Cambridge Festival logo

Cambridge Festival

16 March - 2 April 2026, 10:00 - 16:00

Join us at the Cambridge Festival!

From 16 March to 2 April 2026, the University of Cambridge’s Cambridge Festival will once again bring together thousands of curious minds through a vibrant programme of free talks, workshops, performances, exhibitions, and family-friendly events.

Each year we’re proud to showcase ARU’s world-leading and innovative research as part of the programme.

We’d love for you to be part of it - come along, get involved, and share in the discovery!

Showing 9 events
Coloured circles making up large circles on a Yellow background

Design Lab Showcase exhibition

Design Lab Showcase is an exhibition highlighting the ideas, prototypes and experiments emerging from ARU's new Design Lab initiative within the Media, Arts and Creative Technologies Centre.

  • 20 March - 10 April 2026, 09:00 - 17:00
  • Price:  Free
More details for Design Lab Showcase exhibition
An illustrated globe breaking apart

Stories from Builders of the Broken Bazaar

Dr Tabish Zaman, Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship, ARU, asks what truly counts as entrepreneurship. Drawing on Builders of the Broken Bazaar, he shows how—far from the stable, formal models we teach and research—enterprise in fragile contexts becomes survival, resilience, and a burden people are forced to turn into a resource. It’s time we stop romanticising and start recognising this reality.

  • 24 March 2026, 18:00 - 19:00
  • Price:  Free
More details and booking for Stories from Builders of the Broken Bazaar
The Soichi Sakamoto Family

Learning From Legendary Coaches “To Swim Against the Current of Your Circumstance”: Coach Soichi Sakamoto and Transcendence

Join us for the ultimate inspiring ‘against the odds’ story of coaching success. Soichi Sakamoto a Japanese-American primary school teacher revolutionised swim coaching and made unlikely dreams come true.

  • 24 March 2026, 19:00 - 21:00
  • Price:  Free
More details and booking for Learning From Legendary Coaches
A selection of ancient weapons

Future Karaoke: Ancient Weapons

Join us for a special edition of Future Karaoke, a themed literary reading series curated by the Cambridge Writing Centre at ARU. This event brings together Cambridge-based writers, students, and guests to present brand new work inspired by pre-20th century instruments of battle.

  • 25 March 2026, 14:30 - 16:30
  • Price:  Free
More details and booking for Future Karaoke: Ancient Weapons
Cambridge Festival logo

Stephen Hawking’s Time Travellers Party

Drop in for timejump poems and poetry board games — reconstruct fragments of poem from across the eras, or roll the dice in a race to escape the time vortex!

  • 28 - 29 March 2026, 11:00 - 16:30
  • Price:  Free
More details for Stephen Hawking’s Time Travellers Party
Illustration of microbes

The hidden world of Microbes: a hands-on Science adventure!

Step into the fascinating world of microbes — the tiny creatures that live all around us, especially on our hands. Perfect for curious minds of all ages, this activity blends science and creativity to reveal the invisible world that plays a big role in our health.

  • 28 - 29 March 2026, 11:00 - 16:30
  • Price:  Free
More details for The hidden world of Microbes
3d image of a human's head breathing out

The Science and Practice of Breathing

Discover the power of your breath in this interactive session designed to deepen your understanding of how your lungs work and how to breathe more effectively.

  • 28 - 29 March 2026, 11:00 - 16:30
  • Price:  Free
More details for The Science and Practice of Breathing
Illustrations fossils in a cabinet

Make a fold-out fossil cabinet with Kate Winter

Join Kate Winter, award-winning author and illustrator of The Fossil Hunter and The Cave Explorer, in a fun family-friendly workshop drawing fossils and making your very own fold-out fossil cabinet.

  • 28 March 2026, 13:30 - 14:30
  • Price:  Free
More details and booking for Make a fold-out fossil cabinet