20/08/2026
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Museum entry applies
Event information
Time
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Price
Museum entry applies

The Centre for Computing History, Unit 1, Rene Court, Coldhams Road, Cambridge CB1 3EW

Who

Drop in

The Megaprocessor, a 10m-long and 2m high computer, takes pride of place in the foyer. This machine shows the inner workings of a microprocessor, the ubiquitous chip at the heart of billions of electronic devices. 

Microprocessors are so small that they're incredibly hard to understand, even though they are vitally important to modern society. The Megaprocessor blows up these chips to show off their components on a much larger scale, letting anyone gain an appreciation for the inner workings of a smartphone, laptop or games console. 

It features 12,000 LEDs and 40,000 transistors, and James had to make over 250,000 individual solder joints to wire it all up! If you'd like to ask what it's like to have your living room taken over by a computer for four years, this is a great event to come to. Other questions are also permitted! Drop in.
 

This event is part of Summer at the Museums 2026.

Included Events

Cultured Canines: Evolution, Emotion, Imitation.  An exhibition by Allison Ksiazkiewicz. 22 July - 18 Oct.
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Free

An exhibition by Allison Ksiazkewicz

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A cartoon squirrel holds a red magnifying glass, examining a blue leaf. The squirrel wears a light blue coat. Colourful flowers, leaves, and a ladybug surround it against a white background.
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Free with normal Garden admission

Join Professor Filbert on our summer trail and search for some amazing plant discoveries.

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Cartoon image of a boy and girl holding hands walking.
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Free

Discover a different gallery trail each week through the summer holidays at The Norris Museum  – complete each week to earn a variety of stickers to fill your summer sticker book!

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Hobby horses made from socks
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
FREE with museum admission

Make a colourful sock hobby horse at the National Horseracing Museum.

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The image shows the Code-a-Pillar with pictures of fruits that it's going to collect with the help of a program.
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Workshop participant (and accompanying adult): £18.50 | Additional participant (under 16): £8

Learn about algorithms with the help of the Code-a-Pillar at the Centre for Computing History!

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A pot with a grumpy looking face on one side with handles in the shape of arms.
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Free

Free drop-in family activities at the Centre for Material Culture.

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A cheerful craftted lion bookmark, in yellow, orange and brown sits to the left of the image. The lion is  cartoon like and has a ribbon handle at the top.
10:30 AM - 2:00 PM
£2.40 per child, Normal adult admission costs apply

Have a wild start to the summer holiday, creating a 'Wallace the lion' bookmark at Saffron Walden Museum.

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Dr Rayssa Martins-Pimentel, an Earth Scientist from the University of Cambridge Department of Earth Sciences, is showing some meteorites to two captivated young visitors to the museum. She studies the chemistry of meteorites to understand the formation of the Earth.
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Free

Meet Dr Rayssa Martins-Pimentel, a cosmochemist who studies the chemistry of meteorites to find out what planets are made of at the Sedgwick Museum.

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A close image of a Roman sandal.
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Free

Get up close with the ancient world at Hands On with the Romans.

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A child holding a bowl filled with various fresh green leaves, including kale, lettuce, and parsley.
10:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Free with normal Garden admission

Join the Botanic Garden this school holiday to find out more about herbs.

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A pot with a grumpy looking face on one side with handles in the shape of arms.
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Free

Free drop-in family activities at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology 

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River Cam Lab: Dipping and Testing
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
£7.70 per child

Explore what lives within the river with Cambridge Museum of Technology.

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Background image shows sandpit and archaeology tools. Foreground reads "archaeology week" with Denny Abbey and the Farmland Museum logo
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Admission applies

Free archaeology themed children's crafts and archaeological activities - including a mock archaeology dig at the Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey.

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A hand holds up a pink origami bird in flight, with realistic feathers added to the wings and curled paper tail feathers
10:30 AM - 2:00 PM
£2.40 per child, Normal adult admission costs apply

Using the ancient Japanese art of paper folding, create your own beautiful bird of paradise at Saffron Walden Museum.

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A green dragon breathing fire on a red background with text describing the event and its date and time.
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Child: £9.50

Make a light-up dragon using simple electrical circuits at Ely Museum.

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River Cam Lab: Secrets of the River
10:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Included in museum entry

Learn all about rivers in this practical, hands-on drop-in session based at Cambridge Museum of Technology, overlooking the River Cam. 

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A cipher wheel used to code and decode top secret messages
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Workshop Participant (including accompanying adult): £21 | Additional participant (under 16): £10.50

An exciting treasure hunt but all the clues are secret codes! At the Centre for Computing History you can become a spy and help 'crack' these secret messages. 

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A castle concealed behind an open book with a knight slaying a dragon in the foreground is presented on a pink background which also shares the event name and date.
10:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Included in entry | Storytelling sessions: £1 per person

Join this drop-in family event immersing you in worlds of brave knights and fiery dragons at Ely Museum.

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Illustration for Summer Science featuring two green frogs: one looking through opera glasses, and the other hopping while carrying light reflectors.
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Free

How do telescopes help us see distant stars? Why do mirrors reflect? What happens when light bends?

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A view of the church from the side, with several windows visible and a blue sky with wispy clouds above. In the foreground is a tall slim hedge, with trees surrounding.
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Free

A chance to learn more about the life cycle of various insects and animals, and create art inspired by nature at Great St. Mary's Church.

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Illustration for Summer Science featuring two green frogs: one looking through opera glasses, and the other hopping while carrying light reflectors.
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Free

How do telescopes help us see distant stars? Why do mirrors reflect? What happens when light bends?

