Among must see attractions in London, the Dana Centre ranks very highly. Opened in 2003, it is part of the Science Museum and is run largely by its staff, but the centre is not directly accessible from the main museum and is located on nearby Queen’s Gate Street.

Unlike the Science Museum, the Dana Centre is geared towards an adults-only audience, striving to engage and educate the adult population of London through a variety of programming, everything from controversial scientific debates to cutting edge performances and interactive experiments.

The Dana Centre has hosted some very interesting debates such as “Veggie Might” which explores the environmental impact of a vegetarian diet as opposed to a meat-based diet, “Future Foods: Join the GM Debate” which tackles the sticky topic of the pros and cons of GM foods, and “Future Blackout” which attempts to make sense of our ever-increasing demand for energy in a climate where resources are finite.

The centre also specializes in interactive events where you can take part in scientific experiments such as electrostatic experimentation and the very popular Beatbox Laboratory.

Events are held several times a month and the centre even has a yearly poet-in-residence who writes poems based on the events. You might find events where scientific information is presented as a stand-up comedy routine, a hip hop performance, or as a handling session with some of the Science Museum’s rarely seen collections.

The centre is also home to a café-bar where you can get refreshments, and the Dana Lounge has free wireless internet access as well.

Another rather fantastic event is the Dana Centre Lates, which is an adults-only after hours event held once a month. Lates gives adults a chance to play with the exhibits and enjoy the party games and the sometimes rather risqué activities planned out for the evening by the Lates staff.

Must see attractions in London don’t get much more interesting than the eclectic events going on at the Dana Centre.

Visiting Dana Centre

165 Queen's Gate, South Kensington, South Kensington, SW7 5HD

Telephone: 020 7942 4040

Email tickets@danacentre.org.uk

Opening Times

Cafe: Monday & Friday 10:00 to 18:00, Tuesday to Thursday 10:00 to 19:00, until 21:00 on event eves

Ticket Prices

Free

Photo courtesy: Frankie Roberto

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