Winchester Science Centre & Planetarium

“We just got back from the Van Gogh Alive event at the planitarium and we were absolutely thrilled by it. As fans of the impressionists it was a must-see for us and we were not disappointed and came away with a greater understanding of the torment that Vincent suffered throughout his short life. I don't know what the negative reviewers were expecting, maybe a Legoland/Disney type experience, but the presentation was truly immersive and the animations were superb. As for the Sunflower walkthrough, we thought it was a beautiful addition upon leaving. As a side note, we would love to visit the planetarium outside of school holidays. Perhaps the occasional weekday performance could be scheduled for us oldies. Thank You😘”

“⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Visited 'Van Gogh Alive' last night with my 15-year-old daughter and we were both absolutely blown away. As a family that loves art and immersive activations, this experience delivered everything we hoped for and more. The highlight for me was my daughter’s reaction on the way home; she was so inspired by how different the format was and genuinely moved learning about Van Gogh’s life. It’s rare to find an exhibition like this, locally that connects so deeply with a teenager. Huge congratulations to the team behind this, for me it’s a must-visit for anyone thinking of going! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐”

“Van Gogh Alive.. A very interesting show but brief. I took the time to research the show at different venues and was really looking forward to this. However, other venues appeared to be using numerous flat screens but this one was in the planetarium. Unusual, but I am not sure that the planetarium screen is condusive to reproducing the images, the colours seemed very flat and dull. A nice soundtrack. The shop was refreshingly well priced. Underwhelming.”

“It’s ok, and I don’t want to be too mean, but it’s not great value for money really. There is a lot of fun stuff for the kids to do across both floors and we were there for about 2.5 hours, the restaurant was great and staff really friendly. The nagging problem I have though is that it cost us £120 for a family of five including the planetarium, and that was booking in advance. It’s just way too much for what it is sadly not comparable to other experiences in the area. I’d certainly recommend it if you’ve not been, but it’s not somewhere we’d revisit.”