The marquees are pitched, the barbeque is lit and more than 500 researchers are venturing out of their labs take part in our big science show-off.

To celebrate its fifth birthday, the Imperial Festival returns with a cocktail of hands-on exhibits, talks, tours and shows.

New for this year is the Transport Zone, recreating London’s very first motor show after exactly 120 years, alongside the cars and transport of the future. Elsewhere, the Festival explores the most exciting areas of science including hallucinogenic drugs, epidemics, climate change and artificial intelligence.

Read more about the day in the collection of photos and tweets below.