Events

We’ve created a programme of exciting events so that you can experience Freshers’ Festival your way. Have a browse of the full line-up below. We've got events for days, so whether you're interested in laser quest or reggaeton, there's something for you.

Grab yourself a bundle

Eyeing up a few events? We have created two bundle deals to offer greater flexibility and value for money.

In addition to savings on the below events, you’ll also gain free entry to Juicy (Fri 11 Oct) and Viral (Wed 13 Nov) - normally £6 each. We’ll also throw in several vouchers, redeemable at our venues until 31 October: 20% off food @ The Packhorse, 15% off clothing @ the Union Shop and 1 x free drink redeemable @ Medicine.


Individual event tickets and bundles on sale:

  • First-year students: Thursday 22 August (13:00)
  • General sale: Thursday 5 September (13:00)

Welcome Bundle - £45

(save £21!)*

  • Welcome Party (Sat 21 Sep) £6
  • The Big Move-In Party (Sun 22 Sep) £6
  • Indie Party ft Sham Fender & The Brightside Killers (Mon 23 Sep) £6
  • VK Traffic Light Party (Tue 24 Sep) £6
  • Freshers’ Ball ft. Jax Jones & Special Guest + Afterparty (Sat 28 Sep) £30

SOLD OUT

Headliners Bundle - £55

(save £19!)*

  • Viral Launch Party ft. Badger (Wed 25 Sep) £12
  • Glitterbomb: Wonderland Freshers Tour (Thu 26 Sep) £8
  • Juicy ft. Karen Harding (Fri 27 Sep) £12
  • Freshers’ Ball ft. Jax Jones & Special Guest + Afterparty (Sat 28 Sep) £30

SOLD OUT



*including the value of the Oct/Nov events.

