First Glimpse Of The National Science And Media Museum Foyer Redesign As Reopening Plans Are Revealed

The National Science and Media Museum will reopen in January 2025, as Bradford becomes UK City of Culture, with spectacular new collections displays in the Sound and Vision galleries opening in summer 2025.

The museum temporarily closed in June 2023 to undergo a once-in-a-generation transformation with huge changes through a £6 million capital project called ‘Sound and Vision’, including two new permanent galleries, the creation of an additional passenger lift and improvements to the main entrance, thanks to support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The museum had initially planned to reopen in summer 2024, but reopening was pushed back due to unforeseen delays in the excavation of the new lift.

The museum will reopen with a new temporary exhibition in January, with more details to be revealed soon. Visitors will also see the return of the popular interactive Wonderlab gallery, along with the IMAX – the biggest screen in West Yorkshire.

As well as announcing details of plans for reopening, the museum has revealed a glimpse into the designs of its new main entrance and foyer, which have been updated to provide a more flexible and welcoming space for visitors and local communities to enjoy. The new foyer includes new soft seating, a redesigned shop and the popular Media Cafe. The welcome desk has also been relocated and an additional passenger lift installed, allowing more visitors to move around the building with ease.

As part of the museum’s 2025 public programme, a new interactive and immersive installation by experiential artist collective Marshmallow Laser Feast in partnership with Bradford 2025 will open in April 2025. The installation will take visitors on a multimedia ride through time and space, exploring who we are and what makes us human. With Bradford running through its DNA, the experience has been inspired by Born in Bradford, a major research programme that has been tracking the lives of more than 40,000 people across the district since 2007.

The 2025 programme will also see the return of the museum’s annual Yorkshire Games Festival, celebrating all things gaming; the annual Widescreen Weekend film festival, showcasing Pictureville Cinema’s world-class projection facilities, along with a bigger and better Bradford Science Festival over the October half term. 

Commenting on the plans for reopening, Jo Quinton-Tulloch, Director of the National Science and Media Museum said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming visitors back into the museum in January just as Bradford takes on the role of City of Culture. It’s going to be a momentous year for the district, and we’ve planned a fantastic lineup of exhibitions, festivals, and events including a new immersive exhibition in partnership with Bradford 2025; a supercharged Bradford Science Festival and the opening of our new Sound and Vision galleries in the summer. With an enhanced public programme, newly revamped spaces and improved accessibility including a new passenger lift, we’re ready to welcome many more visitors in 2025 and beyond.” 

The Sound and Vision Project is a £6m capital investment, and in addition to funding received from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project also has support from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund 2022–24, Bradford Council and the Science Museum Group, which the National Science and Media Museum is a part of.