Kicking off another sure-to-be spectacular summer of science here in Glasgow, the Glasgow Science Festival opened up shop last week with gusto at the Siempre Bicycle Café in our fair city’s West End.

The sold-out event featured some Science Festival favourites, starting with everyone’s favourite ass-tacologist and boss of Bright Club Glasgow: Zara Gladman. Armed with a microphone, a keyboard and a PowerPoint presentation, we were treated to a deluge of delightful alliterations that probably aren’t repeatable on such a respectable science site but fear not! You can catch that type of filth and much, much more at Bright Club’s upcoming Glasgow Science Festival special at The Stand Comedy Club on June 8th. After Zara finished up with a twist-on-a-classic rendition of Daft Punk’s Get Lucky reminiscent of Lady Alba (come to think of it… have you ever seen them in the same room together?!), we knew we were in for a night to remember.

Or not, if the chaps from The Glasgow Distillery Company got their way! A refreshing and aromatic array of botanically infused Makar Glasgow Gin samples sat dangerously close to where I did but the glasses never seemed to stay full for long; unsurprising, this being Glasgow’s Year of Food and Drink. In this vein, this year’s festival events calendar is so full of culinary curiosities and scientific swallie that it’s gone to its room and put the joggie bottoms on! Take the long journey From Creel to Meal in the city’s Stravaigin and Drygate restaurants (June 4th and 11th, respectively), discover the fascinating field of gastrophysics with The Perfect Meal (June 7th) or delve deep into the science behind gin including an extensive tasting sesh with Gin-o-mics on June 4th. Be sure not to sample too many, though, because if gin’s your thing, you’ll want to check out Gin and Botanicals: Explore the Senses the very next day on June 5th! These events and many more like them were cooked up especially for Glasgow’s Year of Food and Drink so be sure not to miss out on this smorgasbord (and bring an appetite!).

There was little time for gin sampling, however, as the launch party powered straight on with some poetry courtesy of Glasgow’s own Calum Rodger and music from Adam Ross (of Randolph’s Leap fame); invoking the sense of sound and engaging the mind. All in a day’s work for The Glasgow Science Festival team and only a flavour of what’s in store at any one of the 50+ events on this year’s calendar.

After some cake and a quick high jump competition (which I won, despite eating way too much of the cake), the evening sadly drew to an end. As I made my way home, my mind weaved between thoughts of Glasgow’s scientific legacy and fantasies about its future. Crossing the squinty bridge always makes me wonder at our own scientific and engineering ingenuity as it surrounds me – the Scottish Hydro, the Finnieston crane, Harbour Tunnel Rotundas and, of course, the Glasgow Science Centre itself – but that night I thought less about what we had already achieved and more of what we were about to. The Glasgow Science Festival brings cutting edge science to people of all ages and backgrounds who are brave enough and willing to give it a go and shows that the future is happening now in the buildings around us. From the 4th to the 14th of June, step into the future and be ready to be amazed (and hungry).

theGIST will be reporting from events throughout the Glasgow Science Festival. So keep checking back to read more.