Frequently asked questions
Have a question about the Festival? Check here first!
Bookings open Thursday 6 July
Closing dates for bookings vary and will be indicated on individual session pages.
Please check the bottom of each session page under Booking Information for details on how to book the session/event and if there are any costs associated. Sessions run by the Development and Alumni office on Saturday at Sidgwick (In-person at Sidgwick) are bookable via one form.
Individual session page will have further information on this. Alternatively on the day you can visit the Festival Centre, where the team will be able to help with your enquiry.
This year’s Festival will feature a great variety of in-person sessions. They will take place at Sidgwick site and locations around the city. Please see each session page for location details.
Prices for sessions vary. Each ticket is valid for one person. Full details for each event are available on the individual session page.
Yes, please do visit us at the Festival Centre and register. We will provide you with an Alumni Festival lanyard, and further details about the Alumni Festival.
The Festival Centre is the main meeting point and registration hub for the Alumni Festival. The Alumni Festival team will be based there to answer your questions.
It is located in a marquee on the Raised Faculty Building lawn at the Sidgwick Site:
Sidgwick Site
Sidgwick Avenue
Cambridge
CB3 9DD
Opening times
- Friday 22 September: 12.00 noon - 6.30pm
- Saturday 23 September: 8.15am - 4.30pm
Complimentary tea, coffee and water will be available from 9.45am in the Festival Centre on Saturday 23 September.
There is also the option on the booking form to purchase lunch that will be served in the Marquee.
In a concerted effort to make the Alumni Festival more sustainable and to help alumni and friends consider their use of single-use materials, plastic drinks bottle will not be available at the Festival Centre. We encourage guests to bring a reusable water bottle or reusable coffee cup which they can refill free of charge at the water coolers or hot drinks stations in the Festival Centre.
If you need to amend or cancel your booking, please contact the Festival Team at festival@alumni.cam.ac.uk, call on 07938 485891, or the Event Organiser as listed on the session page.
Please avoid making several bookings for the same event under the same name.
Non-alumni guests are welcome to book for the Festival. For sessions taking place at the Sidgwick Site, you will be able to book for your guest. However, for online sessions we ask that each person book individually.
Some Alumni Festival sessions will be recorded and made available for you to listen or watch after the Festival has ended.
All sessions are taking place in British Summer Time (BST), which is Greenwich Mean Time plus one (GMT+1).
Please contact us by email at festival@alumni.cam.ac.uk or by phone on 07938 485891.
Sidgwick
There is no parking on the Sidgwick Site itself, unless you are a Blue Badge holder (further information below).
The nearest free designated parking location is at Madingley Road Park & Ride, which is approx. 35 minutes' walk or approx. 18 minutes' journey via the Busway Route U bus, which departs from Eddington Avenue next to the Park & Ride site (further information below).
There is limited metered parking on West Road and Sidgwick Avenue, near to the site.
Limited non-metered, on-street parking may be found on Adams Road, Herschel Road and Sylvester Road.
For more information on how to travel to the Sidgwick Site, please visit Travel Guide.
Blue Badge Holders
There are six disabled parking spaces on the Sidgwick Site.
Visit the Disability Resource Centre website for additional parking options.
Busway Route U
Route U departs from Eddintgton Avenue (5 minutes' walk from Madingley Park & Ride, which has free parking) every 15 - 20 minutes.
Take the bus from Eddington Avenue departing for Addenbrooke's and alight after 11 stops for the Sidgwick Site, on West Road outside the University Library.
View a map of the U Bus route and timetable.
Fee
Discounts apply for University card holders; show the driver your card and pay £1 per single journey or if you're travelling all day ask for the £2 universal Student/Staff day ticket, this allows unlimited travel for 24hrs. For all others, the standard single journey fare is £2.00. Other weekly options are also available for Whippet services, see below or the 'myTrip' app for details.
For information on public transport in Cambridge, click here.
Park & Ride
Cambridge's Park & Ride network includes sites at five locations around the city. Please see the Park & Ride wbsite for full details of routes, timetables and prices.