What we do

We’ve taken hard science and made it entertaining. Our games, displays, and ‘science busks’ are all linked to research, so you can find out more by chatting to us.

Here are some activities from previous years:

Bug-hunts
We have guided bug-hunts but also encourage you to bring insects or plants you’ve found around the festival site. One of the team identifies the organism or helps budding naturalists to identify it themselves.

Bug hunting with @bees_n_nozzles

How gross is your festival kit?
We invite you to take a seat so we can swab your boots, feet, rucksack, etc. We apply the swab to a petri dish with nutrient agar to grow microbial cultures so you can see how ‘gross’ your festival kit really is. You can also download a photo of your very own festival bacteria from our Hall of Shame.

Games
Our games at Glastonbury Festival 2016 were based on popular fairground activities: “pick a pollinator” was a variation on hook-a-duck – because bees aren’t the only pollinators!
We also demonstrated the impact of the festival on soil health with our very own “strengthometer” and a water pistol shooting gallery.

Science busks
We also do science busking outside the stall. The busks are short, interactive performances and games designed by students. Previous busks included the unseen world of mushroom scents, identifying mammals from what they leave behind, and showing visitors their inner ‘festival animal’.

The infamous poogame

We’ve learned our busking skills from the very best: David Price of science made simple. You can watch a video of David performing a busk about peatlands here.

What to know more?

We’ve written a few articles about Sex & Bugs & Rock ‘n Roll for the Bulletin of the British Ecological Society and UnEarthed magazine. You can download them by clicking on the links: