It's been a crazy summer of planning and we can't believe we're saying this but, your Freshers' Festival programme is finally here!
It's been a crazy summer of planning and we can't believe we're saying this but, your Freshers' Festival programme is finally here!
There has been a lot of uncertainty among so many of you on whether the idea of holding Freshers' Festival was even feasible in the middle of a pandemic. Trust us, you haven't been alone in those thoughts.
However, how could we start the new academic year without celebrating a time that is so important to both new and returning students?
So, here we are! Of course, you will see a very different programme than what you're used to, featuring a huge mix of online and physical events, with social distancing measures in place at all of our venues. By putting your safety as our top priority and following Government guidelines, we have worked incredibly hard all summer to come up with a programme that gives you fun events and experiences in a Covid-secure environment.
Whether you've just received your A-level results and you're making the exciting step into university life, or you're a returning student wondering how life will be on your return to campus, we want to ensure your first few weeks of the new academic year are memorable for all the right reasons, even if you're not able to make it to campus in September.
But, let's stop faffing and get right to it!
What's On
During the day, you'll be able to take part in loads of virtual Give It A Go events, including Zumba at Home and Find the Artist in You. We've also got a number of physical on-campus events like Sunday Brunch, Alice in Wonderland Afternoon Tea, and even an Afro-Caribbean Food Market as we get ready to celebrate Black History Month in October.
By night, we'll be making use of the SU Lawn space to bring you events such as Union Rocks, Flawless Distancing, and Mask-a-rave Ball, to name but a few, featuring some special guests who will be announced in the coming weeks.
We've also got plenty going on in Medicine, including Toastially Distanced and Distanced Desi, and we're even bringing an Outdoor Cinema to Founder's Square!
Of course, it wouldn't be a Freshers' Festival without some tasty events at The Packhorse! Head down to our famous Welcome BBQ, sample our new menu with Pizza & Pint, and show off your knowledge at our weekly Pub Quiz!
But seriously, there's SO MUCH going on, so make sure you head to our Freshers' Festival website and start planning your return!
Check out the events programme
When can I buy a ticket?
Tickets will go on sale in two phases:
Returning students: Monday 14 September
New students: Friday 18 September
Tickets will be available for groups of 2/4/6/8 students and you will be allocated your own table for the duration of the event.
To ensure new students have a chance to form social/household bubbles before they commit to buying tickets, we will be holding back 50% of tickets and putting them on sale to first year students only on Friday 18 September.
Should any tickets remain unsold, these will be made available to all students 48 hours before the event start time.
Tickets will only be available in advance for all events, there will be no opportunity to purchase tickets on the door.
All ticket holders must be students at Royal Holloway – no external guests are permitted at these events. You will be asked to provide track and trace information for all individuals on your table when making your purchase including student numbers for each guest.
Keeping You Safe
We’ve been busy over the summer making sure all of our venues are safe for you to enjoy when you arrive on campus:
All events and venues have been mapped to create one-way routes, with colour-controlled zones where required, to ensure social distancing can take place.
Table service will be the only format of service available, with all orders being made through our contactless ordering system available on all smartphones.
Loads more measures have been put in place to ensure your safety and ensure our events and venues are Covid-secure – you can read more about them on our event listings.
View the measures