Gold medal Olympians to electrify Oxford Road

Manchester’s Oxford Road is set to light up in a fusion of energy, entertainment and cycling.

Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP) is putting on a free-to-attend event called Electricycle Avenue on 25 October as part of its longstanding sponsoring of Manchester Science Festival. It will be hosted at Bruntwood’s award-winning pop up retail, food and live music destination, Hatch.

Stars of the event will be Gold medal Olympic cyclist Dani Rowe and multiple gold medal winning Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey, while the main stages will be headlined by acclaimed Hits Radio DJ Hattie Pearson during the family-friendly day event, and by Manchester artists Buffalo Brothers and Jenna & the G’s, with a headline act to be announced at night.

The daytime line-up features activities aimed at enthusing younger generations with the potential of pedal power from 11am – 3pm.

At 1pm, celebrity science presenter, Dr Emily Grossman will host an engaging quiz about weird and wonderful science. Throughout the day, families can take part in treasure hunts, art and crafts, explore Smart Cycling visualisations from cycling specialists See.Sense, and enter a host of competitions – all against a backdrop of live music and a range of innovative street food vendors.

Mad Scientists’ are also set to roam the crowds, offering interactive demonstrations of kinetic and solar energy.

There will even be the chance to compete against the Olympians on LED energy generating  bikes, finding out how much energy is needed to brew just one cup of tea, and creating a human power station.

The evening session, from 5pm – 10pm, will adopt the familiar buzz that’s taken the Oxford Road venue by storm since it opened earlier this year.

Buffalo Brothers and Jenna & the G’s will host the main stage throughout the evening, while budding cyclists can pedal to power up the Festival Battery bar, pump up the music and create spectacular light shows under the Mancunian Way.

Those who prefer to avoid getting saddle sore needn’t fear. Hatch’s fully-licensed bars will also be serving a selection ofbeverages throughout the night. There’ll even be the chance to become mixologists for the evening, and shake up energy-inspired cocktails.

MSP’s managing director Tom Renn said: “Manchester has an international reputation for scientific innovation and world-class cycling. It’s the perfect city to combine the two and engage people with an event that twins a packed programme of entertainment, with some important take-home messages.

“Encouraging sustainable energy consumption, the use of green transport and active lifestyles are all key agendas for us. Behaviour change starts with awareness and with the array of activities on offer, Electricycle Avenue has something to inspire all the family.

“We’re proud supporters of Manchester Science Festival and it’s great to be able to host this year’s event at Manchester’s Pop up of the Year, Hatch, on the doorstep of Circle Square.”

Dame Sarah Storey said: “I am delighted to be attending the Manchester Science Festival. Science surrounds us in everything that we do and as an athlete it is the crucial ingredient of each part of the jigsaw puzzle that makes up the next performance. Cycling is also a unique sport in that it is a mode of transport and an opportunity for us to create greener living spaces and more pleasant towns and cities to live and work in. I am an ardent supporter of active travel and so to bring everything together in this event is a brilliant opportunity.”

Dani King said: “Most of us don’t associate pedal power with generating power for the home – but that’s exactly what we are going to draw awareness to at MSP’s Electricycle Avenue. I just hope I can generate enough energy to make a make a few cups of coffee!”