Thinktank Birmingham turns 25 with £5 family weekend
Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum will celebrate its 25th anniversary at Millennium Point on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September. Designed as a family weekend, the programme combines £5 entry tickets with science demonstrations, creative activities and a trail through the museum. Birmingham Museums Trust has not published event start or finish times in the supplied announcement.
The £5 family weekend offer also includes 25% off purchases in Thinktank’s gift shop and café across both days. Families can expect four floors containing more than 200 hands-on displays, historical collections and natural science specimens alongside the birthday programme.
Science magic, party hats and birthday building
The weekend programme includes a science magician, party hat-making and a birthday party hat trail. Tat Vision will lead birthday-themed junk modelling, while younger visitors can build birthday cakes using LEGO DUPLO.
Visitors will also be invited to add their memories to a special timeline charting Thinktank’s story from 2001 to the present. Those who arrive dressed for the celebration will receive a birthday goody bag from the museum’s reception team.
One activity is limited to Saturday: Birmingham Astronomical Society will host solar observing in the Science Garden. The session will give visitors an opportunity to learn more about the Sun, including the fact that it takes around 25 Earth days to rotate at its equator.
From Birmingham’s industrial story to outer space
Thinktank officially opened at Millennium Point on 29 September 2001, succeeding the former Birmingham Museum of Science and Industry on Newhall Street, which closed in 1997. Its collections connect Birmingham’s scientific and industrial history with wider discoveries and present-day challenges.
Permanent exhibits cover subjects ranging from Birmingham’s Spitfire and giant prehistoric sea monsters to space exploration. MiniBrum, a child-sized city divided into play zones, gives younger visitors room to test ideas, solve problems and explore scientific thinking through play.
Zak Mensah, co-chief executive of Birmingham Museums Trust, said the museum has spent 25 years encouraging curiosity and a love of science. He highlighted Birmingham’s contribution to science and technology, including local physician John Hall-Edwards’ pioneering use of X-rays, which helped establish modern medical radiography.
What families need before visiting
The confirmed anniversary arrangements are £5 entry at Thinktank, Millennium Point, on 26 and 27 September, plus a 25% reduction in the café and gift shop. The source describes these as £5 entry tickets but does not specify an advance-booking method.
No opening times, event finishing times, transport instructions or accessibility arrangements were included in the supplied announcement. Families planning around a particular activity should therefore note that only the solar-observing session is assigned to a specific day: Saturday.
Visitors can take part in the memory timeline during the weekend, while anyone arriving in celebratory dress can collect a birthday goody bag from Thinktank’s reception team.
Source: Birmingham Museums Trust Stories
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The dates, venue, ticket price and activities were checked against information published by Birmingham Museums Trust.
- Confirmed the celebration runs on 26 and 27 September 2026.
- Confirmed the venue as Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum at Millennium Point.
- Confirmed £5 entry and the 25% café and gift-shop discount.
- Kept unspecified times, transport and accessibility details out of the event guidance.
- Source
- Birmingham Museums Trust Stories
- Scope
- Birmingham
- Updated
- 2026-09-09 12:37
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