Best Student Events & Things to Do in London
The annual student calendar in London — from Varsity to Summer Balls to cross-uni professional nights worth booking early.
London's student calendar has a rhythm once you know where to look. These are the annual events worth booking early — and how to hear about the ones only students at other universities know about.
The set-piece events
Varsity matches (rugby, football, boat) between rival universities each spring. LSE vs KCL, Imperial vs UCL, and of course Oxford vs Cambridge. Free to attend, packed atmosphere.
Summer Balls. Every major London uni runs one in May/June. Tickets sell out weeks ahead.
Freshers Ball in the first fortnight of term.
Charity fashion shows and case competition finals — smaller but often the best-quality nights of the year.
Cross-university events
Professional fraternities, consulting societies and cross-uni careers programmes run events open to students at any London university — alumni panels, socials, chapter formals. The Interfraternity Forum's directory is the easiest way to see what is on at other campuses.
How to hear about them
SU emails only cover your own uni. To hear about the rest: follow cross-uni society Instagrams, join a professional fraternity (chapter calendars pull in everything), and ask a mate at another university to add you to their SU newsletter list.
Joining the cross-uni circuit
The easiest single move that unlocks the cross-university calendar is joining a professional fraternity — chapter calendars pull in formals, industry nights and inter-chapter socials across London. See the London guideor the chapter map.