Returners' Bevs
20th September 5pm - midnight
The Packhorse
Early birds, this one's for you! Start your Freshers' Festival in style over at The Packhorse with drinks deals all night long!
Bars and Nightlife | Free | Freshers' Festival | The Packhorse | Night | Food and Drink | Featured
Freshers Launch Party
20th September 10pm - 2:30am
Medicine
It's here! We are kicking off Freshers' Festival with a massive launch party at Medicine!
Bars and Nightlife | Free | Freshers' Festival | Night | Medicine
Poster Sale
21st September 11am - 5pm
SU Venue & Plaza
Campus Art is bringing their poster and art print sale to the SU. Come along, browse through their prints and fill your new pads with their fun new and classic designs!
Alcohol-free | Freshers' Festival | Day
Glitterbomb Drag Bingo & Karaoke
21st September 4pm - 22nd September 2am
Medicine
Dust off your favourite karaoke bangers, polish up those moves and get ready to slay the night away with amazing bingo prizes and some glitter-filled drag comedy!
Bars and Nightlife | Freshers' Festival | Night | Medicine
Saturday 7s
21st September 7pm - midnight
The Packhorse
Staying local this Saturday? No food in the house? Don't worry, we've gotcha covered! Indulge in our £7 meal deals and £7 cocktails from 7pm.
Bars and Nightlife | Free | Freshers' Festival | The Packhorse | Night | Food and Drink | Featured
Welcome Party
21st September 10pm - 3am
SU Venue
So, you've unpacked, moved into your new accommodation and said goodbye to the 'rents. Now it's time to relax, let your hair down and meet some new people!
Bars and Nightlife | Freshers' Festival | Night | SU Venue
Poster Sale
22nd September 11am - 5pm
SU Venue & Plaza
Campus Art is bringing their poster and art print sale to the SU. Come along, browse through their prints and fill your new pads with their fun new and classic designs!
Alcohol-free | Freshers' Festival | Day
Big Bears Rodeo Rave
22nd September 4pm - 23rd September 2am
Medicine
Calling all you Bears! Kick off the 2024/25 season the right way by getting down at the rodeo! How long can you stay on the bull for? Reunite with teammates in your favourite spot, with banging drinks deals, DJs all night and inflatable fun!
Bars and Nightlife | Freshers' Festival | Night | Medicine
Publympics
22nd September 5pm - 11pm
The Packhorse
Get down to The Packhorse and show what you're made of! All of our pay-to-play games are free from 5pm every Sunday.
Bars and Nightlife | Free | Freshers' Festival | The Packhorse | Night | Food and Drink | Featured
Sunday Jazz Night ft. RHUL Jazz Band
22nd September 8pm - 11pm
The Packhorse
Pop down to The Packhorse for a jazzy Sunday night featuring live music from the RHUL Jazz Band.
Bars and Nightlife | Free | Music and Film | Freshers' Festival | The Packhorse | Night | Food and Drink | Featured
The Big Move-In Party - Air Fryer Giveaway
22nd September 10pm - 3am
SU Venue
Get down to the one and only OFFICIAL Royal Holloway move-in party with Hip Hop, RnB and club classics all night, and you might be in for a chance to win an air fryer, toastie machine, saucepan set or juicer!
Bars and Nightlife | Freshers' Festival | Night | SU Venue
Laser Quest
23rd September 11am - 4pm
SU Venue
We're transforming the SU into an apocalyptic wasteland for the afternoon, so gather your best survival team and battle it out head-to-head!
Free | Alcohol-free | Freshers' Festival | Give It A Go | Day | SU Venue
Academic Communities Picnic
23rd September 1pm - 3pm
Tommy's Lounge
This is your chance to meet your School and Course Reps and get to know students within your academic department. We'll provide some refreshments and cakes but feel free to bring snacks too!
Free | Alcohol-free | Freshers' Festival | Day | Food and Drink | Student Voice | Communities
Postgraduate Wine & Dine
23rd September 7pm - 9pm
Student Lounge (Windsor Building)
Open to all postgraduate students (taught and research). Come along for a chilled evening of wine, nibbles and meeting new people!
Free | Alcohol-free | Postgraduate | Freshers' Festival | Day | Night | Student Voice | Communities
Monday Pub Quiz
23rd September 8pm - 10pm
The Packhorse
It's time to freshen up your general knowledge with our weekly quiz night at The Packhorse - it's £2 per person to enter and the winning team takes the pot!
Bars and Nightlife | Freshers' Festival | The Packhorse | Night | Food and Drink | Featured
Indie Party ft. Sham Fender & The Brightside Killers
23rd September 9pm - 3am
SU Venue
We're just 'Getting Started' with Freshers' Festival and while it might not be Saturday quite yet we've got Sham Fender and the Brightside Killers to headline your Monday evening!
Bars and Nightlife | Music and Film | Freshers' Festival | Night | SU Venue
White Tees on Toast
23rd September 10pm - 2:30am
Medicine
