Leicester Space Centre’s Galactic Gathering 2026

Day 1 – Setup

Set up on the Friday began from 1615 and multiple costuming groups were poised ready to get loaded in. I was there sharpish with the Steam Academy not far behind. Droid drop off was fairly simple with being able to drive down the ramp, and we had a good open space in the centre of the concourse to have our items and droids out on display. After giving STEAM a hand in, it was off to the hotel and pub for an evening meal with droidbuilders galore.

Day 2 – Saturday

Load in for arrivals on the saturday was from 8am with the event opening 10am, there was a fairly hefty queue early on for entry and the day was pretty busy for its entirety. The venue had sold out of day tickets which is a regular occurrence for this event. 

STEAM Acadamey was flat out right from the word go, with their area just off the main concourse, it was easy to see and access – again one of if not the most popular activity at the event. 

Towards the end of the day there is always a parade of all the SW characters and droids, this ventures around the main concourse of the building and out the exit. This encourages folk to exit the building ready for site closing, which I’ve always considered to be a very clever idea.

There was request put in for an R2 to be at a proposal on the saturday once the parade had made it outside, Jim was initially in place for this but his nuts kept dropping so I stepped in, leaving a hugely memorable and happy experience for the now bride and groom to be. 

Saturday night is always a fun shindig, with a bbq put on by the centre, bringing your own drinks (which is easy with an ASDA being a 5min walk) and Karaoke. Whilst all fun, we decided to head back to the hotel bar for snacks and beverages, and some wholesome chat.

Day 3 – Sunday

Sunday, was much the same as saturday, but a slower start – always is – with attendees arriving. But once again a very busy day. Extremely excited that James, who’s been working on his R6/R10 over the past few years finally got his droid MOT passed after a few notes. Will be great seeing James out with his droid at future events

All in all, the National Space Centre is always a fun event that I’ve personally been supporting for 20+ years in some form or another and will carry on to do so in the future. We’re all tied to our devices so much these days that seeing kids imagination flourish in an environment where portable screens aren’t needed is a rarity, but much needed.

The Droidbuilder’s who attended are also a joy to be around, as are most within the club, but it reinforces my thought process that events like this are far more than just bringing your droids to put on display and play. Having friends with similar interests can be difficult, it can be even more difficult when they’re scattered around the country – or world in some cases. Events like this are important for that reason alone. In a world where social media and texting is seen as the norm, there’s nothing quite like a chat over a drink and some food. 

I implore anyone who hasn’t supported this event in the past, to support it in the future. We’ll miss it if it goes away.