Our popular drop-in activities are suitable for festivals, events, public spaces, promotion, family days, parties or any event where people come and go. Our facilitators are specialists at engaging all kinds of people in a non-pressured, informal way that allows all ages to enjoy taking part. We enable experiences which participants will remember, and which will make them want to learn more. Inspiring the spark of curiosity and wonder is the priority here; we may also explain how things work, but that is secondary to the experience.
Quick hands-on activities and participatory experiments (science busking). 1 – 10 minutes
Ground level demonstrations & shows with participatory elements. 5 – 30 minutes
Flexible Making & Tinkering activities where people want to build, dismantle or experiment. 10-30 minutes
Dare you try the infamous…
Noisy Toys Nose Test?
We also test spoons of various materials, carrots, dogs and anything else that may or may not conduct electricity to produce a funny squeak, a guaranteed smile and a highly coveted ‘Nose Tested’ stamp.
Check out some classic noses on our Nose Test page.
Scavengers workshop drop-in
Tinkering, Making, Quirky
What’s in the boxes? Just a load of junk! We can connect up e-waste and create noisy contraptions such as the ‘Robot Chicken’.
Circuits, speakers, electromagnetism, e-waste & upcycling. Technical, scientific, creative & noisy.
Music/Noise improv. game
Playful, Accessible, Experimenting
8 participants make up musical patterns on the spot, there’s no right or wrong, but the conductors can give us directions with signs and gestures.
We take it in turns to conduct (with help), with Everyone moves along one place every minute or so, and a new space becomes available.
‘The experimenting with sounds and noises was mesmerising to the young people and was stretching their minds with technical invention. If any art form is designed to get young people thinking outside the box then this one will.’
Deborah Curtis
The House of Fairy Tales
“Noisy Toys were fantastic, easy to work with and very professional. They helped launch Manchester Science Festival [2022] and created a brilliant spectacle which adults and children alike all loved.”
Claire Critchley, Learning Producer,
Science & Industry Museum, Manchester
Audio Assault Buggy
Mobile science-busking or walkabout act
The Buggy is a Steampunk spectacle with costumed performers who will conduct the Nose Test and other short participatory noise experiments with passers-by. These can be very quick or stretched out into a mini-show if a crowd forms.
Suitable for: events and public spaces
Ideal for entertaining people and engaging people in accessible science-themed activities. The Buggy can move around an event finding good spots to engage people. The Noise technicians are trained and experienced at engaging with people as well as performing.
Find out more about the Audio Assault Buggy here.
Scavengers drop-in
What’s inside the boxes? Just some scavenged components from broken computers that someone threw away. With a rechargeable battery and a little bit of knowledge we can build some amazing little noise machines: have a go at Making the Robot Chicken, Victorian Oscillator and the Entropic Agitator. This is a drop-in version of the Scavengers Tinkering workshop for schools which you can find out about here.
Bass Buzz & Oobleck
Excitingly dangerous participatory demonstrations.
Oobleck is the dancing alien conrflour goop thing.
Dare you try the infamous Bass Buzz? Feel 1000 watts of bass power through your fingertips, see clouds of flour shoot into the air, duck from eruptions of lentils (or sometimes mung beans), marvel at water-based Cymatics, re-create a laser-blaster shoot out with an amplified slinky, shriek in utter horror at the bizarre life-forms animated with corn flour and powerful bass vibrations, as the Goop Test brings forth wee beasties that dance and metamorphose at the sound of the BASS….
These activities are a cross-over between a drop-in and a show. If you are looking for a short activity that people can try out in a few minutes and then stay to watch the demonstrations if they want to, then the Bass Buzz is perfect for your event.
