- The popular hands-on video game extravaganza will open on 27 July 2023, with a special adults-only Gaming Lates to mark its return;
- After five hugely successful seasons, Power Up will make a permanent home at the Science Museum;
- Visitors from ages 5+ can experience the evolution of gaming over the last five decades - turning their hand to classics such as Pong and Mario Kart or trying on the latest in VR and taking up the controllers to the newest PlayStation and Xbox;
- A Power Up annual pass gives visitors unlimited access to over 160 consoles for a year.
Power Up
Opening 27 July 2023
Ticketed, day passes: £10, annual passes: £15
For ages 5+
#PowerUp
After five successful seasons, interactive gaming extravaganza Power Up is making a permanent return to the Science Museum this summer. Power Up visitors will be able to get hands-on with some of the very best video games and consoles of the past five decades in this action-packed gaming experience.
With over 160 consoles and hundreds of games available all year long, visitors of all ages and experience can undertake a journey through the history of gaming, from the Atari 2600 to the PlayStation 5. Families can join the racetrack in Mario Kart; parents and grandparents alike can show off their classic arcade skills with Pong and Pac-Man; while children can challenge them to their own favourites like Fortnite. Friends and partners can get competitive, besting each other and fellow gamers in multiplayer Super Smash Bros or create their own fantasy dream team for ultimate victory in FIFA.
Power Up will also spotlight the future of gaming: BAFTA Young Game Designers award-winners from the past five years will have their games on exclusive display with a selection of this year’s winning games ready to be played. These annual awards are open to children and young people in the UK, and support them to create, develop and present their new game idea to the world. The BAFTA award showcase area in Power Up will be updated every year to welcome brand-new games.
Mark Cutmore, Head of Commercial Experiences at the Science Museum Group, said: “We are incredibly excited to bring back Power Up, one of our most popular experiences, and to give it a permanent home at the Science Museum. Video games transcend age and skill level, so we have something on offer for everyone, from intergenerational classics to the latest releases by up-and-coming developers. Power Up is an opportunity to explore the history of gaming first-hand: its permanent return at the Science Museum will showcase the UK’s thriving games industry and help inspire future games makers.”
Inside Power Up, visitors can navigate between 14 themes and sections. They can pick from their favourite franchise-centred games from Disney to LEGO®, jump from a generation of Mario, Sonic or Zelda to the next, or challenge friends and fellow gamers to Street Fighter IV competitions and driving races in Gran Turismo.
A fun-packed physical games area will allow fans to (re)discover iconic games like Wii Sport, get active with Kinect games, explore the future of gaming through VR experiences, or strum on Guitar Hero and do a spot of Sega Fishing.
A dedicated PC area features family favourites including Minecraft and classics like Monkey Island 2. A multiplayer zone will invite gamers to battle it out in Splatoon and test their sports skills with Madden NFL 2003. It culminates in an action-packed multiplayer Halo tournament allowing 16 players to join the same game on Xbox 360.
Accompanying information throughout Power Up will explore the science behind gaming, and a timeline wall will illuminate iconic developments in gaming, enriching the learning experience. In its largest iteration at the Science Museum to date, this timeline of key consoles and games starts in the 1970s with the Binatone, and invites visitors to follow the evolution of game design and story-telling all the way to the Wii and the Xbox One.
The opening of Power Up’s permanent home will be celebrated on Thursday 27 July with the return of Gaming Lates. This special edition of the popular adults-only, after-hours Science Museum event will feature themed talks, playful workshops and fun-packed activities exploring the science of gaming and how play has the power to change minds, improve wellbeing and boost your brain. Visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy discounted entry to Power Up, as well as the usual Lates highlights, including the chance to dance the night away under real rockets at our silent disco.
Our sensory friendly sessions will give visitors the opportunity to enjoy Power Up in a quieter environment, with an adult-only evening session on Saturday 18 November, and family sessions on Saturdays 23 September and 28 October 2023.
Super fans of Power Up have the chance to return again and again with the introduction of annual passes. For £15, visitors will be able to journey through the world of gaming, playing as many times as they wish throughout the year. Annual passes also make an ideal and unique gift for the gamer in the family to hone their skills and indulge in their favourite digital diversions.
Power Up returns permanently to the Science Museum, with support from OMEN and HyperX.
Tickets and annual passes for Power Up are on sale now.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
Visitors to Power Up can come discover the new permanent hands-on gaming experience from 27 July 2023. Day passes are £10, with discounts for school groups and family passes available. Annual passes are £15 and grant unlimited entry to Power Up for 12 months. For further information or to book tickets for Power Up, please visit the website.
Power Up is recommended for ages 5+, and all gamers under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a paying adult.
For more information, please contact Laura Nebout on 020 7942 4733 or laura.nebout@sciencemuseum.ac.uk.
Event series
Gaming Lates
Thursday 27 July 2023, 18.30-22.00
Ages: 18+
General admission: free; VIP tickets: £10
To celebrate the permanent return of Power Up to the Science Museum, join us for a journey through the world of gaming with a discounted entry to the gallery on the night. The museum’s interactive Lates workshops and themed talks will allow visitors to delve into a variety of topics, from the science of gaming to and how play has the power to change minds, improve wellbeing and boost your brain. Tickets to Power Up should be booked separately, and we recommend booking in advance to guarantee admission. As well as Power Up themed fun, food and drink, don’t miss your chance to dance under real rockets at our silent disco or explore our galleries at night.
About the Science Museum
The Science Museum is part of the Science Museum Group, the world’s leading group of science museums that share a world-class collection providing an enduring record of scientific, technological and medical achievements from across the globe. Over the last century the Science Museum, the home of human ingenuity, has grown in scale and scope, inspiring visitors with exhibitions covering topics as diverse as robots, code-breaking, cosmonauts and superbugs. 2020 marked a decade of transformation for the museum with the opening of the largest medical galleries in the world—Medicine: The Wellcome Galleries and Science City 1550-1800: The Linbury Gallery—the story of how London became a hub of discovery during 1550-1800. The Science Museum was named a winner of the prestigious Art Fund Museum of the Year prize for 2020. www.sciencemuseum.org.uk. Follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About HP
HP Inc. is a global technology leader and creator of solutions that enable people to bring their ideas to life and connect to the things that matter most. Operating in more than 170 countries, HP delivers a wide range of innovative and sustainable devices, services and subscriptions for personal computing, printing, 3D printing, hybrid work, gaming, and more. For more information, please visit: Laptop Computers, Desktops, Printers, Ink & Toner | HP® United Kingdom
About Science Museum Lates
Bringing together a host of themed talks, workshops and activities, Science Museum Lates are free adults-only, after-hours theme nights that take place in the museum throughout the year. Science Museum Lates began in September 2008, and the museum has since hosted over 120 Lates events with themes ranging from sexuality and medicine, zombies and Frankenstein, to space and AI. Find out more about past Science Museum Lates events here.
About Discover South Kensington
Discover South Kensington brings together the Science Museum and other leading cultural and educational organisations to promote innovation and learning. South Kensington is the home of science, arts and inspiration. Discovery is at the core of what happens here and there is so much to explore every day. discoversouthken.com
