Jodrell Bank will play host to a brand new ‘festival of discovery’ this summer, with Jean-Michel Jarre, Underworld & Caribou announced as headliners.
The bluedot festival – a nod to Carl Sagan’s pale blue dot – will take place in the shadow of the iconic Lovell radio telescope at the Cheshire observatory between July 22-24.
Further to the musical lineup, which also includes Everything Everything and Public Service Broadcasting, physicist Professor Brian Cox will also be among performers at the maverick event.
Festival director Ben Robinson said: “bluedot is a brand new festival with a mandate to deliver a festival like nothing else on earth with a stellar programme of music, science, art, film and technology.
“Securing an amazing line-up like this in our first year is a massive coup, but bluedot isn’t just about the music.
“We have a lot more still to announce, including our full science and culture programme and some more big name acts that we feel will fit the ethos of what we are trying to achieve.”
One of these acts, Radio 4’s The Infinite Monkey Cage, brings together Cox and Robin Ince for a recording of their irreverent insight into some of science’s biggest questions.
The full programme is set to be announced in the coming weeks, but attendees can expect big names and events to grace five arenas where comedy, lectures and debates will be on offer.
Hands-on activities such as the Luminarium, art installations, robot workshops, and a planetarium are also available at one of the world’s most important sites of scientific exploration.
Professor Tim O’Brien, associate director of Jodrell Bank, said: “bluedot is going to be special.
“We want to blow people’s minds with amazing music and incredible ideas, from the Big Bang to black hole, AI to climate change, and loads more.”
Created by From the Fields – the team behind Live from Jodrell Bank – and supported by the UK Space Agency and the EuroScience Open Forum, the event offers day tickets and full weekend camping.
Tickets range from £35 to £119 and go on sale on Wednesday March 16 at 9am. More information can be found at discoverthebluedot.com.