Toast is back and better than ever! Get down to Medicine for your weekly dose of party tunes and £1.95 drinks! Don't forget a white t-shirt and some pens to let out your creative side while you dance the night away.
Bars and Nightlife | Free | Freshers' Festival | Night | Medicine | Toast
Freshers' Fair
24th September 10am - 5pm
Sports Centre
One of the biggest events on the calendar, Freshers' Fair is your chance to come and check out what you can get involved in for the upcoming year. Meet our Student Communities and pick up loads of freebies, including free pizza from Domino's!
Free | Societies | Sport | Student Media | Freshers' Festival | Day | Food and Drink | Communities
Market Day
24th September 10am - 4pm
SU Venue & Plaza
It's Market Day every Tuesday at the SU - grab a tasty hot lunch from one of our international food stalls on the Union Plaza.
Alcohol-free | Freshers' Festival | Day | SU Venue | Food and Drink
Double Down Late & Great
24th September 5pm - 1am
The Packhorse
Every Tuesday from 5pm, you can double down on a range of items including pints, spirits, and our mouth-watering burgers. For a Freshers' Festival special, we'll be open until 1am!
Bars and Nightlife | Freshers' Festival | The Packhorse | Night | Food and Drink | Featured
Finding Emo ft. RAMS
24th September 10pm - 2:30am
Medicine
Our new resident rock night on campus! Get your air guitars ready to rock out to all the classics from your teen angst phase. From the screamo emos to the indie rockers in chinos, we've got you covered!
Bars and Nightlife | Free | Music and Film | Freshers' Festival | Night | Medicine
Student Communities Taster Sessions
25th September 9am - 2nd October 6pm
Various
Across the first two weeks of term, our Student Communities will be putting on a variety of taster sessions for you to try things out!
Free | Alcohol-free | Societies | Sport | Student Media | Freshers' Festival | Day | Night | Communities
Parents & Carer Students Coffee Morning
25th September 10am - 11:30am
Tommy's Lounge
Meet and mingle with fellow students who are parents and carers over a coffee. Refreshments will be provided and everyone's welcome. This is a child-friendly event so feel free to bring your little ones!
Free | Alcohol-free | Freshers' Festival | Day | Food and Drink | Student Voice | Communities
Poster Sale
25th September 11am - 5pm
Students' Union
Campus Art is bringing their poster and art print sale to the SU. Come along, browse through their prints and fill your new pads with their fun new and classic designs!
Alcohol-free | Freshers' Festival | Day
Mature Students Mingle
25th September noon - 1:30pm
Tommy's Lounge
Come and meet fellow mature students at Royal Holloway! Refreshments will be provided and you can find out more about our Mature Students Community.
Free | Alcohol-free | Freshers' Festival | Day | Food and Drink | Student Voice | Communities
International Community Movie Night
25th September 6pm - 8pm
Founder's LT1
Calling all International students! Come along for a chilled evening: watch a movie, chat with your International Community Officer and meet fellow international students.
Free | Music and Film | Alcohol-free | Freshers' Festival | Night | Student Voice | Student-Led | Communities
Faith Community Workshop
25th September 7pm - 8:30pm
Founder's E139
Led by our Students of Faith Community Officer, come along to this workshop where you can engage in thoughtful discussions about faith.
Free | Alcohol-free | Freshers' Festival | Night | Student Voice | Student-Led | Communities
MedsWeds
25th September 7pm - midnight
Medicine
With great music and loads of drinks deals all night, Medicine is a great place to be every Wednesday night.
Bars and Nightlife | Freshers' Festival | Night | Medicine | MedsWeds
Karaoke
25th September 8pm - 11pm
The Packhorse
We're giving you the chance to put those rehearsals into practice at The Packhorse and sing your favourite songs.
Bars and Nightlife | Music and Film | Freshers' Festival | The Packhorse | Night | Food and Drink | Featured
Viral Launch Party ft. Badger
25th September 10pm - 3am
SU Venue
Featuring the biggest racks trending right now, Viral is our new resident Wednesday night at the SU Venue and we're pulling out all the stops for Freshers!
Bars and Nightlife | Music and Film | Freshers' Festival | Night | SU Venue | Viral
Pets as Therapy
26th September 11am - 1pm
SU Venue
Soothe your worries and woes with some very cute dogs!
Free | Freshers' Festival | Give It A Go | Day | Health & Wellbeing
Poster Sale
26th September 11am - 5pm
SU Venue & Plaza
Campus Art is bringing their poster and art print sale to the SU. Come along, browse through their prints and fill your new pads with their fun new and classic designs!
Alcohol-free | Freshers' Festival | Day
Women's Community Coffee Morning
26th September 11am - 12:30pm
Tommy's Lounge
Get involved in one of our Inclusion Communities and meet your Women’s Community Officer over a cuppa!
