5 Reasons to Visit Discover Festival at Newcastle University

 Ad - This is an advert for June 2026 and based on a visit in June 2026. Any edits / reshares beyond this date have not been asked or paid for. As always, please check with venue direct for the most up to date info. 

What is Discover Festival? 

Discover Festival is a free, one day festival taking place across Newcastle University Campus. It's designed to bring the community together, spark curiousity and discuss ideas. There are loads of activities to pre-book or drop into across the day and the festival is inclusive and suitable for all ages and abilities. 
Discover Festival 2026 took place on Sat 13 June. If you'd like to be the first to hear about 2027's event, you can sign up for updates here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/discover-fest/

5 Reasons to Visit Discover Festival 

1 - It's FREE 

Discover Festival is completely free to visit and you don't need a ticket. There's a good mix of pre-bookable and drop-in activities available - more than enough to fill the whole day.

It's not an event where you are always putting your hand in pocket - every activity is included (even face painting). The only additional cost is if you'd like to purchase food & drinks (there are some lovely food & drink vendors on site and the ice cream van was very popular).

However, you are able to bring your own snacks along if you prefer and there are plenty of areas available across campus for picnics. 

2- Brilliant for All Ages & Abilities 

The programme of activities on offer is absolutely epic and there is something for everyone from a bubble-o-logist and slime making to flying your own drone or landing a plane with a flight simulator. 

Activities span across the University departments and there are language quizzes, engineering challenges, science skills and creative activities. You can delve into history, visit the Sports Hall and try something sporty, make music, attend mini lectures, enjoy storytelling & more. 

Take a look at the video from our day which shares just some of the fun we enjoyed here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZkdBEDtRym/

I will be honest and say that some activities are super popular but will also say that if busy areas are a problem for you, there are lots of spaces to chill out including deckchairs, bubbles and giant games on the lawns around campus. 

You can also pre-book a space for selected activities which ensure there'll be no queuing and smaller group sizes. Look out for event information released around 6 weeks before next year's event for pre-bookable options. 

Newcastle University is an accessible campus and there is a Changing Places Toilet available. There are several dedicated quiet spaces around campus including a lovely, welcoming quiet room in the Farrel Centre. 

3 - Perfect for Curious Minds 

Discover Festival is designed to spark curiosity and for us, it did just that. Never before have I had a conversation with a robot, tasted ginger cake recipes from throughout history and delved into the psyhcology behind taking the perfect penalty!

If your kids (or you) love to ask questions, this festival is perfect. We really enjoyed chatting with experts about how drones could be used to test water quality in the future and my nephew loved chatting with current researchers about how they test new aircraft and programmes with simulators right here in Newcastle. These are conversations I would never usually have in my day to day life. 

My nephew loves planes and was over the moon that he could get a close up look at an engine which is the same as the engines used in Concorde. 

4 - Very Easy to Navigate 

Discover Festival is SO easy to navigate. I recommend popping to the Welcome Kiosk outside Northern Stage on arrival. Here you can collect a FREE festival programme and map which will keep you right. 

The festival programme is also available to view online prior to the event which is perfect for those who like to plan their day in advance. 

Everything is well signposted but there are lots and lots of helpful staff and volunteers around to point you in the right direction if needed. Something I really appreciated was that there were student ambassadors standing near building exits and would ask if you knew where you going next and point you in the right direction.

Nothing beats in-person directions and I found this to be super helpful (especially as the students know all of the short cuts). 

And if you didn't have a plan, ambassadors are happy to suggest nearby activities to try next too. Honestly I can't express how well organised and staffed this event was. 

Newcastle University Campus is in the heart of the city and very easy to get to by public transport - Haymarket Bus & Metro Station is just across the road. 

5 - The Best Staff, Experts & Student Ambassadors

One of my key take-aways from the festival was just how lovely everyone was. It genuinely left a lasting impression on me. 

The gent below (who happily posed for my photo) was super enthusiastic about the research project he was working on and really took some time to engage with us and answer all of our questions. 

As you'd expect, the experts we met were all super passionate and really brought their field of expertise to life whether this be through slime, soft toys, technology or just a simple chat. 

And the student ambassadors were absolutely fantastic with all of the children in attendance, making sure everyone was included and having fun. The ambassadors in the Sports Hall did a fantastic job delivering their workshops and their football tournament - we were all on first name terms by the end of the day. 

My nephew's nose started bleeding as he was playing football and the students were brilliant with him and the St John's Ambulance crew provided first aid. The student ambassadors found us afterwards and awarded Evan a certificate which I thought was really sweet. 

As an aside, I have visited Newcastle University a few times before for various open events but I really enjoyed the chance to pop into different departments and discover what's on offer. I mean who knew there was a whole flight simulator suite on campus because I didn't. 

A big thanks to everyone involved, this was a brilliant event for our city and I can't wait for next year. 

If you'd like to be the first to hear about 2027's Discover Festival, you can sign up for updates here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/discover-fest/