Join us for our inaugural Arts and Culture Festival at Royal Holloway, where creativity meets community!
Taking place from mid-May to mid-June 2025, this vibrant series of events includes hands-on workshops, open talks, film screenings, heritage tours, exhibitions, and captivating performances. Engage in thought-provoking public debates on art and culture, and immerse yourself in a celebration of creativity that inspires, transforms, and connects us all.
All events for this diverse programme are free and open to Royal Holloway students, staff, members of our local communities in Egham and Englefield, and the general public.
Upcoming events
When: Wednesday 21 May, 1.15-1.45pm
Where: Chapel, Egham campus
Join us for this lunchtime concert as part of our inaugural Arts and Culture Festival at Royal Holloway, where creativity meets community!
Admission is free but booking is advisable.
When: Tuesday 27 May, 10.45am-12pm
Where: Shilling Building Lecture Theatre, Egham campus
Join us for this family-friendly talk as part of our inaugural Arts and Culture Festival at Royal Holloway, where creativity meets community!
Admission is free but booking is essential.
Robert Clemenson is a theoretical physicist and teaching fellow at Royal Holloway, University of London. His research principally focusses on models of the Universe involving extra spatial dimensions, and dark matter.
When: Wednesday 28 May, 6.30-8pm
Where: Shilling Building Lecture Theatre, Egham campus
Join us for this open talk with Q&A as part of our inaugural Arts and Culture Festival at Royal Holloway, where creativity meets community!
Christopher Hogg is a writer, lecturer, and creative technologist whose work explores the intersection of story, performance, and emerging technology. He leads projects on interactive audio, AI and theatre, and teaches on creativity and entrepreneurship at Royal Holloway, University of London. His current work investigates how AI is reshaping human creativity — and how we can respond with resilience, playfulness, and care.
Admission is free but booking is essential.
When: Thursday 29 May, 1-3pm
Where: Founder's Square, Egham campus
Join us for this biodiversity walk around campus as part of our inaugural Arts and Culture Festival at Royal Holloway, where creativity meets community! Royal Holloway, University of London boasts a beautiful and varied campus ion Egham which is often taken for granted as the day to day of university life unfolds. As well as the beauty of the architecture, we have an amazing array of species and habitats, and we are inviting students, staff and the local community to pause for an hour or two and come onto campus and spend time in nature. This not only benefits our mental and physical health, it will also build an awareness of the diversity of species that call the campus home.
Deborah has worked with schools across Surrey and the UK to explore the wildlife in school grounds as part of her Schools Biodiversity Project, encouraged children to explore the biodiversity in their school grounds. She has also worked with teams of volunteers across the UK monitoring species of endangered beetle ,including Britian’s largest terrestrial beetle: the stag beetle. She will be joined by her colleagues Dr Cameron Hart and Dr Emily Tarrega, and Daniel Steel, senior gardener to explore the biodiversity at Royal Holloway.
Admission is free but booking is essential.
When: Monday 2 June, 12.15pm
Where: Founder's Building, Egham campus
Join us on a fascinating journey through time as we explore the iconic Founder’s Building, the founding of the University, and the remarkable figures who helped shape its legacy with Dr Naomi Lebens. Whether you're already famliar with Royal Holloway or not, this tour provides a unique chance to connect with the history that continues to influence our vibrant community. Don’t miss this opportunity to uncover hidden gems and experience the place we call home in a whole new way. Reserve your spot today and dive into the rich heritage of Royal Holloway!
Dr Naomi Lebens is Head of Cultural Services at Royal Holloway, overseeing the University's renowned art collection, including the historic 19th-century Picture Gallery. She leads the wider Culture Team, managing the University’s archive, special collections, and the contemporary exhibition space in the Emily Wilding Davison Building, which hosts a dynamic programme of temporary exhibitions. Naomi is dedicated to enhancing the visibility and use of Royal Holloway’s collections and heritage, supporting their integration into teaching, research, and public engagement.
Admission is free but booking is essential.
When: Monday 2 June, 5pm
Where: Everyman Cinema, Egham
Motherboard is a feature documentary exploring motherhood, filmed over 20 years by BAFTA award-winning director Victoria Mapplebeck, Professor of Digital Arts at Royal Holloway, University of London. For her inaugural lecture, Victoria will be hosting a screening of Motherboard followed by a Q&A session.
Admission is free but booking is essential.
When: Wednesday 4 June, 5.30pm
Where: TBC
We are partnering with The High Commission of India to bring you this special on campus yoga session in the lead up to International World Yoga Day.
Sweta Bahri is a trained Ashtanga Yoga instructor from South India, Kerala following the Krishnamscharya school of Ashtanga Yoga.
Co-founder of Anahat yoga- a bespoke yoga retreat company hosting retreats in the UK with the intention of spreading Indian spirituality in the British landscape.
She has been the yoga teaching faculty at The Nehru Centre for the past 2 years and is also a trained post natal Yoga instructor to help empower new mothers in their journey of gaining back strength and confidence in their journey of motherhood. Sweta is a registered member of Yoga Alliance Professionals and is insured under the Master Group Insurance Policy.
Matts and blocks will be provided, although please feel free to bring your own if you prefer.
The exact on-campus location will be sent out to particpants one day prior to the event as our venue is weather dependent.
This event is being supported by the Royal Holloway Sports and Wellbeing team.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact siobhan.bauer@rhul.ac.uk
Book now.
When: Thursday 5 June, 6.30-8pm
Where: Shilling Building, Egham campus
Stephen Bayly, producer of Richard III - starring Sir Ian McKellen, Annette Benning, Robert Downey Jnr, Kristin Scott-Thomas and Maggie Smith - will talk about the journey of adapting the National Theatre’s celebrated stage production of Richard III into producing a Golden-Globe winning and Oscar-nominated feature film. Using Richard III as a case study, Stephen will share insights into the challenges of mounting the Bard for the screen, and the actor’s quest to bring realism to Shakespearean characters - followed by questions from the audience.
Stephen Bayly’s producing credits also include Mrs Dalloway (starring Vanessa Redgrave), and he is author of the book, Working with Actors: Meisner Technique for Directors and Actors, published by Bloomsbury. His second book, Acting Realism: from Garrick to Meisner and Beyond, will be published by Bloomsbury in October 2025. Stephen travels extensively to give workshops around the globe under the auspices of Directing Arts.
There will be an opportunity to ask Stephen questions after the presentation, facilitated by Rebecca McCutcheon.
Admission is free but booking is essential.
More events coming soon!