They say the best things in life are free and May Fest — The University of Nottingham’s jam-packed community open day — should definitely be on this list.
People of all ages and interests are invited along to University Park on Saturday 18 May from 11am-5.30pm to get involved with a whole range of exciting indoor and outdoor activities run by staff and students from across the University.
Scientific displays, interactive activities, topical debates, the opportunity to hop on a segway and the chance to find out about working or studying at Nottingham — there really is something for everyone, whether popping in for an hour or staying all day.
Last year around 5,000 people made their way to University Park. And so — come rain or shine — it’s the place to be on Saturday 18 May.
May Fest highlights
Flash, bang, wallop, what a fixture: Scientists will create thunder and lightning on demand — including bangs and smoke — in a one-hour spectacular! That’s why it is unsuitable for unders-6s and those with heart conditions, but everyone else should come along.
The home of energy efficiency… Take a tour of the University’s Creative Energy Homes. Showcasing sustainable housing design to perfection, you are sure to pick up a tip or two along the way.
Frankenstein and his monster make an appearance: The University’s New Theatre — the only 100 per cent student-run theatre company in the country — will be performing snippets from their forthcoming production of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. There will also be a chance to look around their brand new, state of the art building.
Join the Friends of University Park group for a free guided tour of the University’s landscaped gardens, including the Millennium and walled gardens, the restored Jekyll Garden Terrace and the huge Lenton Firs rock garden.
Lots of even more child-friendly events will be staged at Lakeside Arts Centre, home to the University’s museum and the Djanogly Art Gallery, and near the revamped children’s play area at Highfields.
Welcome to university life
Sharon Clancy, Head of Community Partnerships at the University, always looks forward to the day’s events. She said: “May Fest is a fantastic event for the community. As well as showing the many great things that the University does and how what it does is relevant for everyone, it also showcases the community’s activity with the University. So it is a real bringing together of people and of interests.
“It seems to me to be an ideal way of offering an interactive, free and fun day out for people from all backgrounds and of all ages and we are proud of our activities for children and for grown-ups.”
Be there or be square
May Fest takes place at The University of Nottingham, University Park, NG7 2RD on Saturday 18 May from 11am-5.30pm. For more information visit http://tiny.cc/mayfest
For a full May Fest programme visit http://tiny.cc/mayfestprogramme
For updates as they happen on Saturday 18 May, follow @UniofNottingham on Twitter or search #mayfest. Alternatively, you can like The University of Nottingham on Facebook.
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottinghamhas 42,000 students at award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It was ‘one of the first to embrace a truly international approach to higher education’, according to the Sunday Times University Guide 2013. It is also one of the most popular universities among graduate employers, one of the world’s greenest universities, and winner of the Times Higher Education Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development’. It is ranked in the UK’s Top 10 and the World’s Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong and the QS World Rankings.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise. The University aims to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health. The University won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for its research into global food security.
Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest ever fundraising campaign, will deliver the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future. More news