SPACE ROCKS is a festival of space exploration. Presented in association with ESA, the European Space Agency, it’s a unique gathering of the best and brightest in every scientific and creative field but united by a common passion for the great beyond.
The follow-up to our award-winning 2018 debut event consists of three separate sessions, each with something for everyone from devoted space enthusiasts to the sci-curious…
SESSION 1 – SPACE ACADEMY: 12.30pm-2.30pm
Hosted by Harry Potter and Star Trek: Discovery star Jason Isaacs. Aimed at kids of all ages, Space Academy will highlight the incredible range of space science currently underway.
SESSION 2 – SPACE LAB: 3:30pm-6pm
The great minds from the world of space science, the arts, and music meet at Space Lab to debate and explore the big questions. This year we’ll be introducing a few new twists we can’t wait to share with you. Hosted by Dallas Campbell
SESSION 3 – SPACE ROCKS LIVE: 7:30pm-11pm
Featuring visionary music inspired by humankind’s fascination with the great beyond.
All ticket-holders will also have access to our SPACE LOUNGE throughout the day. With displays, presentations, and a chance to interact with all of our invited guests, this is your chance to get up close and personal with the great beyond.
Separate, combo and family tickets for each session are available via the Eventbrite, Ticketweb and Axs links at the top of the page.
Planetary scientist and winner of the BBC’s Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes? Suzie Imber will be speaking about ESA’s thrilling mission to Mercury and new explorations of our solar system’s planets.
Oscar and Bafta-winning visual effects supervisor Paul Franklin (Inception, Interstellar, Batman, Harry Potter) will be telling us all about sci-fi movie magic from 2001: A Space Odyssey to Interstellar.
We couldn’t study space rocks without space rockets. ESA propulsion engineer Kate Underhill will be speaking about rocket science – how hard is it, really? Hint: pretty hard. Check out her interview here!
Aerospace and robotics engineer Shahrzad Timman will be presenting a beginner’s guide to space robots. Check out her interview here!
ESA astronaut Tim Peake will be speaking about the next 50 years of space exploration: returning to the moon, Mars and beyond!
Acclaimed violinist and composer Anna Phoebe will be performing a space-inspired set of galactic proportions!
ESA astronaut Tim Peake and climate scientist Tamsin Edwards will be discussing the climate crisis and fragility of Earth as seen from space, with the kind of perspective only a veteran astronaut of the International Space Station could give. Not to be missed!
BBC Sky At Night presenter and Professor of astrophysics Chris Lintott will be discussing black holes and the deepest mysteries of the universe with award-winning science author Lucy Hawking.
Sci-fi fan and star of The Expanse Dominique Tipper will be talking with acclaimed journalist and broadcaster Sue Nelson about the past, present and future of humanity in space and the next steps for human space exploration. No Expanse spoilers, we promise!
ESA’s Senior Advisor for Science & Exploration will be sitting down with Star Trek: Discovery’s Captain Gabriel Lorca and Harry Potter Death Eater Lucius Malfoy for a talk entitled: Space – Stranger Than Fiction. They’ll be discussing the relationship between science and science fiction which should be a fascinating insight into the cutting edge of humanity’s ongoing race for space!
Founded in 1999 and all the way from Australia, space-loving musicians Voyager will be kicking off our live event with a prog-inflected riff-fiesta of epic proportions. Check out our interview here!
Mancunian space rock experimentalists Amplifier are no strangers to cosmic sounds, and as founding frontman Sel Balamir revealed in his recent interview there’s a very good reason for that – we can’t wait to see what they’ve in store for us. Check out the interview here!
Headliners Anathema will be presenting a very special one-off set titled The Space Between Us – inspired by and complemented by visuals from the European Space Agency, it’s sure to be a historic performance and not one to be missed! Check out our interview here!
Are there minimum age requirements to enter the event?
No and parents know best but for info we feel Session 1 is aimed at 8’s and up.
Other information to bear in mind is that the venue asked for 14’s and under to be accompanied & seated with an adult.
What are my transport/parking options for getting to and from the event?
The O2 has excellent transport links and parking facilities, look here www.theo2.co.uk/visit-us/getting-to-the-o2
What can I bring into the event?
No food or drink can be brought into the venue but there are numerous outlets to visit before or after a session, see here www.theo2.co.uk/do-more-at-the-o2/restaurants-and-bars