Friday 16 - Sunday 25 September 2022
Got questions? We've got answers.
Featuring our events programme packed full of exciting and engaging experiences, Freshers' Festival is your introduction to the Students' Union and everything we have to offer. Think of it as our welcome package to help kickstart your university experience, meet new people, and have loads of fun.
Freshers’ Festival is the Students’ Union’s contribution to the overall Welcome Week that is organised by the University. Make sure you download the Welcome to Royal Holloway app to find out all about the events being hosted by the University.
Every student at Royal Holloway is automatically enrolled as member of the Students’ Union, granting you access to all of our amazing services. If you don’t wish to become a member, you can opt out by ticking a box during the enrolment process with the University.
You can find out about the virtual events taking place by downloading the Welcome to Royal Holloway app.
Wristbands will go on sale in two phases:
If you want to attend our headline events taking place at the Union Venue and Freshers’ Ball at Founder’s South Quad, buying a wristband is the only way to guarantee your entry to all of our headline events. We will have a limited supply of individual tickets (on sale from 10am, Monday 12 September 2022) if you’d rather pick and choose certain events. Even if you don’t buy a wristband, there are still loads of events for you to attend at Medicine and The Packhorse, as well as our Give It A Go programme.
The silver package includes Saturday Welcome (Sat 17 Sep), Glitterbomb ft. Cheryl Hole & Danny Beard (Tue 20 Sep), Flawless ft. Fuse ODG (Wed 21 Sep), Smells Like Teen Spirit ft. Nova Twins (DJ Set) (Thu 22 Sep), Juicy ft. Majestic (Fri 23 Sep) and priority entry to Outdoor Cinema (Sun 25 Sep).
The gold package includes everything in the silver package, plus your ticket to Freshers’ Ball ft. Sigma (DJ Set) and more (Sat 24 Sep).
Please note, due to Her Majesty The Queen's State Funeral (Mon 19 Sep), we have taken the decision to cancel VK Glow Up (Sun 18 Sep) and IBIZA: Dress in All White Party (Mon 19 Sep). All gold and silver wristband holders who paid a higher amount for their wristband will receive a partial refund to compensate for the cancelled events.
Wristbands and online tickets guarantee you entry into the event before 11pm.
Silver - £40 // Gold - £65 (includes Freshers’ Ball)
After you have purchased a wristband, you can collect it from the Students' Union between 12:00-20:00 every day from Friday 16 September onwards.
Friday 16 - Sunday 18 September: SU Main Hall
Monday 19 September onwards: Union Helpdesk (first floor of the Students' Union Building).
There will be a final ticket release for individual events at midday on Friday 16 September. Head to our Events page to navigate to individual events. There will be a limited number of tickets available to purchase on the door for all events taking place at the Union Venue. Please note, there are no tickets available on the door for Freshers' Ball.
Due to Her Majesty The Queen's State Funeral, we have taken the decision to cancel all events on Monday 19 September, in addition to VK Glow Up (Sun 18 Sep). All gold and silver wristband holders who paid a higher amount for their wristband will receive a partial refund to compensate for the cancelled events. Individual ticket holders for VK Glow Up will receive a £5 refund.
The Packhorse will be open as usual should you wish to go out anywhere for food and drinks.
Due to Her Majesty The Queen's State Funeral, we have taken the decision to cancel all events on Monday 19 September, including what was scheduled to be day one of the Freshers' Fair. As a result, Freshers' Fair will now be a one-day event taking place on Tuesday 20 September. We've extended the hours to 10:00-17:00 to ensure that as many students as possible can still come along throughout the day.
To ensure as many new students as possible get to experience Freshers’ Festival, only current Royal Holloway students can purchase wristbands and individual tickets for events taking place at the Union Venue. However, you may purchase up to three guest tickets for Freshers' Ball (Sat 24 Sep), while guests are always welcome to attend events taking place within Medicine and The Packhorse. Guests can be either Royal Holloway students or friends/family from home.
It's a requirement to have your College Card with you when you attend Students' Union events and we'll ask to see this when you enter our venues. However, during the first two weeks of term, we know that the process and production of College Cards can take time which may mean you don't have yours for the start of Freshers' Festival.
