Over the weekend of Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2025, Big Ideas curated The Great Exhibition² Tent in partnership with Imperial at The Great Exhibition Road Festival.
The tent marked the fifth year of The Great Exhibition² (GE²) Schools Programme, engaging 600 pupils aged 7–14 in 18 schools (12 primary and 6 secondary) across Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, and Hammersmith & Fulham. In tandem with British Science Week, 11 science, engineering, research and design mentors from Imperial led school invention workshops for the pupils alongside BIg Ideas facilitators. Pupils learned about the original Great Exhibition of 1851 and then created their own prototype inventions to display in their very own classroom exhibition where they presented their inventions to their peers.
The Great Exhibition² Tent provided the opportunity to showcase prototypes created by pupils during these workshops at their own exhibition, alongside a film that captured their in-class invention presentations. The tent welcomed over 3000 visitors, including students who came with their families to see their creations being shared with the public. Imperial mentors from the schools’ workshops were also present in the tent all weekend, supporting visitors of all ages to build their own prototype inventions out of plasticine on our popular invention table.
The Great Exhibition² Schools Programme continues to honour the Great Exhibition of 1851 legacy while inspiring future innovators. It aims to increase access to real-world STEM role models, from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. We are pleased to have had another successful year of in-school as well as public engagement through our workshops and at the festival.
Big Ideas extends sincere thanks to Imperial, The Great Exhibition Road Festival, to all participating schools, mentors, volunteers, and festival partners who made this year’s GE² a success.