Open Cambridge: 2023

Those who love exploring and discovering can rejoice with the return of Open Cambridge – one of the East of England’s most popular free festivals – which will take place between 8 – 17 September.

The Festival boasts a cracking line up of 100 walks, talks, demos, exhibitions and tours. The aim is to celebrate the heritage, community and history of one of the world’s most iconic cities and its county.

The 10-day event is part of the national Heritage Open Days scheme, which has chosen the theme ‘creativity unwrapped’ for 2023. Stories are told, traditions explored, and histories brought to life. It offers everyone the chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences – and it’s all FREE.

An event tipped to be a huge favourite is the extremely rare opportunity for the public to look inside one of the most famous buildings in the city during the Senate House tours (15 September). A Grade 1 listed neo-classical building, Senate House is situated in the City centre between King's College and Gonville and Caius College.

An event tipped to be a huge favourite is the extremely rare opportunity for the public to look inside one of the most famous buildings in the city during the Senate House tours (15 September). 

During this year’s Open Cambridge, several open their doors to reveal a wealth of treasures. St John’s, famed for its Nobel Laureates, architecture, May Ball and gardens is just one of the colleges getting involved.  As part of Pembroke Open Doors (16 September), three Cambridge-based artists, Idit Nathan, Rebecca Ilett and Xinyi Bi, launch their Pembroke-inspired exhibition in the new exhibition space at Pembroke College.  Wolfson College also opens its doors for Karen Spärk Jones’s Eclectic Books (Monday 11 September).

Speaking ahead of the event, Open Cambridge Coordinator, Zoe Smith said:

“This is a small selection of what’s on offer in this year’s programme, which we’re really excited about. There is such a huge breadth of events that should appeal to all sorts of interests, with many of the events suitable for all ages.

“I encourage everyone to check out the programme as soon as it becomes available on Monday 14th August. My other tip is to book events straight away as many get fully booked very quickly.

“We’re very much looking forward to seeing you all at this year’s Open Cambridge.”

The full programme is available from Monday 14 August. Bookings open on the same day. For further information, or to browse the programme and book events, visit the website here.