Pop Up Shops

This autumn, you are invited to be curious, let your imaginations run wild, and embrace the extraordinary! Enter a world of wonder and step inside our Pop Up Curiosity Shop, at Princesshay Shopping Centre right in the heart of Exeter city centre on the 28th and 29th September.

Immerse yourself in our interactive activities, get hands on with science, and have your mind blown by our boffins. With plenty to explore, you can take to our treasure trail, dive into our discovery workshops, and venture into our Killer Fungus interactive event for an experience like no other!

A team of renowned researchers will show off their specialist skills and introduce visitors to their amazing worlds. Thirsty for knowledge, this is the place to be - with lots of stands, experiences, and showcases to peruse over the weekend.

Find out how light can reveal a hidden world, using technology to see beyond the visible. Explore how we connect and communicate as an increasingly diverse society. Uncover how the magic of sunlight powers our planet, from solar-driven wonders to unsung sun-heroes. Enter a new world in a VR experience showing bird flight and navigation. Understand how the human brain creates amazing illusions using our senses.

Watch as a mural is created of this event, capturing all the action as it unfolds on the Saturday, illustrating it on the shop window of the Pop-Up Curiosity Shop. Stop by on the Sunday to see the finished display!

On Saturday 28^th September take part in the Killer Fungus Interactive Event – this will last an hour and you can book onto any of the sessions taking place throughout the day. Click on the link below to find out more and book your space at this free interactive event.

Events Showcase

Killer Fungus Interactive Event (September 28th)

Do you have what it takes to fight the Killer Fungus outbreak? Working with real scientists, can you solve the clues that surround a mysterious illness that is taking over Exeter? The event is free but pre-booking is required, click here for more info.

Create you own Cyanotype (September 28th)

Join Professor Corinna Wagner to create your own Cyanotype in this fun and interactive workshop. Cyanotype is a process that uses compounds of iron and ultraviolet light to create a blue photographic image. Click here to book.

Author Talk and Workshop: Rewriting the Women of Greek Myth (September 28th)

Love the Greek myths? Join acclaimed author Emily Hauser for this historical talk about legendary women in mythology and accompanying workshop where you can get creative and write your own Greek myths! Click here to book.

'We Still Have a Chance' Legacy Mural Launch Event (September 28th)

Join the team behind the We Still Have a Chance Legacy artwork to celebrate the new mural in the heart of Exeter. Experience activities that inspired the mural to begin your own journey on how we could live better. Click here to book.

How To Find Us

The Pop-Up Curiosity Shop is located in Princesshay Shopping centre on Bedford Street, just passed Princesshay Square. Look out for the purple Futures flags. The spaces are all located on the ground floor and have low no step access.

The event is suitable for all ages, and accessible for neurodivergent families with a quiet space available – for any questions about accessibility and to preregister for an accessibility guide please get in touch.

Research Hide and Seek Trail

Venture out and about in the city centre to hunt down five locations, using a map and research clues as a guide. Start from the Pop-Up Curiosity Shop, grab a map, and return once the quest has been successful to claim a prize. Prizes can be claimed between 10am and 3pm on September 28th and 29th.

Walkie Talkies

Find out more about our Walkie Talkies Events taking place on 28-29th September.

FUTURES hosts researchers from five of the region’s world-class universities at a wealth of brilliant events and activities where you can explore the past, create the present, and imagine the future.