Telescopes, a space suit and real satellite parts fill Tunsgate Quarter on Saturday 10 October, 10am to 4pm. Free, with a calmer SEN space at Guildford House.

Guildford town centre turns into a space science fair this Saturday, 10 October. The University of Surrey and the Institute of Physics are bringing their World Space Week takeover to Tunsgate Quarter from 10am to 4pm. It is free and open to all ages (University of Surrey).

The day also shows off Guildford’s own space industry. Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, the satellite maker, is bringing real hardware. The university says more than a dozen space companies are now based at its Surrey Research Park, which will have its own stand.

What is on

The university’s event page lists these for the day (University of Surrey event page):

  • Telescopes on the High Street, run by the university’s astrophysicists
  • Surrey Space Centre demonstrations of its space technology and research
  • Satellite hardware from SSTL: spacecraft models, propulsion tanks, circuit boards and satellite panels
  • Constellation activities, a chance to put questions to astronomers, and an escape-room-style astronomy challenge
  • A space suit to try on, with a photo
  • live music and family activities
  • a Surrey Research Park stand on the space businesses based there

A calmer room for children with additional needs

This year the organisers have put accessibility at the centre of the day. Guildford House, at 155 High Street, will host an SEN-friendly zone. The university says it gives neurodiverse visitors, and those with sensory or additional needs, a calmer place to explore at their own pace.

Guildford Borough Council’s heritage listings give the detail. The World Space Week Relaxed Workshop runs from 10.30am to 4pm in the Guildford House Gallery Garden Room, and it is free (Guildford Borough Council). It includes:

  • designing spacecraft with LEGO
  • indoor stargazing
  • building a space den
  • a “living in space” quiet corner
  • space fidgets

Last year’s takeover was the first to offer SEN-friendly activities, and they were held at Guildford Library (University of Surrey, 2025). This year they have moved into a dedicated zone at Guildford House.

A Surrey Space Centre researcher explains satellite signal data on a laptop to a visitor at a stand with Surrey Space Centre banners about electric propulsion
A Surrey Space Centre researcher talks a visitor through satellite data at an earlier World Space Week takeover in Guildford. Photo: University of Surrey

Why Guildford

Dr Noelia Noel, a senior lecturer in astrophysics at the university, said the day was about “opening doors”. “Sometimes all it takes is one moment of curiosity, looking through a telescope, asking a question, trying something new, to spark an interest that stays with you,” she said. “In a place like Guildford, with such a strong science and space community, it is wonderful to be able to share that excitement with the people around us.”

World Space Week itself is an international celebration of space science that runs every October (World Space Week).

What it means for you

  • It costs nothing. Neither the university nor the council lists any need to book.
  • Go to Tunsgate Quarter, GU1 3QT, for the main event. Head to Guildford House, 155 High Street (a short walk along the High Street) if your child would do better somewhere quieter.
  • Do not plan on the train. Saturday is the weekend the railway through Guildford closes for engineering work, and buses replace trains to, from and through the town (National Rail). Our Guildford roadworks and travel page has what runs that day.
  • If you drive, the town centre car parks and the park and ride sites are on our parking in Guildford page.

Everything else on in town this month is on our what’s on in Guildford page.