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Image of poster containing 2 old maps.
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
FREE with museum admission

Step into the past this Summer with Museum of Cambridge.

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A child running holding the micro:bit
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Workshop Participant (including accompanying adult): £25.50 | Additional participant (under 16): £15 | Adult participant (over 16): £18

Who needs an expensive fitness gadget when you have the micro:bit! In this activity, at the Centre of Computing History, you'll be turning the tiny device into a personal trainer.

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A fused glass square with a cat on it
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Child (with accompanying adult): £18

Come and try something new at the Stained Glass Museum in this exciting children's glass fusing session for beginners.

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Image of a building reflecting into a river with colourful bunting across the top.
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Free

Celebrate 600 years of Bridge Chapel with a day of family fun at The Norris Museum!

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A cluster of Venus flytrap plants with open green and red leaves surrounded by various small green plants.
10:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Free with normal Garden admission

Join the Botanic Garden this school holiday to discover some of our carnivorous plants.

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Mosaic in a box
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Child: £5

A family craft workshop making a unique mosaic in a box at St Neots Museum.

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Image showing the Makey-Makey device and some carrots making music
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Workshop Participant (including accompanying adult): £21 | Additional participant (under 16): £10.50

Can you help make music with carrots, or a game controller with playdoh... How about switching on an LED with a banana? Find out at the Centre for Computing History.

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A table showing glass fusing equipment.
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
£18 per family member

In this unique session at the Stained Glass Museum, you and your child/children can work alongside each other to make a beautiful fused panel.

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A brown and green field has been woven out of paper strips. Tucked into different areas of the meadow are photo images of a mouse, snail, worm, shrew and robin, thse have been backed on coloured card. Two corners of the meadow have paper butterflies which have been coloured in
10:30 AM - 2:00 PM
£2.40 per child, Normal adult admission costs apply
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Clay horse sculpture held by a parent
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
FREE with museum admission

Get creative with clay at the National Horseracing Museum.

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Julian Pahl, a volcanology from the University of Cambridge Department of Earth Sciences, is standing and smiling next to an active volcano in Hawaii.
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Free

Meet volcanologist Julian Pahl, who studies lava rocks from Hawaii to investigate volcanic eruptions, and take part in fun, hands-on activities relating to his research.

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A pot with a grumpy looking face on one side with handles in the shape of arms.
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Free

Free drop-in family activities at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology 

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A Roman soldier with his back turned to us walks through a gallery of sculpture.
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Free

Travel to the world of ancient Rome in an action-packed family day.

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An elasticated string holds beads and coloured plaster cast shark teeth in a range of greens and blues. The coloured teeth are mounted on short straw tubes which the elastic runs through. Together they form a collar shaped necklace.
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
£10 per child, Normal adult admission costs apply

Using plaster cast animal teeth, come and make your own colourful necklace to take away and impress your friends at Saffron Walden Museum.

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Background shows broken roman pottery shards. Foreground reads Roman Week and shows the Denny Abbey and the Farmland Museum logo
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Admission applies

Re-assemble Roman pottery and create your own mosaic design to explore what life may have been like for some of the first settlers on the site of Denny Abbey and Farmland Museum.

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Mosaic in a box
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Child: £5

A family craft workshop making a unique mosaic in a box at St Neots Museum.

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Gaming characters like Mario showing that this is a tour that guides you through the history of gaming.
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Museum admission applies

During this special museum tour at the Centre for Computing History, in-house gaming experts will guide you through the history of video games from the seventies to the modern day.

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Summer Science graphic featuring two green frogs, listening to music.
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Free

Learn how sound is made, travels and is heard.

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Children and families taking part in a creative workshop at Kettle's Yard.
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Free

Join us for a relaxed Studio Sunday session aimed at children and families with additional sensory needs.

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Children and families taking part in a workshop at Kettle's Yard.
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Free

Join our free, artist-led Studio Sunday workshops for families and unlock your creativity.

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Summer Science graphic featuring two green frogs, listening to music.
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Free

Learn how sound is made, travels and is heard.

Find out more >
alt="two boys are sitting in a black tent, playing with light up dinosaur toys. The one on the left is dressed in a beige hoodie and blue cap and the one on the right is wearing a colourful t shirt with graffiti style writing on the arm, a black cap and wears a green and blue toy snake around his neck"
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
FREE, booking required

Enjoy a relaxed morning at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, open exclusively to children with sensory sensitivities along with families, siblings and carers.

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Image of poster including 2 old maps.
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
FREE with museum admission

Step into the past this Summer with Museum of Cambridge.


 

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The image shows James Newman in front of the machine he built, the Megaprocessor.
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Museum entry applies

Meet the mind behind the Centre for Computing History's biggest exhibit! James Newman, builder of the Megaprocessor, is coming to the Centre to answer questions about his remarkable creation.

Find out more >
A view of the church from the side, with several windows visible and a blue sky with wispy clouds above. In the foreground is a tall slim hedge, with trees surrounding.
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Free

A chance to learn more about the life cycle of various insects and animals, and create art inspired by nature at Great St. Mary's Church.

Find out more >
Girl decorating a glass lantern
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Child: Free, including one free adult | Additional adult: £6.50

Enjoy a drop-in morning of art activities linked to beautiful stained glass art at the Stained Glass Museum.

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Children playing outside
12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Free

Get creative at the Fitzwilliam Museum's free, family-friendly outdoor sensory play experience.

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