Xiaohongshu
It’s a BIG week for us this week. Our UCL200 Summer Festival kicked off yesterday, and we couldn’t be prouder of what our community pulled off. In case anyone has managed to miss it, 2026 marks 200 years since UCL was founded, and our UCL200 Summer Festival is our way of bringing everyone together. What a way to celebrate our 200th birthday!
Day 1: What a way to kick things off.
170+ volunteers, one Biggest Help Out
We take Volunteers’ Week seriously here and so do our volunteers. We had more than 170 volunteers battle the tube strikes and the rain to take part in our Biggest Help Out (so far). Students and staff came together to revamp an adventure playground, litter pick the Thames from canoes and spend time befriending older people with dementia.
Culture, creativity and chai
Indoors, things were equally vibrant. Our Eid al-Adha Market was a celebration of culture and creativity: free chai, free henna, and a brilliant mix of handmade jewellery, art and food from small businesses. The kind of activity that reminds you why a diverse university community is so special.
The sun came out and so did the games
The sun finally shone and the Main Quad became a proper playground. Double dutch, corn hole, football for some relaxed social fun. No agenda. Just people enjoying each other's company in the sunshine.
Sold out shows at the Fringe
artUCL's Fringe was bringing the unexpected, with productions all over campus. Above are images from yesterday's Assassins (Musical Theatre Society) in Jeffrey Hall, and Barnaby Bear's Birthday Bash in the Camden People's Theatre. Provocative and entertaining, they set the bar high for the rest of the Fringe programme.
Misinformation, the media and an open air debate
Our headline event was a big one: the Great Debate! Leading journalists Sophia Smith Galer, Oli Dugmore, Ros Atkins and Meera Selva joined us under the iconic Portico backdrop to tackle an urgent social issue: what does misinformation mean for liberal democracy? Where does traditional media fit in a world where tech is changing faster than ever? And is media literacy becoming a survival skill? Chaired by Impartial Chair Orzan Koyas, it was the kind of conversation UCL was built for.
Our Debating Society sent everyone home smiling
The evening closed out with three electric rounds of speed debating from our Debating Society. The night's standout motion? The legitimacy of 'situationships'. Safe to say the debate was passionate, the arguments were creative, and everyone left with a grin on their face.