Cultural Celebration 2025

The Cultural Celebration is a celebration of our cultural diversity, with a host of activities and events on offer to students and colleagues.

Everyone is welcome – it's a fantastic opportunity to make new connections, have some fun with colleagues and friends, learn more about our incredible support services and share your own experiences and culture. We are lucky to have colleagues and students from a huge range of communities, cultures, and countries, and we are excited to celebrate this rich cultural diversity at the festival.

For those recently joining our community, staff and students will be on hand to answer any questions you may have in your first few weeks of arriving at Exeter. And for everyone returning to campus, it’s a chance to catch up with friends and colleagues and have some fun.

There will be something for everyone: workshops, music, games, film screenings, food, support stands, and guest speakers. There will also be plenty of opportunities during the festival to speak with senior members of our leadership team. We want to hear what our students think, so get your voice heard and have your say!

We want our whole community to have access to the Cultural Celebration, all activities will be family-friendly, so staff and students are welcome to bring their children if childcare would be an issue during the event.

By bringing our community of students and staff together for an evening of fun, we aim to:

• Provide opportunities to learn about different cultures and explore thoughts from different perspectives,
• celebrate cultural diversity and promote inclusion,
• address feelings of isolation and create a sense of belonging,
• raise awareness of support networks and services,
• offer a forum to raise concerns informally with senior leaders,
• showcase what makes Exeter a welcoming and fun place to live, study and work,
• have fun and get to know our community.

The University of Exeter values the diversity of its community because it believes this enriches employment, research, studying and learning experiences.  The Cultural Celebration celebrates the rich cultural diversity of the staff and students at University of Exeter and brings together a wide variety of societies and networks to do so.   While the University acknowledges that some societies may not represent the personal beliefs of some staff and students, the University is committed to a policy of equality of opportunity and does not segregate societies from each other.  There is no obligation to take part in any activity or visit any stand, however in line with its Value of ‘Community’, the University recognises that all its staff, students, visitors and others associated with the University have a responsibility to ensure that their actions comply with both the requirements and the spirit of its Dignity and Respect policy (Dignity and Respect Policy | Equality, Diversity and Inclusion | University of Exeter).

The University of Exeter is an inclusive community, where everyone has the right to be treated with respect. Harassment, bullying, intimidation and discrimination (for example racism, homophobia, sexual discrimination) go against all we stand for and will not be tolerated. If you've experienced or witnessed any of the above we encourage you to report it here and to get the support you might need: Exeter Speaks Out | Exeter Speaks Out | University of Exeter

International Dress Competition

Exeter Charity Fashion Show Society will be judging our international dress competition, we encourage everyone to attend the event in their cultural dress to participate! The winners will be awarded either an Amazon voucher or a University of Exeter Hoodie.

Cultural Poster Competition

All entries from our poster competition will be showcased at the celebration and the winner will be announced on our Instagram @uofebusiness!

Society performances

We will be joined by some of our societies for performances throughout the evening:

• Exeter South Asian Society – @southasiansoc_exe
• Sweet Nothings Acapella - @sweetnothingsx
• Legion Dance Society - @legiondanceexeter

We are also lucky to have several societies showcase their work at the Celebration including Students of Colour Association, Multicultural Students Society, Uzbek Society, Enactus, BFS and Global Visionaries Society.

Activity	Location	Information
Sushi Making Workshop, run by ‘Sushi, Boba and Poke’	Creative Quadrant	Make your own sushi roll to take home! Tickets need to be booked in advance here.
Open Iftar	MBA Suite	We are hosting an open prayer and iftar for student participating in Ramadan. There will be refreshments provided in addition to a food ticket for the Celebration. Please book a ticket here.
Paint your own plant pot!	XFi Conference Rooms 1 & 2	Paint your own plant pot and receive a plant to take home! Tickets need to be booked in advance here.
Language Taster Sessions	Xfi Seminar Room A	Run by our foreign Language centre, experience the language classes available at the University. Join us for a taster session in Italian, Mandarin or Korean! Tickets need to be booked in advance here.
Movie Screening: Three Idiots	Streatham Court LT/A	Join us for a screening of ‘Three idiots’, Samosas and Snacks will be provided! Tickets need to be booked in advance here.
Movie Screening:  Howl’s Moving Castle	XFI Henderson LT	Join us for a screening of ‘Howls Moving Castle, Donuts and Snacks will be provided! Tickets need to be booked in advance here.
Origami Workshop	Xfi Seminar Room C	Join us to make some origami artworks with the Japanese Society!
Henna Artist	La Touche	Experience the beauty of traditional henna art at our festival! Our talented henna artist will be offering intricate, freehand designs for you to enjoy.
Karaoke Booth	La Touche	Step up to the mic and sing your favourite songs at our karaoke booth! Whether you're a casual singer or love to perform, this is your chance to have fun and enjoy the music.
Chinese Calligraphy	La Touche	Discover the art of Chinese calligraphy at our festival! Stop by and take home a personalised piece of art.
Boardgames and Mahjong!	Xfi Seminar Room B	Relax and unwind in our board games room. Whether you’re into strategy games or casual fun, it’s the perfect spot to enjoy some downtime with friends. Come along, pick a game, and join in.

Attendees can choose one of the following meals, completely free of charge:

Ground tofu and shitake rice bowl, with spicey Sichuan, sesame and soy sauce, smashed cucumber salad, pickled vegetable salad  

Spiced potato “Frankie” wrap - spiced vada mix, tamarind chutney, green chutney, onion and cheese  

Mezze - Chickpea falafels, hummus, tabbouleh, olives, zaatar flat bread  

Food is available for the first 300 attendees, and those participating in the Open Iftar. To receive your food you will need to register at the entrance of Building One and receive a voucher.