Get shipshape and set sail for a day of family fun at Imperial War Museum North in Manchester on Saturday 17 July. Celebrate the launch of the major new exhibition, All Aboard: Stories of War at Sea, by dressing up and joining in. It is free!
Play nautical games, get creative in craft sessions, see theatrical performances and meet puppet animal characters based on real stories of adventure at sea.
Win a special, family launch day prize by coming dressed to impress. Get set for the school holidays and the opening of our family friendly exhibition by dressing up in nautical style. Perhaps you fancy yourself as a sailor, the captain or even the ship’s cat. Every child in fancy dress will receive their own mini sailor’s telescope to take home and keep. Be sure to get yours before they run out.
Enjoy live theatrical routines all day with What a Performance shows at 11.15am, 12.15pm, 2.15pm, 3.15pm. See the special, family friendly performances, dramatising stories of bravery, adventure and endurance at sea. Hear the tale of a pioneering submariner from the First World War or follow the dramatic evacuation of soldiers at Dunkirk, through the tale of a man who sailed a ship to help save hundreds of lives.
Meet cuddly character Simon, the ship’s cat, in their Animals Aboard Tour. Learn how Simon survived an enemy siege lasting more than 100 days and was awarded the Dickin Medal for ‘behaviour of the highest order’. Then spot Simon’s remarkable true story in the exhibition. Join the Animals Aboard tour at 11.30am to hear about more wartime animal exploits at sea – from K Dog the dolphin and Winkie the pigeon to Tirpitz the pig and Judy the dog.
Drop in and get creative in the Learning Studio from 1-4pm. Make your own pop-up character in Creative Craft sessions – a sailor or a ship’s cat? You decide. Play party games and enjoy This Weigh to Sweet Heaven. Measure out your weekly sweet portion and imagine life without the food we bring in by sea as you find out about rationing during the Second World War. How long will your sweets last?
On top of all that, jump aboard and test your sea legs in All Aboard: Stories of War at Sea – the major new exhibition for families. Get hands on with activities for all the family in the Imperial War Museum’s first ever large-scale exhibition to look at life at sea in wartime, from 1914 to the present day.
Action-packed and interactive, this is a great day out for visitors of all ages. Want to know why a submarine would deliberately let in water? Control a model submarine to find out. Ever imagined what it would be like to be a sailor? Try out some ‘Jackspeak’ and see if naval clothing would keep you warm on the icy deck of a warship in the Arctic. Guess that ocean smell – is it sea air or just sweaty feet?
