54.596423 -5.929466

Description

W5 is Belfast’s award-winning science and discovery centre and provides a unique experience as well as fantastic fun for visitors of all ages.

From top to bottom, W5 has been completely transformed. Two reimagined exhibition floors will excite and inspire, with exhibits and experiences covering everything from climate change and nature to film and TV production, optical illusions, built engineering, medical science and much, much more.

Daily science shows at a purpose-built Science Bar will be a place for interactive learning and engagement. Meanwhile, a new under 8s area developed by W5’s in-house creative team, will ignite the imaginations as visitors step into a living storybook world, where family favourites are brought to life through immersive roleplay.

A refreshed ground floor includes The Lost Planet – a space and dinosaur themed maze of climbing frames and slides that takes soft play to a new dimension – and an eye-catching new ‘Skull Cave’ exhibit features giant replica dinosaur and human skulls.

Opening hours may very. View seasonal opening hours>>

Bronze - Green Tourism Accredited
w5 logo
  • 2 Queen's Quay
  • Belfast
  • Antrim
  • BT3 9QQ

Top Reasons To Visit

  • Over 250 hands-on exhibits in four exhibition areas
  • A changing calendar of events and seasonal activities
  • Daily science demonstration shows
  • Ticket valid all day so you can stay as long as you like
  • All seasonal activities are free with admission
  • Climbit

    Discover W5’s biggest exhibit ever! Climbit is an unusual mixture of physical fun, exploration and art! This huge multi-storey climbing structure, which is a cross between a maze and a jungle gym, takes over the Atrium at the heart of W5.

    The first of its kind in the UK and Ireland, Climbit is a unique, visually elegant, three dimensional sculpture specially designed for climbing. Oval platforms suspended from steel pipes and cables let visitors traverse over, under and through the amazing structure.

  • Meet RoboThespian

    Meet RoboThespian, W5’s permanent exhibit which is completely unique to the island of Ireland. RoboThespian is a life sized, humanoid, interactive robot who can move, speak, educate, interact and entertain!

    RoboThespian is primarily a robot actor and performer. He is fully interactive, user friendly, and capable of communicating and entertaining in a way that few people will have experienced before. This static, humanoid robot can be controlled by the visitor, via a touchscreen panel, and can sing, greet, inform, act and even do impressions. Visitors can choose from a wide range of pre-programmed performance sequences or can even control RoboThespian’s movement and voice to create performance pieces of their own.

  • MED-Lab

    Step into MED-Lab – an interactive exhibition zone and explore the medical marvel that is the human body!

    MED-Lab will take visitors of all ages on an extraordinary and fun journey of discovery into us! Learn all about the amazing systems that keep our bodies alive and working. Get up close to some advanced imaging technologies that enables us to see inside, and right through our body. What can go wrong with our body and how we find out what the problem is.

  • AMAZE

    AMAZE is W5’s brand-new technological space that will take you on unique, spectacular and fully-immersive adventures.

    Incorporating large multi-screen projections, a state of the art ‘immersive soundscape’ sound system and a range of incredible special, sensory and physical effects, AMAZE will deliver exciting, captivating and highly entertaining exhibitions and events for visitors of all ages to enjoy.

  • More Attractions

    The Lost Planet

    Journey to another dimension, where dinosaurs rule The Lost Planet.

    Exploration is everything In The Lost Planet! Visitors are encouraged to discover fun facts about the universe as they step into The Lost Planet and morph into space explorers! Encouraging learning through play, explorers will discover interesting facts about our solar system within the activity zone to complete their mission.

    The adventure begins at the base of the giant rocket on the launchpad. To get to the top, explorers can make their way up through the launch gantry or climb through the spider tower webbing inside the rocket. From there they can make their way through the tunnels and zip back down to earth via the spiral slide.

     

    Autism Friendly at W5

    W5 runs Quiet Sessions throughout the year. These Quiet Sessions are all the fun of W5 but with less hustle and bustle. For further information about Quiet Sessions, please visit the W5 website. W5 also have a Quiet Room for visitors who need some quieter time, including children and adults with sensory needs or individuals on the autism spectrum, to take a break from the main exhibition spaces, crowds, noise and excitement of W5.

    Please call W5 for more information.

     

    Awaken your senses in our Making Sense zone

    This zone is packed full of optical illusions, visual tricks and multisensory experiences that are designed to push your senses and your mind to the limit. Look up, down and all around. Touch, listen and discover something new to challenge and trick your senses each and every time you visit.

    Experience your own Space Odyssey moment in W5’s immersive vortex light tunnel, step inside our immerse 360-degree illusion box and use UV to uncover hidden pictures and messages.

     

    Play producer in W5’s new state-of-the-art studio

    W5’s new media production zone ‘The Studio’ will inspire budding filmmakers, and the next generation of documentarians and on-air talent. Unleash your imagination and try out real-life production techniques including camera operating, presenting to camera, storyboarding, lighting design in a range of interactive exhibits using the latest studio technology.

    Take your place in the hot seat and read the evening news, create your very own stop motion movie and create your very own cartoon character.

     

    Step into a storybook world in our Over The Hills & Far Away zone

    In W5’s magical under 8s area, Over the Hills and Far Away, folklore, fantasy and fairytales collide with action and adventure, myths and legends. From mermaids to Jungle Book adventures, a fairytale town and an enchanting secret garden where flowers magically spring from the ground, this fantastical living storybook land makes learning and literacy fun.

The LEGO® Vehicle Construction Derby

1.74 KM
29 Mar - 07 Apr 2024
See All Dates (10)

This Easter put your designing, building and racing skills to the test in W5’s new action-packed LEGO® event.

W5
Find Out More

W5 Late

1.74 KM
Fri, 26 Apr 2024, 7:00pm

W5 Late is back this April for a night of adult-only fun in Belfast’s award-winning science and discovery centre.

W5
Find Out More

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