UK science festivals often have at least one astronomy or space-related event, making them a great opportunity to find out more about the night sky and get involved in some stargazing.
Keep an eye on which annual science festivals occur near you, and when, and check their website or social media to see whether any astronomy events are taking place.
Below is a list of some of the biggest annual science festivals in the UK.
UK-wide
British Science Festival
Where: Exact location differs year to year
When: September
https://www.britishscienceassociation.org/british-science-festival
Pint of Science
Where: Informal pub-based science outreach, occurring at various venues across the UK.
When: various dates
England
Cheshire
Amazed by Science
Where: Cheshire-wide, various venues.
When: late May / early June
Bluedot
Where: Jodrell Bank Observatory, Cheshire
When: July
County Durham
Celebrate Science
Where: Durham University, Durham
When: Late October
www.dur.ac.uk/celebrate.science
Devon
Sidmouth Science Festival
Where: Sidmouth, various locations
When: Early October
www.sidmouthsciencefestival.org
Gloucestershire
Cheltenham Science Festival
Where: Cheltenham-wide, various venues.
When: June
www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/about/
Herefordshire
Electromagnetic Field
Where: Eastnor, UK
When: July
Lancashire
Lancashire Science Festival
Where: University of Central Lancashire, Preston
When: Late June
London
UCL Your Universe
Where: University College London.
When: March
The Great Exhibition Road Festival
Where: Exhibition road, south Kensington
When: June
www.greatexhibitionroadfestival.co.uk/
Summer Science Exhibition
Where: The Royal Society, Carlton House Terrace, London
When: July
www.royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/2019/summer-science-exhibition/
Nottinghamshire
Nottingham Festival of Science and Curiosity
Where: Nottingham-wide, various venues
When: February
Oxfordshire
ATOM Festival of Science & Technology
Where: Abingdon-on-Thames
When: March
www.atomfestival.org.uk/events
West Yorkshire
Leeds Festival of Science
Where: Leeds-wide, various venues.
When: March-April
www.stem.leeds.ac.uk/festivalofscience/publicprogramme/
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland Science Festival
Where: Across Northern Ireland, various venues.
When: February
Scotland
Edinburgh
Edinburgh Science Festival
Where: Edinburgh-wide, various venues
When: April
www.sciencefestival.co.uk/festival
Dundee
Dundee Science Festival
Where: Dundee Science Centre
When: October
Dundee Science Festival's Twitter page
Glasgow
Glasgow Science Festival
Where: Glasgow-wide, various venues
When: June
www.glasgowsciencefestival.org.uk
Highlands
Inverness Science Festival
Where: Inverness, various locations
When: Late May / early April
www.uhi.ac.uk/en/inverness-science-festival
Stirling
Middle of Scotland Science Festival (MoSSFest)
Where: Mugdock Coutry Park, Mugdock
When: October
www.facebook.com/mossfestscotland/
Wales
Anglesey
Festival of Discovery
Where: Anglesey
When: late May / early June
South Wales
Cardiff Science Festival
Where: City-wide, various locations
When: Late February / early March