Student leads an alumni group on a campus tour during Alumni Weekend

See the best of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø on exclusive alumni tours and get priority access to Great Exhibition Road Festival talks

How to access tours and talks

We run as many tours as we can, but to ensure the best experience, there are limited places available. Priority booking is given to alumni who pre-registered for an Alumni Lounge pass (the password to book alumni tour tickets has been sent to all pre-registered alumni by email). You need to book tickets for anyone in your party who will be taking the tour, including children. Some of the tours have very strict capacities and guests without a pre-booked spot will be unable to join the tour.

There will be a small number of tour tickets available to alumni wh register on the day, but please note we cannot guarantee that you will be able to secure a place on your preferred tour. On arrival in the Alumni Lounge, please visit the Tours Desk to check availability and reserve your tickets. 

Exclusive alumni events and tours:

TourDescriptionDay and timeBooking link
Preview of the Smart Machine zone Access an exclusive preview of the , showcasing innovation in robotics and AI, an hour before it opens to the public on Saturday. Meet our researchers before it gets busy, and explore the ground-breaking projects on display. Saturday: 11.00
51³Ô¹ÏÍø mascots Visit and learn more about the history and upkeep of our mascots. Get up close with famous 51³Ô¹ÏÍø characters ,  and . 

Saturday: 12.00, 13.00, 15.00, 16.00

Sunday: 12.00, 13.00, 14.00

Chemical Kitchen Discover the Chemical Kitchen, home to an original transdisciplinary practical course that uses the non-threatening parallel of cooking to teach lab skills. Saturday: 12.30, 13.30

Sunday: 12.30, 13.30
Flight simulator Get hands-on in our full motion, six degree-of-freedom, enclosed flight simulator with the Department of Aeronautics. Saturday: 14.00, 15.30

Sunday: 12.00, 13.30
SOLD OUT
Physics Take a trip down memory lane and visit the lecture theatres and labs of the Blackett Building with the Department of Physics.  Saturday: 13.30, 14.30

Sunday: 13.30, 14.30
Carbon Capture Pilot Plant Marvel at our futuristic Carbon Capture Pilot Plant, which stretches over four floors and provides a vital resource in the fight against climate change.

Saturday: 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 14.30, 15.30, 16.30

Campus tour Explore the campus on a walking tour led by a knowledgeable student guide. 

Saturday:  11.45, 12.45, 13.45

Sunday: 12.45, 13.45, 14.45

Great Exhibition Road Festival talks:

TalkDescriptionDay and timeBooking link
Paul Barrett, science lead on the National History Museum's 'Life as the Biggest Dinosaur - Titanosaur' exhibition, will discuss what it's like digging up the giant remains of these largest of dinosaurs, and tackle some of the big questions science has about these giants. Saturday, 14.30
Find out how a moment of lockdown inspiration started artist Peter Brathwaite on a journey rediscovering the history of Black subjects in Western art and literature.  Saturday, 13.00
Explore the finest art and industrial design of the day during this guided tour of the first World’s Fair. Saturday, 16.00
What are molecules? Where are they, what can they do for us, and how do we even know what they look like? Explore the incredible world of molecules at this live interactive family show. Saturday: 13.00, 15.00, 16.30

Sunday: 13.00, 15.00, 16.30
90% of Mars and the entire Moon’s surface have been mapped. Yet fewer than 20% of Earth’s oceans have been. Join Britain’s first astronaut Helen Sharman for a panel discussion exploring manned submersibles, autonomous drones, sonar, satellite measurements, and other technologies that will help us go where no human has gone before. Sunday, 13.00
Professor David Nutt, Director of 51³Ô¹Ï꿉۪s Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, will take you on a 250 year tour of scientific enquiry into the origins of cognitive performance and creativity, and how they could be chemically improved or enhanced. Sunday, 14.30
50 years after the last human left the moon, space scientist and science educator Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE (Physics 1990, PhD 1993) takes us back. Sunday, 16.00
Space scientist and BBC broadcaster Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE (Physics 1990, PhD 1993) answers all the questions kids have about the universe. Sunday, 13.00  (more tickets to be released soon)

Can we help?

If you have any questions or would like more information about Alumni Weekend, contact us using the details below and we will be happy to help.

Contact the Alumni Relations team:
+44 (0)20 7594 6138
alumnievents@imperial.ac.uk