Levitation is a popular trope of magical media, but what’s the reality? Are we actually able to defy gravity and suspend things in the air? The short answer is yes. And the longer answer is we have lots of different ways. This talk will take you on a journey through all the different approaches to levitation, using magnets, sound, light, to name a few, and all the things we’ve levitated from single cells to entire passenger trains. There will be fun facts along the way, like are there any animals that can levitate? No specialist knowledge is needed, we’ll go over the basic principles underpinning each approach, and consider their benefits and drawbacks compared with other methods. And we’ll also look at why you should care - because making stuff levitate can be useful for reasons you might not think, like making better drugs, creating holograms or improving transport networks between cities. I do have a personal bias: my favourite kind of levitation is the one that pays my bills! I work for a company exploring methods and applications of acoustic levitation. But I promise there’s room in my heart for all the wacky ways we’ve found to make things float.