GalleryYear of Young People to boost Festival
Festival Updates
Year of Young People to boost Festival
Music from Ireland, astronomy from Uzbekistan, newly created art and design, and young people to the fore – these will all be features […]
GalleryPROGRAMME 2017
Festival Archive
You can download the programme 2017 here.
Walking, voyaging, travelling, exploring – with stories of polar exploration and Norse navigation, building great bridges and probing the seabed – plus a […]
GalleryPROGRAMME 2016
Festival Archive
You can download the programme 2016 here.
This year’s Festival will highlight the discovery of the year – indeed one of the great scientific discoveries of all time – gravitational […]
![Part of Gale Crater on Mars [Photo: NASA]](https://oisf.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Part-of-Gale-Crater-on-Mars-940x400.jpg)
![Part of Gale Crater on Mars [Photo: NASA]](https://oisf.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Part-of-Gale-Crater-on-Mars.jpg)
GalleryFROM ORKNEY TO SPACE: FOR SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY
Festival Updates
Night skies above us and the latest developments in space science are the subject of forthcoming schools and community presentations in Orkney.
esearchers from the University of Edinburgh are joining […]
GalleryLOST SHIPS, LOST LANDS, AND MIGHTY BRIDGES
Festival Updates
The sound of the sea runs through this year’s programme, with topics ranging from ancient Norse navigation to tidal power in Ushant. We have stories of lost ships of […]
GalleryFROM GRAVITATIONAL WAVES TO HERRING DAYS
Festival Updates
The amazing discovery of gravitational waves will be to the fore in this year’s programme – along with dark matter, the Northern Lights, Antarctic exploration, dolphin communication, early humans, […]
GalleryProgramme 2015
Festival Archive
PROGRAMME 2015
Nobel Prizewinner Peter Higgs will be one of the speakers in this year’s Festival, in conversation with a fellow physicist, Frank Close. Professor Close is an author of […]
GalleryYear of Light to shine in Orkney Science Festival
Festival Updates
The International Year of Light will provide one of the themes of this year’s Orkney International Science Festival – and the centenary of Einstein’s theory of general relativity will […]
GalleryHope’s Beautiful Daughters
Festival Updates, Music Channel
A new CD bringing together Scottish and Slovenian musicians and storytellers is to be launched in Orkney on 3 September.
‘Hope’s Beautiful Daughters’, in both folk and rock mood, highlights […]
GalleryAviation Festival for Orkney
Festival Updates, More Events
Orkney is to have an Aviation Festival. It will follow this year’s Science Festival and run from 10-14 September, highlighting the story of military and civil aviation in the […]
GalleryClipperton Floating Laboratory Explores Northern Waters
Festival Updates, More Events
A marine exploration vessel with a difference has now reached Shetland, on a voyage inspired by a tiny Pacific island, with Orkney as its next destination.
What makes the Clipperton […]
GalleryDiscovery Channel scientist to open Orkney Science Festival
Festival Updates
The former chief scientist of television’s Discovery Channel, known as Wizard IV, is to open this year’s Orkney International Science Festival.
Prof. Steve ‘Jake’ Jacobs has written and presented a […]
GalleryRecord attendances for 2013 Festival
Festival Archive
The 2013 Festival had record attendances, with over 200 people at some events.
The Family Day was the biggest yet, packed with activities, from marine life to Europe’s Lost World.
For […]
GalleryRecognise Rae: call for stamp to honour Arctic hero
Festival Updates
A call is being made for a stamp to be issued to honour one of the greatest Arctic explorers of all time.
Orcadian John Rae, born 200 years ago, solved […]
GalleryCancer: radical new approach to be proposed
Going Further
A radical new approach to cancer is to be announced in London tomorrow (Wednesday 5 June), in a lecture hosted by the magazine New Scientist.
The speaker, Prof. Paul Davies, […]
GalleryCan Orkney become a northern gateway?
Going Further
A radical vision for Orkney’s future has been unveiled. It looks to the potential of two areas of development – marine renewables and a container port in Scapa Flow. […]
GalleryFilmmaker and film from lost city to open this year’s festival
Festival Updates
One of Britain’s leading documentary filmmakers is to open this year’s Orkney International Science Festival – bringing with him a remarkable new film in which people from […]
GalleryA great man of science: Professor Archie E Roy
Festival Archive, General
A MEMORIAL SERVICE AND TRIBUTE to the late Professor Archie Roy was held in Glasgow University Chapel on Thursday 14 March.
Archie Roy, who died on December 27th last year, […]
GalleryRemembering Thora
Festival Archive, General
Our first Honorary Life Member, Thora Bain, died on 22 September, at the age of 95. Thora was one of the greats – a mine of information on Orkney, […]
GalleryRecord-breaking week
Festival Archive
All records were broken for audience numbers in this year’s Festival, when ended on Wednesday 12 September. Many events were completely sold out. Whether it was 10 in the […]
GalleryBut Oh! the Stars in all their Beauty
Festival Archive, Music Channel
The Sunday evening concert featuring the Mayfield Singers and organist George McPhee with guests is always a highlight, and last year it included the premiere of a new piece […]
GalleryStromness Spirit of the Sea
Festival Archive, Other Festivals
There’s an opportunity right after the Festival for further enjoyment, in the unique setting of the town of Stromness.
Stromness Spirit of the Sea is a new three-day event developed […]
GalleryBattery breakthrough
Going Further
A big battery breakthrough is under way which could provide a big boost for renewables. The world’s biggest and fastest battery has been switched on in Texas.
It’s huge, capable […]
GallerySlovenian Science Festival success
Festival Archive, Other Festivals
Over 3000 students from 62 schools attended this year’s Slovenian Science Festival, to enjoy topics ranging from the frontiers of medicine to the exploration of space.
The Festival – now […]
New dance honours great Scot
Festival Archive, Music Channel
A NEW DANCE WAS LAUNCHED at the Festival to honour one of the greatest Scots of all time – who has had all too little recognition in his own […]
GalleryCourtroom format for climate change debate
Festival Archive
A courtroom format in Orkney this week will tackle the question of climate change.
For many months the debate has raged in newspaper columns and internet blogs – Is the […]
GalleryDid comet near-impact cause Exodus and Flood?
Festival Archive
One of the world’s leading tree ring experts is coming to this year’s Orkney Science Festival to outline evidence for catastrophes in ancient times.
Prof. Mike Baillie of Queen’s University […]
GalleryOrkney clues to Pandora’s secrets?
Festival Archive
A hunt is on for Orcadian links to the warship Pandora, wrecked off Australia’s Great Barrier Reef more than two centuries ago. The investigation brings in archaeology, history, genealogy […]
Jane Goodall to open 2012 Festival
Festival Archive
One of the world’s leading figures in conservation is to open this year’s Orkney International Science Festival.
Jane Goodall is internationally known for her ongoing study of chimpanzees in Tanzania […]
GalleryMidwinter astronomy success
Dark Skies Orkney, Festival Archive, Other Festivals
Amidst wind, rain and occasion flurries of snow, there were also several fine frosty nights for ‘Dark Skies Orkney’. The midwinter astronomy programme of events was coordinated by the […]
