Cambridge Festival

Finding Home: an exhibition of art by asylum-seeking women

See powerful artworks created by asylum-seeking women. Each piece reflects personal stories of home, inclusion, safety, hope, and survival.

• 17 - 24 March 2026, 09:00 - 17:00
• Price:  Free

DesignLab Symposium and exhibition private view 2026: Intersections & Transformations in Design Research

The inaugural DesignLab Symposium will explore how design research can transcend disciplinary boundaries to address complex social, environmental, and technological challenges. Join us afterwards for the private view of the accompanying exhibition.

• 19 March 2026, 13:00 - 17:00
• Price:  Free

AI’s Hidden Footprint: The Environmental Cost of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the world—but at what environmental cost? This panel uncovers the hidden material and energy demands behind AI technologies, from data centres and resource extraction to e-waste and carbon emissions.

• 19 March 2026, 18:00 - 19:30
• Price:  Free

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

Safe-falling workshop for over 55s

This Safe-Falling workshop with Katrina McDonald will utilise principles from the sport of judo to teach people how to apply the principles of falling safely.

• 21 March 2026, 11:00 - 15:00
• Price:  Free

Listening to meteorites: Music from the minerals of other worlds

What if you could hear the story of a meteorite? What if rocks from space could sing? In this presentation, our speakers will transform the hidden beauty of meteorites (some older than Earth itself) into music, translating their microscopic textures and mineral structures into sound.

• 21 March 2026, 11:00 - 12:00
• Price:  Free

Living Better: Interactive Research Showcase

• 21 March 2026, 11:00 - 17:00
• Price:  Free

Nurtured by Nature: Why Being in Nature is Good for Us (In-person)

Spending time in nature has a range of benefits for physical health and psychological well-being. But why do these effects occur? And how can you make the most of natural environments?

• 21 March 2026, 11:00 - 12:00
• Price:  Free

Nurtured by Nature: Why Being in Nature is Good for Us (Virtual)

Spending time in nature has a range of benefits for physical health and psychological well-being. But why do these effects occur? And how can you make the most of natural environments?

• 21 March 2026, 11:00 - 12:00
• Price:  Free

The Mind of a Crow: What Studying Corvids Tells Us About Cognition

Corvids—members of the crow family—are renowned for their remarkable cognitive abilities, including tool use, memory, and social reasoning. Studying these birds offers valuable insights into how cognition evolves and functions in the natural world.

• 21 March 2026, 11:00 - 12:00
• Price:  Free

The Tortoise and the Hare- who got it right? The Physiology of Endurance

Join ARU’s Professor Dan Gordon as he explores the age-old fable the Tortoise and the Hare through the lens of modern sports science and human physiology. Join ARU’s Professor Dan Gordon as he explores the age-old fable the Tortoise and the Hare through the lens of modern sports science and human physiology.

• 21 March 2026, 11:00 - 12:00
• Price:  Free

Safe Sips: Navigating Drink Spiking (Display)

What is spiking? How do we ensure our communities can sip safely? Join the ARU Spiking Research Team, partner organisations and charities to find out more.

• 21 March 2026, 12:00 - 17:00
• Price:  Free