April Fakes Day 2026
This year’s April Fakes Day focuses on questioning ideas of fakery in science.
Between Deception and Dissent
Once again, we explore the blurriness between real and fake in fun and engaging ways.
In collaboration with Professor Patricia Kingori at Oxford Population Health’s Ethox Centre, the University of Oxford, and Professor Emilie Cloatre at King’s College London, institutions around the UK will spotlight fakes in science and pseudo-science.
April Fakes Day serves as an opportunity to engage with the complexities of fakery and its role in shaping our understanding of reality. We engage with collections, research and the stories we tell to celebrate curiosity, creativity and critical thinking.
Film Screening and Q&A
WHERE: Ultimate Picture Palace, Jeune Street, Oxford, OX4 1BN
WHEN: Tuesday April 1th 6pm 2026. Safe - Q&A
Join us for a special screening of ‘Safe’, followed by a Q&A led by Professor Patricia Kingori (curator of April Fakes Day) and Professor Caitjan Gainty (Kings College London) who has worked extensively on the history of medical therapeutics and alternative & complementary therapies.
Safe is a quietly disturbing film that can be read in many ways: as a critique of self-help culture, a metaphor for the AIDS crisis, a drama about class and social isolation, and even a form of horror about the invisible dangers that surround us. We follow California housewife Carol as she seeks answers for her mystery illness, turning to self-help and alternative treatments.
Natural History Museum, London
Specimens under the spotlight in the digital collection including a fake fake!
Kings College London
Fakes in science activity download. Indulge in some activities including ‘Spot the difference’, ‘Connect the dots’ looking at the accuracy and interpretation of scientific tools and evidence.
Blogs from Culture& and the University of Ghana
Including a blog highlighting one of history's most persistent examples of fake science, race science.
Meet the "real" team here