That's why from 16 September - 30 September we will accept a couple of alternatives that prove your student status:
Alongside this, you'll need to bring photographic proof of age ID (driving licence, passport, PASS card) which will be cross-referenced against your enrolment information.
All tickets purchased online are automatically assigned to your personal account. You will need your College Card with you at wristband exchange in order to collect your wristband(s) which act as your ticket for the event. If you've not been able to pick up your College Card, please ensure you make a note of your student number and bring your proof of age photo ID so we can verify your student status.
It's cheaper to purchase tickets in advance (and that's the only way to guarantee your entry to an event) but there will be a limited number of tickets available to purchase on the door for all events taking place at the Union Venue. Please note, there are no tickets available on the door for Freshers' Ball.
There are currently no vaccination requirements in place for any of our venues. We will continue to monitor government advice and amend our requirements accordingly if required.
Tickets are non-transferable and cannot be sold on. Any student selling or attempting to sell a ticket above face value will be subject to disciplinary action and risk being banned from the Students’ Union premises and activities in line with the Code of Conduct.
All sales are final, and refunds are not available on tickets once they have been purchased (including duplicates or purchases made in error, tickets bought for the wrong event or non-attendance due to personal choice, illness or injury). Further details can be found in our Purchasing T&Cs.
As a registered charity and non-profit organisation, any surplus made from Freshers’ Festival (ticket fees, membership etc.) goes straight back into improving your experience as a student e.g. improving existing facilities or booking an awesome act for one of our events.
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.
As your Students' Union, we're keen to promote equality of opportunity for people with disabilities and to take the necessary steps to meet their requirements - that's why we've ensured that everything we do is accessible to as many of you as possible. You can find out more about specific events on our Accessibility page.
The Students' Union takes a zero-tolerance approach to the spiking of drinks and will work closely with the University and Police to push for prosecution with the full force of the law at every available opportunity.
To read about our initiatives and the additional measures that are being scaled up behind the scenes, visit our Spiked campaign page.
If you think yourself or a friend has been spiked, dispose of the drink in question immediately. Inform a member of the bar or security team who will be able to assist you. Find somewhere safe, away from large groups of people but with a friend and potentially with support from our staff team.
If it is your friend that has been spiked, make sure you don't leave them alone. Contact the GP Surgery (if the incident occurs during their opening hours) or NHS Advice (111) immediately. Alternatively, the nearest A&E department is St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey - attend here straight away if you feel sleepy, vomit or have hallucinations.
If you're capable, arrange transport and travel home but only go home with someone you totally trust. If you are with people you do not know, contact a trusted friend or relative to come and take you home and look after you. If you or your friend is comfortable doing so, inform the police about the incident - they may ask for a sample of your blood or urine to test, to find out if drugs have been used. It is important you are tested as soon as possible if you think your drink was spiked as most drugs leave your body within 12 –72 hours.
If you suspect you have been spiked in one of our venues, please contact venues@su.rhul.ac.uk with the details of the incident so that we can investigate what has happened and a member of our team will get in touch.
We understand that lots of students don’t drink for different reasons – that is totally fine and you should never have to do anything you’re not comfortable with.
We host loads of alcohol-free events over the year for you – these will be tagged on our Events page and on the Welcome to Royal Holloway app. There will also always be alcohol-free drinks available to purchase at any of our events where alcohol is on sale.
If you feel harassed or pressured to do anything you’re not comfortable with, you can report it to a member of staff, security, or your Hall Life Duty Officer.
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 a 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 and the situation will be investigated immediately and appropriate action taken. 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 contact the University’s Student Wellbeing page. team, who can offer you support and guidance.
Our Advice Centre advisors are happy to guide and support you, as well as accompany you to any meetings. Just drop an email to advice@su.rhul.ac.uk.
We run an Advice Centre to give you all the support you need on a wide range of topics. Our advisors will signpost or refer you to the relevant service if they can’t help you themselves. No matter whether you’re studying on campus or from home, you’ll be able to access our Advice Centre support online through email and virtual appointments. This service is independent from the University, so it's the perfect place for free, confidential and impartial advice, no matter what it is you want to talk about. Just drop an email to advice@su.rhul.ac.uk.
If you’ve got any questions about Freshers’ Festival or purchasing tickets and wristbands, please contact marketing@su.rhul.ac.uk