Bristol’s We The Curious ‘disappointed’ as reopening date pushed back

Bristol science centre We The Curious says it is 'disappointed' that it will not reopen in early 2024 as planned.

The building on Millennium Square, which has been closed since being damaged by a fire in April 2022, is now not set to reopen to the public until ‘early summer 2024’. 

We The Curious says the pushed back reopening is due to ‘construction and supply chain delays’, but that it remains ‘absolutely committed to reopening'.

The centre says it hopes to have exact dates about reopening in the next few weeks.

A We the Cuiorus spokesperson said: “It’s been a challenging and complex project, involving equipment and exhibits that are utterly unique to us and housed in a Grade II listed building.

Our building reinstatement works are continuing at pace but, unfortunately, as a result of construction and supply chain delays, we’ve had to shift our initial reopening target of early 2024 back a little. This means that we’re now planning for a reopening of early summer 2024.

“We remain absolutely committed to reopening, but we’re being ultra cautious on naming exact dates until we have greater certainty, so that we don’t let anyone down. We hope to be in a position in the next few weeks to share a further update. 

“It’s disappointing to have a few more months of closure ahead of us than we’d originally hoped and we know our audiences will be disappointed too.  “Nevertheless, we’re starting the year optimistically, with the repair work moving towards the final completion phase, our staff back working in the building, and new members of the team being recruited ready for reopening.” 

The building, which opened in 2000, has been closed since a huge fire on the roof in April 2022 left it severely water-damaged 

Since closing, We The Curious has run Out and About activities and school takeovers, with over 260 events and more than 36,500 interactions with people across Bristol.  

The spokesperson added: “We’re so grateful for the support we’ve had during this closure period that has really kept us going during this challenging time. 

“We can’t wait to be able to confidently announce our reopening date and look forward to welcoming everyone back into our building."