Get ready to take a trip to outer space this summer and mark the 50th
anniversary of the Apollo moon landing in Leicester.
On 20 July 1969 the world watched in awe as the Apollo 11 mission sent the first humans to the moon. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of this remarkable feat there will be a space-themed programme of events in the city.
The One Giant Leap programme will get underway on Friday 19 July with a chance for visitors to enjoy a blockbuster movie under the stars at the Intergalactic Outdoor Cinema in Jubilee Square.
The film – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (12A) – is guaranteed to transport viewers to a galaxy far, far away! The story follows Jyn, the daughter of an Imperial scientist, as she joins the Rebel Alliance in a daring plot to steal the Death Star plans.
Admission is free, and visitors can bring a blanket or chair, enjoy the snacks and drinks on offer and settle in for an out-of-this-world movie experience.
This will be followed by CreateACon in Space event for families at Haymarket Theatre on Saturday 20 July. This free STEM arts event will have a variety of activities to get young people excited by the creative potential for science and technology, including space-themed video games made by Leicester students, Micro:Bit-powered lunar landers and Mars rovers, physics experiments and more.
In the evening of 20 July the National Space Centre will kick off a full summer of Apollo 11 fun with a once in a lifetime opportunity to spend a night reliving that historic moment 50 years ago. Visitors can enjoy a full evening of 1960’s science, music, food and fashion, before settling down to sleep in the heart of the Museum and a 3am viewing of Neil’s one small step in the UK’s largest planetarium.
The fun will continue in October half term for World Space Week with loads of family activities across the city. LEGO® brick fans won’t want to miss BRICKLIVE® Outer Space, which will see 15 space-themed sculptures dotted around the city – visitors can have their very own space race around Leicester to find them all! Luke Jerram’s stunning Museum of the Moon will return to Leicester Cathedral, with each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture representing 5km of the moon’s surface. As well as all that, visitors will be able to play retro computer games inspired by the moon landings on public screens, and be awed by Overview Effect – a spectacular projection show by arts and heritage organisation Metro Boulot Dodo.
Simon Jenner, director of BID Leicester – one of the funders of the One Giant Leap programme – said, “BID Leicester is really excited to be supporting the One Giant Leap programme of events to commemorate the Apollo moon landing. Leicester has a strong connection to space and is home to the National Space Centre, so it’s only fitting that we celebrate this anniversary in style.
“With so many fantastic events planned as part of One Giant Leap there is something for everyone to enjoy and it will be great for families. I hope the upcoming summer events – the Intergalactic Outdoor Cinema and CreateACon in Space – will encourage people to visit and enjoy the city centre.”
Full details on the One Giant Leap programme can be found online at onegiantleap-leicester.co.uk
Photo credit: Pamela Raith photography