Free | Alcohol-free | Freshers' Festival | Day | Food and Drink | Student Voice | Student-Led | Communities
Black & Global Majority Community Badge Making Social
26th September 2pm - 4pm
Student Lounge (Windsor Building)
Get creative by making custom badges you can show off this academic year! You’ll also get the chance to meet the Black & Global Majority Community Officer and mingle with other students.
Free | Alcohol-free | Freshers' Festival | Day | Student Voice | Student-Led | Communities
Commuting Students Social
26th September 2pm - 4pm
Tommy's Kitchen
Calling all Commuting students, this one's for you! Come along to chat with your Commuting Community Officer and meet fellow commuting students over some light refreshments.
Free | Alcohol-free | Freshers' Festival | Day | Food and Drink | Student Voice | Communities
Thursday 3s Late & Great ft. DJ Soc
26th September 5pm - 1am
The Packhorse
Don't go thirsty this Thursday, join us over at The Packhorse for £3-or-less deals on loads of food and drink. For a Freshers' Festival special, we'll be joined by DJ Society and we're open until 1am!
Bars and Nightlife | Music and Film | Freshers' Festival | The Packhorse | Night | Featured
Freshers Desi Carnival
26th September 10pm - 1am
The Packhorse
*NOW TAKING PLACE AT THE PACKHORSE* Desi Night is the place to be on campus for the best Bollywood, Bhangra, hip-hop, and RnB tracks around.
Bars and Nightlife | Music and Film | Societies | Freshers' Festival | The Packhorse | Night
Glitterbomb: Wonderland Freshers Tour
26th September 10pm - 3am
SU Venue
Glitterbomb is back and taking you to Wonderland with extra special guests from RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Expect drag performers and hosts, Wonderland-inspired stage games, glitter and confetti, awesome decor and giveaways AND freshers pop remixes!
Bars and Nightlife | Freshers' Festival | LGBT | Night | SU Venue
PGR Coffee Morning
27th September 11am - 1pm
Tommy's Lounge
Calling all postgraduate research students, come and mingle over a cuppa at our postgraduate coffee morning. Refreshments will be provided and you’ll be able to find out more about our Postgraduate Research Community at Royal Holloway.
Free | Alcohol-free | Freshers' Festival | Day | Food and Drink | Student Voice | Communities
Poster Sale
27th September 11am - 5pm
SU Venue & Plaza
Campus Art is bringing their poster and art print sale to the SU. Come along, browse through their prints and fill your new pads with their fun new and classic designs!
Alcohol-free | Freshers' Festival | Day
Paint A Pot
27th September 1pm - 4pm
Tommy's Lounge
Add a little something extra to your new room! Perfect for holding a plant, pens, or collecting random stuff on your desk.
Free | Alcohol-free | Freshers' Festival | Give It A Go
Coast LIVE @ The Packhorse
27th September 8pm - 10pm
The Packhorse
Who doesn't love a bit of live music? Pop down to The Packhorse for some Friday night toe-tapping. Whether you're warming up for the SU or just fancy a night at the pub, we'd love you to join us.
Bars and Nightlife | Free | Music and Film | Freshers' Festival | The Packhorse | Night | Food and Drink | Featured
Juicy ft. Karen Harding
27th September 10pm - 3am
SU Venue
Juicy is your resident Friday night at the SU Venue where you can expect the best house, chart and electronic dance tunes throughout the night! We are buzzing to have Karen Harding join us for the Juiciest night of Freshers' Festival.
Bars and Nightlife | Freshers' Festival | Night | SU Venue | Juicy
Freshers' Ball Alternative Social
28th September 6pm - 9pm
Windsor Building
If the ball isn't quite your style but you still want to celebrate your first week of university, then we've got all the fun you need! Just Dance, movies, games, crafts and more!
Free | Alcohol-free | Freshers' Festival | Give It A Go | Night | Health & Wellbeing
Saturday 7s
28th September 7pm - midnight
The Packhorse
Staying local this Saturday? No food in the house? Don't worry, we've gotcha covered! Indulge in our £7 meal deals and £7 cocktails from 7pm.
Bars and Nightlife | Freshers' Festival | The Packhorse | Night | Food and Drink | Featured
Freshers' Ball ft. Jax Jones, Navos & 3ric
28th September 8pm - 2am
Students' Union
Dress up to the nines and round off Freshers' Festival in style as we throw a massive ball at the Students' Union where Jax Jones will be headlining the biggest party of the week!
Bars and Nightlife | Music and Film | Freshers' Festival | Night | SU Venue
Freshers' Ball Afterparty
28th September 10pm - 4am
Medicine
Can't make it to Freshers' Ball? Or are you ready to keep the party going until you see the sun start to rise? We've got all the tunes you could ever want as we party all the way until 4am! DOORS SHUT AT MIDNIGHT FOR NON TICKET HOLDERS.
Bars and Nightlife | Freshers' Festival | Night | Medicine