Hold the dates - Cosmic Frequencies - 7-9 August 2026, Hexham UK
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Hold the dates - Cosmic Frequencies - 7-9 August 2026, Hexham UK 〰️
A celebration of space science, UFOs + music in the dark skies capital of the UK
Cosmic Frequenices is a new grassroots festival that explores astrophysics, UFOs, sci-fi and music, asking the question ‘Are we alone in the Universe?’. The festival emerged in Hexham in 2025 from the gravitational wave of local space-funk band SKX Funkanauts and their fellow voyagers. We are enthusiastic about space science, UFOs/ UAPs and art, and how the frontiers of knowledge expand when science meets fiction. Our DIY inaugural festival in August 2025 was a stellar success and we aim to make this an annual mind-expanding gathering that grows bigger, more wonderful and more fun every year!
Hexham is an ancient, enchanted market town in Northumberland UK, nestled next to Hadrians Wall and the spectacular Northumberland National Park, England’s first International Dark Sky Park making it the perfect place to host a celebration of cosmic creativity and curiosity!
The dates for next year’s Festival are 7-9th August 2026.
The Forum Cinema Hexham will once again be the festival hub, with an expanded range of talks and screenings. The Festival opening night party - the Frontal Lobe sci-fi cos-play disco - will be held again at The Tannery. Over the weekend, there will be other salon events and music around our charming little town where people can meet up, share experiences over a pint, and ‘make good stuff happen’!
The Cosmic Frequencies crew: Bill Garrett, Michael Evans, Nicole Skeltys and new shipmate Ryan Sprague.
Cosmic Frequencies 2025 was a HUGE success that succeeded all our expectations! People came from around the UK to pack out The Forum, our gorgeous 1930s art deco cinema, to hear and engage with our amazing speakers: Astronomer Dan Pye from Hexham’s Kielder Observatory, astrophysicist & SETI researcher Dr Beatriz Villarroel, Ryan Sprague UFO researcher and media presenter, and Steve Crabtree, TV science-factual producer and filmmaker. The 3 day event a included a fabulous sci-fi dress-up party and disco at The Tannery, talks and discussions on UFOs and Consciousness and The History of Special FX in cinema at The Heart of Northumberland, and The Forum provided the perfect end to star gazing festival with a special screening of Spielberg’s 1977 classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind. You can watch videos of all the Forum talks on our YouTube channel.
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO CAME ALONG AND MADE COSMIC FREQUENCIES SO SPECIAL!!
Our 2025 presenters really enjoyed everyone’s enthusiasm and the friendly vibe - so much so, they have kindly offered to stay involved to help us make Cosmic Frequencies 2026 an even bigger celebration of cosmic curiosity and creativity across an even wider range of topics!
If you want to get involved and/or have any suggestions for next year, please transmit your message to mothership AT cosmicfrequencies DOT org.
Good vibrations from the Cosmic Frequencies crew!
Watch this 3 minute montage of 2025 highlights to get an overview of the talks and vibe of the festival.
Science + Music + UAPs + SETI + Space
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Science + Music + UAPs + SETI + Space *
19:00 - 23.00
The Frontal Lobe Space Bar at The Tannery: free entry
Hexham’s coolest pub The Tannery hosts a sci-themed cosplay party sure to be the talk of the galaxy! Test your human (or non-human!) intelligence with the Cosmic Quiz, win prizes for best space themed outfit and shake your moonbooties to DJs spinning the hottest trax from outer space!
SKX Funkanauts’ Murmurs From Earth video includes footage of one of their sensational live performances at The Tannery
Saturday 09 August
12:30 - 13.30
UFOs & Consciousness : A Metaphysical Salon @The Heart of Northumberland (Free entry)
Are ‘aliens’ from outer space or inner space? Are some UFOs conscious? UFO history and experiencer accounts raise many fascinating philosophical, metaphysical and religious questions that go to the heart of what it means to be human. Dr Nicole Skeltys leads a group discussion about these topics over a few pints and great food in The Heart of Northumberland, one of Hexham’s many fine pubs.
Cybermen! Part of the Dr Who collection in the Museum of Classic Sci-Fi in Allendale
14:00 - 15.00
The History of Sci Fi Fx at The Heart of Northumberland: free entry
Former head of technology at BBC TV production Bill Garrett will give a talk on the history of sci-fi effects in film and TV in The Heart of Northumberland. After that, head around the corner to Queens Hall Arts Centre to check out a free exhibition of props & costumes from the classic days of TV & film sci-fi on loan from Neil Cole’s incredible Museum of Classic Sci-Fi in Allendale.
19:00 - 21.30
Cosmic Talks: Forum Cinema Hexham: entry £18
In collaboration with Kielder Observatory and Forum Cinema Hexham, this immersive evening will blend live music, expert talks, and celestial visuals in a one-of-a-kind experience. The evening will feature thought-provoking talks from experts in Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs), the science of the cosmos, and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), interwoven with cosmic music performances by local space-funksters S.K.X Funkanauts. The event celebrates the intersection of art, science, and cosmic curiosity, bringing together music, science communicators, and stargazing communities.
Speakers:
Dr Beatriz Villarroel – Astrophysicist, SETI researcher | The search for alien signals
Ryan Sprague – Somewhere in the Skies podcast | UFOs and how encounters change lives
Steve Crabtree – Emmy Nominated filmmaker former Exec Producer BBC Sky at Night & Horizon | Where science fiction meets science fact
Dan Pye – Kielder Observatory | The wonders of the cosmos
21:30 - 22.30
Meet the stars: £20
After the Cosmic Talks, there will be A VIP Meet and Greet from 9.30 onwards in the Forum Cinema bar. This is your chance to meet our star speakers personally and ask your burning questions! Only 25 tickets available - hurry!
16:30 - 18.30
Close Encounters of The Third Kind Forum Cinema Hexham: £6
Special Cosmic Frequencies screening of Spielberg’s 1977 classic movie of human encounters with UFOs and THEM, a perfect example of the blending of science fact, fiction and art. Spielberg used legendary UFO researcher Jacques Vallée as the model for Lacombe, the French scientist in the film. Fast forward to 2025, and Beatriz Villarroell is also working with Vallée and other scientists on the UFO problem, and they (and other scientists) have recently published a paper on the New Science of UAPs in the high impact journal Progress in Aerospace Space Sciences.
J. Allen Hynek, an American astronomer who also became a leading figure in UFO research, was also a consultant on the film, and the title comes from his Close Encounters Scale as a way to categorize different types of UFO sightings:
Close Encounters of the First Kind: Sighting of a UFO at close range (less than 500 feet).
Close Encounters of the Second Kind: A UFO at close range with physical effects (e.g., heat, electromagnetic interference).
Close Encounters of the Third Kind: A UFO at close range with the observation of animate beings.
Fun fact: Hynek actually makes a cameo appearance towards the end of the film, smoking a pipe at the landing site - see if you can spot him!
Sunday 10 August
Contact the Mothership
If you want more info, participate in the festival, want to support us or have any queries, drop us a line!