Saturday 18 & Sunday 19 April 2026
Join us in NESM’s bonkers building and be transported into a magical world of imagination, invention and adventure. Our Victorian police, fire and ambulance station, packed with wonders and curiosities, acts as the perfect backdrop for a steampunk wonderland!
Activities include:
- The Inventor Zone
- Live music
- Try your hand at tea duelling
- Meet animals in the Dark Menagerie
- Get creative in the Imaginarium
- Get up close and personal with objects from the museum’s collection
- Local makers selling unique jewellery, fashions, bags and other items
Steampunk is a genre inspired by Victorian science fiction, full of bonkers inventions and imaginative stories. Drawing on the tales of authors such as H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, it brings the past to life through creative costumes and wacky gadgets that blend the old with the new.
What is Steampunk?
Steampunk market stalls
Live Music Performances
Competition time!
Put your nerves — and your biscuit — to the test with our ever-popular Tea Duelling competitions. A much-loved Steampunk tradition, tea duelling challenges competitors to dunk their biscuit into a cup of tea without it breaking… last biscuit standing wins!
Open to all ages, it’s a wonderfully British mix of skill, suspense and silliness, and always a crowd favourite. Whether you’re taking part or cheering from the sidelines, expect plenty of laughs and a few soggy biscuits along the way.
