New North East Festival Puts UK’s First Search Beam on Science, UAPs & The Arts
PRESS RELEASE 10 July 2025
The ancient market town of Hexham, Northumberland is about to play host to some of the world’s most influential speakers on the new science of UAP/ UFO research.
The Cosmic Frequencies Festival is the brainchild of Hexham space-funk band SKX Funkanauts, assisted by locals Dr Nicole Skeltys and Dr Bill Garrett who have keen interest in the topic of UAPs.
UAPs stands for Unidentified Anomalous/ Ariel Phenomenon which has replaced the more familiar UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) in international science and policy discussions.
“UAPs are a great mystery” explains Dr Skeltys.“No one discipline holds all the answers to what people globally are encountering in the skies and under the oceans, it is such a complex phenomenon.”
“So we decided to create a fun Festival where the general public has a chance to hear about the cutting edge of research in space science, but also bring in perspectives from other fields, particularly arts, music and philosophy.”
The Cosmic Frequencies team were delighted when Dr Beatriz Villarroel, an award winning Swedish astrophysicist who is a leading figure in the study of UAPs, accepted their invitation to participate in a night of talks at the Forum Cinema Hexham (7.00 pm 9th August) around the theme ‘Are we alone in the universe?’.
Among her many achievements, Dr Villarroel is co-author of a recent landmark paper on the New Science of UAPs in the high impact peer-reviewed journal Progress in Aerospace Sciences. She was also part of a large, international cross-disciplinary team of researchers who contributed to Durham University’s Submission of Written Evidence on SETI and UAP to the House of Lords Select Committee on UK Engagement with Space (June 2025).
Other speakers include best selling author, media presenter and researcher Ryan Sprague (USA) whose show Somewhere In The Skies is one of the longest running and influential UAP themed podcasts; Emmy nominated filmmaker Steve Crabtree, former BBC producer of Horizon and the Sky at Night; and Dan Pye, Director Astronomy and Science Communication at nearby Kielder Observatory.
The prototype Festival runs over three days (8-10) August across Hexham venues, including a sci-fi themed disco, talks on UFOs and Consciousness and Special Effects in Film and TV, and a special screening of Spielberg’s sci-fi classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
“It made sense to start a Festival celebrating cosmic mysteries here in Hexham which is right on the edge of Northumberland International Dark Skies Park, Kielder Observatory and the Museum of Classic Sci-Fi in Allendale.”
“Hexham has a great community spirit, consistently voted by RightMove as one of the top three happiest places to live in the UK. Locals are excited about the Festival which we hope to make an annual event, expanding our program and attracting more star-gazers from the UK and beyond each year.”
Contact for media enquiries including interviews with speakers:
Dr Nicole Skeltys
mothership@cosmicfrequencies.org
+44 7922 192555