Xiaohongshu
It’s a BIG week for us this week. Our UCL200 Summer Festival kicked off on Tuesday, 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 4: rounding off the celebrations with our finale
Our Bicentenary Ball Finale
We closed our UCL200 Summer Festival with a night that brought everyone together: live student performances, a packed silent disco, dancing under the lights of the main quad and a whole host of activities from dancing workshops to bracelet‑making, tarot, face painting, and even a ball pit!
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make this week of UCL200 celebrations so special - what a way to mark 200 years together!
Day 3: We're Guinness World Records™ holders!
Our biggest Crafternoon yet
A moment of real community - over 400 people came together to make us Guinness World Record holders for the most people decorating cards simultaneously. As part of our UCL200 Summer Festival, instead of receiving cards for UCL's 200th Birthday, we were making them. These are going to be donated to our community partners (like Age UK Camden) who’ll share them with those in need - helping to combat loneliness, one card at a time.
Some pedal-powered fun
Students gathered around our Project Active smoothie bike to power their own drinks. A fun, energetic way to celebrate UCL200 together!
A night at the Proms
Our headline moment for day three: The UCL Proms brought the festival to life as our own UCL Symphony Orchestra performed alongside the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. A little rain opened the evening, but blue skies soon followed as we heard pieces like the 'Interstellar' suite - from a film directed by UCL alumnus Christopher Nolan - and 'Jupiter' from 'The Planets', written by fellow alumnus Gustav Holst. It was a beautiful night of music and joy, and a reminder of the incredible talent within our community.
Day 2: The vibes continue!
Sending a message 200 years into the future
Students came together to contribute to the UCL200 Time Capsule. They wrote down their thoughts, experiences and hopes to be preserved for the UCL students who'll open it in the future. There's something quite powerful about a a message to our future community. We wonder what they'll make of it all in 2226.
Rhythm of the day at Salsa workshops
Our Community Dance Day brought people together through the universal language of movement. The salsa workshop was brilliant, joyful, and inclusive; from those who have formal dance training to anyone whose hips don't naturally do what they're told.
Maypole magic on the Quad
We took it back to primary school days with a magically maypole dancing workshop on the Main Quad. Students and locals picked up ribbons, got stuck in and sometimes quite literally tangled, as they wove to live folk music.
Fun at the Fringe continues
The Fringe continues to deliver an exciting programme across UCL. From comedy and musicals, thrillers and improv to quartets in our student bar Mullys there's something for everyone to discover, our artsUCL community is seriously talented.
A love letter to student film
Our headline event: the Film Festival. In collaboration with the UCL Film and TV Society, one of the oldest student-led film societies in the country, we delved into the archives to rediscover UCL's rich cinematic heritage. Current students and alumni shared their stories, and the screening included some genuinely iconic student work.
Harry Bradbeer, director of Fleabag, was there, we saw his film Christie and he spoke about his time at UCL. Eddie Hamilton, editor of Top Gun, also joined us and we screened Christopher Nolan's student film Doodlebug. It was an evening that reminded everyone in the room why film matters.
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.