What's on in Cambridge, United Kingdom through the year

Busy — Christmas holidays in United Kingdom, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Snowdrops at Anglesey Abbey

  15 Jan – 28 Feb · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  The National Trust garden at Lode, a short drive or bus ride out of Cambridge, has hundreds of snowdrop varieties that peak from mid-January into February around its winter garden. The booked tours sell out; the grounds need no tour. Source ↗

Busy — February half-term in United Kingdom, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Snowdrops at Anglesey Abbey (15 Jan – 28 Feb (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  Punting season

  15 Mar – 31 Oct · usuallySummer season opens

  The chauffeured punts and the touts on Magdalene Bridge appear with the first warm weekend and are gone by November. The Backs from the water is the one view the colleges cannot charge you for.

• Holiday

  Easter bank holidays

  3–6 AprEaster & Holy WeekCrowdedClosures

  Good Friday is a bank holiday across the UK and Easter Monday everywhere but Scotland. The long weekend opens the domestic touring season: popular towns, coasts and parks get busy, rooms cost more, and rail engineering works often cut or replace train services. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Easter bank holidays, Easter / spring holiday in United Kingdom

• Closure

  Colleges shut for exam term

  20 Apr – 20 Jun · usually

  Most colleges close their courts and chapels to visitors through the exam term in May and early June, and the ones that open charge and restrict where you can walk. Check the individual college before you queue. Source ↗

Still on: Punting season (15 Mar – 31 Oct (usually)), Easter bank holidays (3–6 Apr)

Busy — Late-May half-term in United Kingdom, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Punting season (15 Mar – 31 Oct (usually)), Colleges shut for exam term (20 Apr – 20 Jun (usually))

Peak crowds — May Week balls, Late-May half-term in United Kingdom

• Festival

  May Bumps

  17–20 JunSporting event

  Four days of bumps racing on the Cam in mid-June, watched from the towpath at Ditton with a drink. Crews chase rather than race side by side, which makes it far better to watch than a regatta. Source ↗

• Festival

  May Week balls

  15–28 Jun · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  The college balls run through the last week of June — black tie, all night, and survivors' photographs at dawn. Tickets are for members and their guests, so the visible part is the fireworks. Source ↗

Still on: Punting season (15 Mar – 31 Oct (usually)), Colleges shut for exam term (20 Apr – 20 Jun (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in United Kingdom, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Cambridge Folk Festival

  1–2 AugMusic festivalBook early

  Cherry Hinton Hall, a weekend at the turn of July and August, and a bill that stretches well past folk. Camping and day tickets both sell out before the line-up is finished. Source ↗

Still on: Punting season (15 Mar – 31 Oct (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in United Kingdom, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Punting season (15 Mar – 31 Oct (usually)), Cambridge Folk Festival (1–2 Aug)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Punting season (15 Mar – 31 Oct (usually))

Busy — October half-term in United Kingdom, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Punting season (15 Mar – 31 Oct (usually))

Busy — Fireworks night on Midsummer Common, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Fireworks night on Midsummer Common

  5 NovLights & fireCrowded

  The city council's free bonfire-night display on Midsummer Common is one of the biggest in the region, with food stalls from early evening and fireworks at 7pm; the riverside paths are packed afterwards. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Nine Lessons and Carols, Christmas holidays in United Kingdom

• Festival

  Mill Road Winter Fair

  1–8 Dec · usuallyMajor festival

  One Saturday in early December the city's most mixed street closes to traffic and the shops and community groups take it over. It is the opposite of a chalet market. Source ↗

• Festival

  Nine Lessons and Carols

  24 DecChristmas & New YearCrowded

  King's College Chapel on Christmas Eve, broadcast worldwide since the 1920s. Unreserved seats are free and the queue on King's Parade starts in the dark, hours before the doors. Source ↗