at how refugees - those who have been forced to leave their homes - create feelings of belonging and why the home is such an important space when times are hard. Some refugees choose to live in rural locations, rather than big cities. Together, we will think about rural lives and why people might choose to live in rural areas - for family, work, culture and lots more reasons. In this workshop, you'll get to draw, create poems and your make own maps, sharing your own experiences and ideas of rural life. You will even get to see some artwork all the way from Jordan and see why people decided to settle in rural villages.
Please note: The workshop will also have an exhibition of images and artwork created by rural refugee communities in Jordan. These will be displayed to inspire images and words, and will discuss ideas of migration, belonging and displacement. This activity is recommended for ages 4+
In the Orange Zone…
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Come and try out some language-themed activities and try out your problem solving skills. We'll have games, puzzles and crafts for you to try and no prior language skills are needed.
This activity is recommended for ages 7+
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Join us to explore Chinese political, historical and cultural language through calligraphy. By writing these terms using traditional brush and rice paper, find out more about how characters encode meanings and discover how the way they are written can show changes in political history.
Please note: this activity engages with political concepts such as state authority, governance, and democracy, and how these concepts have been historically constructed and understood in China. This activity is recommended for ages 11+.
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Explore Korean language and culture through the creation of personalised bookmarks. Learn how to write “love” and “peace” in Hangul, Korea’s writing system, and discover traditional patterns along with their cultural and aesthetic meanings. Then, incorporate these elements into bookmark designs, fostering both creativity and a deeper understanding of Korean heritage.
This activity is recommended for ages 4+
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Come along and get creative by collaging a postcard using images from our archive. You can also find out about what we do at the Modern Records Centre, and what records about the University, the local area, and other interesting things we hold!
This activity is recommended for all ages
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At the festival, I ask everyone to think, what makes me, me? Existentialist Philosophers write about humanness as something we create for ourselves; it does not seem predetermined. We think there is something unique about humans, something that sets us apart from anything else in the world, but what is it? My stand gives everyone the chance to think about this question and share it with others if they wish. This way, we can make collective progress to reveal what makes us special, or in other words, the meaning of life!
This activity is recommended for ages 4+
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Volunteers from the English department’s Transformations programme are delivering a fun-filled creative adventure into Gothic literature. Explore some gothic examples, think up your very own gothic character, and bring them to life through arts and crafts! After a dabble in some creative writing, transform your character into a bookmark or mask. We’re looking forward to seeing some spooky spiders, wicked witches and other creepy creations walking around campus!
This activity is recommended for ages 4+
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Come along and learn how our collection of paintings by women artists show how over many years they had a different view of the world than their male counterparts and were treated differently. Sit with us and create your own piece of artwork based on the works in our collection whilst learning about the lives of the copyists and other women artists.
This activity is recommended for all ages.
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Come along and discover what’s new at Warwickshire Libraries during the National Year of Reading!
Explore all that’s on offer and enjoy a fun, free craft activity while you’re here.This activity is recommended for all ages.
Outside the Blue Zone…
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Get Your Hands Dirty at Our Heritage Seed Stand and learn about our Sowing your Seeds Project! Discover the magic of growing your own vegetables with our heritage seed collection! Come to our stand and:
- Sow seeds from our unique collection, including a special historical variety donated by the Warwick Crop Centre.
- Learn the stories behind each seed, what they are, where they have come from and how to grow them successfully at home.
- Take home your own pot of seeds and watch your plants flourish!
Perfect for children and adults alike, this hands-on activity is fun, educational, and a chance to connect with gardening history. Come and grow something extraordinary! -
For healthy diets we need to have a range of healthy vegetables. At the UK Vegetable Genebank we maintain seed stocks of a wide range of vegetables. We will have a range of seed, vegetables and flowers to look at. We use to insects to pollinate the flowers and there will be some to see with a microscope.
Please note this demonstration will include live insects. This activity is recommended for all ages.
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In this activity, you'll learn about onions - one of the most important vegetables in the world! You'll find out about the instructions that decide if onions are brown or red, and how well they grow in different climates. You can then decode the instructions by matching them up to their traits and find out how to breed the best onion!
Please note: this activity will mention food production in the context of drought and climate change. This activity is recommended for ages 7+
Event Facilities
Check-In
Head to the purple gazebo to start your day! Once you’ve checked in, you’ll receive your tokens for food tasters.
Toilets and Changing Places
Men’s, Women’s, a large number of non-gendered ‘superloos’ (individual cubicles with toilet and handwashing sink) and accessible toilets are in the Faculty of Arts Building (FAB).
There are additional men’s, women’s and accessible toilets in Warwick Arts Centre and Oculus.
Changing Places Toilets are located in the FAB and Warwick Arts Centre.
Baby Changing – In Warwick Arts Centre. Located in the Hall concourse and in both the male and female first floor toilets. Please ask the box office for directions.
Other Facilities
There will be Quiet Spaces and Buggy Parks available on the day.
This year, we have created our very first Social Story to help you plan your day. This is a resource to support individuals in understanding what they might experience during the event. You can find the Social Story here.
Food
Registered attendees will receive tokens on check in, which will entitle you to small tasters from the set menu that has been provided for the day (please check with a member of staff what is included). Please note, not all allergies and intolerances will be catered for at every stall.
There are also plenty of places to picnic, so you are very welcome to bring a packed lunch, and there will be some food outlets open on campus. Please note that all establishments on campus are cash-free.
Parking and Getting to Campus
Find out where to park and how to pay here, including blue badge parking. Please note that the campus uses Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) for parking charges, so we suggest booking your parking in advance using the link above.
Information about how to get to campus using public transport can also be found using the link above.
Please note that there are local roadworks (including road closures) taking place on the day of the festival, which may impact your journey to campus.
The University of Warwick and Resonate remains warmly open to all. We want everyone who visits our events to feel safe, comfortable and valued. The University of Warwick remains committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful and supportive community, and we ask everyone who attends Resonate events to treat each other with kindness and compassion. Harassment of any kind is unacceptable. If you have any concerns or issues on the day, please speak to a member of the Resonate Team.
Resonate supports the United Nations Global Sustainable Development Goals. The symbols below indicate which of the 17 goals this event aligns with.
