Antarctica is coming to Yorkshire!

16/10/2025

UKAHT’s virtual reality experience, Immersive Antarctica, is back on tour, bringing the icy wonders of the South to God’s Own Country.

This autumn, Antarctica is coming to Yorkshire. UKAHT’s immersive virtual reality (VR) experience using cutting-edge digital technologies is set to transform how the British public can discover Antarctica’s extraordinary history of science and exploration.

Following the blazing success of its inaugural three-week tour of England and Scotland, our VR tour is returning, this time inviting audiences across Yorkshire to step into the frozen world of the South.

After a run at the Bradford Science Festival from 24th October to 2nd November and a visit to Hipperholme Grammar School, Immersive Antarctica will arrive at Leeds City Museum for a two-day event from 8th November as the final stop on its autumn tour of Yorkshire. 

HRH Princess Anne attended an event on our previous VR tour (UKAHT/@hesterphoto)

British expeditions have played a significant role in shaping the course of Antarctic history, from the heroic age of exploration through to the more recent scientific age on the continent. Participants will be able to take a unique step back in time by donning a VR headset and controllers, instantly transporting them to the frozen continent. They’ll be able to step inside a historic hut, brave a fierce Katabatic Storm, experience life as explorers and scientists did and hear an incredible tale of resilience, teamwork and innovation on the ice.

Immersive Antarctica: A Frozen Night

UKAHT’s A Frozen Night is a 30-minute-long VR experience which transports participants to a fully immersive reconstruction of a historic scientific base, where they will step into the shoes of overwintering Antarctic scientists as they navigate this amazing environment. 

A Frozen Night is our 30-minute-long VR experience (UKAHT)

Camilla Nichol, CEO of UKAHT, explains that those taking part will be among the first to engage with Antarctic heritage sites in this new and unique way: 

“A Frozen Night is UKAHT’s first virtual reality experience based on a true story from the archives and narrated by those who lived and worked in our southernmost base, Stonington Island. One of the earliest British sites, established in 1946 and a key dog sledging base, Stonington Island enabled teams to travel far inland into the Antarctic Peninsula. Now, for the first time, A Frozen Night allows people to virtually travel into Stonington’s past to experience the wonders and risks of Antarctic field work.”

Tickets to experience Immersive Antarctica at Leeds City Museum are available now on Eventbrite. 

For those unable to attend in person, UKAHT’s VR experience, A Frozen Night, can also be downloaded on the Meta app store, allowing users to explore it from their own headsets at home. You can also virtually visit our flagship site, Port Lockroy, via a 3D model of Goudier Island or take a 360° walkabout tour of Bransfield House.

UKAHT’s Immersive Antarctica Programme

UKAHT’s ambitious VR project Immersive Antarctica was made possible through collaboration with partners including the British Antarctic Survey Archive team, Anglia Ruskin University StoryLab and was generously funded by Innovate UK.

A student at Impington Village College (UKAHT/Helen Langwick)

UKAHT began digitising heritage sites in 2019/20 using laser scanning and photogrammetry to create rich digital site records which support our comprehensive conservation programme. Stonington’s remote location means that access to sites can be extremely challenging, and this data is an invaluable resource for conservation planning. This data enables us to share stories about our sites in new and innovative ways, such as virtual reality. UKAHT is committed to making Antarctica accessible, and our forthcoming public programme will enable people to view our sites in completely new perspectives at inspiring in-person events and through a range of original digital content on our website and social media channels.

The ambitious Immersive Antarctica project was made possible through collaboration with partners, including the British Antarctic Survey Archive team in researching and planning this experience and also with colleagues at Anglia Ruskin University StoryLab in developing the Stonington of 1965 reconstruction for virtual reality. Our project was generously funded by Innovate UK, who later awarded the project an Outstanding grade for Bringing to Life Antarctic Heritage through immersive storytelling.