What is Freshers' Festival?

Freshers’ Festival is the Students’ Union’s official programme of events that are held from 16 September to the 24 September! It’s your welcome to the university and one of the most important weeks on the calendar. It’s basically one huge party to celebrate the beginning of your university life. You can definitely expect to meet loads of new people and discover new experiences.

What's the difference between Freshers' Festival and Welcome Week?

Freshers’ Festival is the Students’ Union’s contribution to Welcome Week at Royal Holloway. Essentially all the events run by the SU or any that require a wristband are included in the festival.

How do I become a member of the Students' Union?

Every student at Royal Holloway is automatically a member of Royal Holloway Students’ Union. You can opt out of this by ticking a box during the enrolment process with the University.

Which events are included in the wristbands?

All the major late-night events (excluding Freshers’ Ball for silver wristbands) are covered by the wristbands, allowing you fast-track entry to the event. If you want a more specific list of what late-night events we offer, head on over to the events page.

Can I buy a wristband if I'm under 18?

Our system is setup to only allow purchases to be made by individuals who are 18+. That said, there’s ways and means of still getting involved and our Trading Services team (who are a lovely bunch by the way) can issue wristbands to individuals under the age of 18. This is on a case by case basis so you’ll need to drop them an email at venues@su.rhul.ac.uk.

Will my wristband guarantee me entry into events?

Wristbands and online tickets guarantee you entry into the event before 11pm.

How much are wristbands?

We have two wristbands available with the Gold package at £65 and the Silver package at £50. The difference between the two is the inclusion of the Freshers’ Formal in the Gold package.

Where can I collect my wristband from?

You can collect your wristbands from the Union Helpdesk between Saturday 16 - Tuesday 19 Sept. These times and dates are subject to change, so keep an eye on this site and your emails for any updates.

Saturday - Sunday | 8am - 5pm
Monday - Tuesday | 10am - 4pm

I'm having trouble logging in to the website, what do I do?

If you’ve already acquired your student login details but you’re still experiencing issues trying to log in, you can try and resolve them by following the steps provided by our login guide. If you’re still struggling after following the guide, please email marketing@su.rhul.ac.uk stating your student number and the error message you have encountered.

If don’t have your login details yet, you can register for a guest account so you can access the website. However, you won’t be able to purchase most tickets, wristbands or memberships with a guest account, so it’s best to sort your student login details as soon as possible.

Take me to the guide
I'd like to create a guest account

Why do I have to pay for some events?

As we are a non-profit charity organisation, any surplus made from Freshers’ Festival (e.g. ticket fees, membership) goes straight back into improving your experience as a student. For example, the surplus made could be used to improve existing facilities or booking an awesome act in one of our late-night events for you guys to enjoy. Most importantly, we want to hear what you guys want, so don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any ideas.

Do I have to pay to attend events during the day?

Not for the most part! Almost all of our day-time events are free of charge for all students (excluding spending money), so enjoy it to your heart’s content - there are a few exceptions though, such as the IKEA trip. Make sure you check the individual event pages - if there's no option to purchase a ticket, that event is free.

The tickets for evening events are sold out, does that mean I'll miss out on Freshers?

Don’t worry if you are unable to acquire tickets for any of our late-night events, there are plenty of other events happening every day and night. For example, The Packhorse are running a variety of free late-night events every day or you could get involved in our Colour Run for a colourful fitness session.

Although, we do recommend getting tickets before coming to university to avoid disappointment as we sell out in advance every year.

I can't attend an event anymore, can I get a refund?

Unfortunately all tickets and wristbands are non-refundable. You can however transfer your ticket (but not your wristband) to a friend - online tickets may be transferred at the door, on the night of the event, between 10pm and 11pm. Transferals outside of this time need to be completed in person at the Union Helpdesk - tickets cannot be exchanged any other way.

You cannot transfer a ticket and then come back to the event later unless you purchase an additional ticket. If transferring on the door, you will need to enter the SU once you have transferred your ticket.

The person whom you are transferring your ticket to must be present. Please remember that you are responsible for any guests you sign in even if you transfer your own ticket and don’t attend.

Can guests attend Freshers' Festival?

If you want to invite a guest to any of the late-night Freshers’ events, you will need to purchase an individual event ticket for them alongside your own. After that, you need to sign them in at any of the following locations:

Union Helpdesk - Midday to 5pm
Tommy's Kitchen - 5pm to 8pm
Medicine - 6pm to 10pm

This can only be done on the night of the event. They cannot be signed in on the door of the SU. They will then receive a paper slip as their ticket which they need to bring to the venue upon entry. It’s only £2 to sign a friend in, and if they have an NUS card, it’s free! Please note that your college card will automatically have their ticket, so they will need to be with you when you enter the venue.

I missed Freshers' Fair, will I still be able to join a club or society?

You can join a sports club or society all year round. Simply purchase your one, two or three year Student Opportunities Membership from either the Helpdesk or online. Visit the sports club or societies website pages to get a full list of the activities that you can get involved in. We recommend you attend Freshers’ Fair though, as signing up via the website doesn’t guarantee you information on any important information such as the first social that the group might host during Freshers’ Festival.

How can I get home after club nights?

We understand that many of our students attending our Freshers’ events may live far away from campus. As such, we have a welfare transport service called the Union Bus to make sure that everyone gets home safely after a night out at our venues. Our bus service runs during function nights at the Students’ Union and Medicine (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) between campus (including Kingswood) within a 3-mile radius to your door. It starts at 9pm and finishes its rounds only when everyone has been taken home from the latest closing venue.

You can get an annual pass and/or individual tickets from the Union Helpdesk (Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm). Don’t worry if you can’t snag a ticket during those hours, you can still purchase individual tickets from Medicine and Tommy's Bar during event nights.

Still need a taxi? We have a safe taxi partnership with the local taxi company, Gemini - 01784 471111.

I want to report sexual harassment at one of the Freshers' events.

As a Students’ Union, we believe that we have the duty to challenge harassment and violence at any instance and encourage all students to report it. When we are silent about these issues, we become complicit to them.

When we talk about sexual harassment, it often is given a very narrow definition of what it might involve. Sexual harassment is not just about physical touching or groping, it can be applied to any unwanted and persistent behaviour of sexual nature.

If you experience any form of sexual harassment at any of our events, you can report the incident to any member of security, bar staff or supervisor/duty manager. They will take the details of the perpetrator and will immediately remove them from the building. The staff will also advise you if you want to follow-up on the complaint.

If you feel able to talk to someone about it and you'd like to, you can book an appointment with one of our advisors by visiting the Union Helpdesk - our advisors offer free and impartial advice and are happy to chat with you about any problems you are having. Alternatively, the College provides free counselling services to support you if you need a chat or you need professional and impartial advice. You can contact them by emailing counselling@royalholloway.ac.uk.

You can also report sexual harassment to the College through their eCampus site.
I want to report sexual harassment

I don't drink / I'm worried about peer pressure to drink

Freshers’ Festival is all about making sure that you have the best first experiences at Royal Holloway. This includes making sure that you don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. We understand that lots of students don’t drink for different reasons, and that’s totally valid. We host loads of non-alcoholic events over the week for you to get involved with, such as the Colour Run, diversity picnic and more! If you feel harassed or pressured to do anything you’re not comfortable with, you can report it to security at an evening event, a member of identifiable college staff during the day or your hall duty officer.