Opening the doors to Cambridge

For over a decade, Open Cambridge has been a front door to the University and the Colleges, as well as community organisations, and is designed to offer special access to places that are normally closed to the public or charge admission.  

The public want access to spaces they are not usually able to go in, such as College gardens and libraries, and Open Cambridge provides this platform, free of charge. Some College libraries create special exhibitions linking into the annual theme. St John’s College Old Library and Sidney Sussex Library, for example, host a special exhibition from their archives for Open Cambridge each year with other libraries such as the Wren Library at Trinity College and the Parker Library at Corpus Christi College, opening their doors and giving the public the opportunity to see their treasures. 

Open Cambridge also provides access to areas of the University which have no public access. For example, we hold tours of the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory and Senate House, both of which are not open to the public yet have a commanding presence on the city landscape. 

Partnerships with local community organisations

Historically, community organisations from across Cambridge have taken part in Open Cambridge to engage and interact with the local community who directly benefit from their work.  

An example of this would be Cambridge Access Surgery (CAS) who took part in Open Cambridge in 2024 for the first time. The surgery, an NHS GP Surgery for people experiencing homelessness, invited the public to an open garden and exhibition event where people could experience the impact the programme has. Visitors were able to walk through the co-created garden, carefully tended by participants of the programme, as well as enjoy an exhibition of a diverse array of works created by local artists and members of the CAS community, with a focus on nature and wellbeing. 

"Taking part in Open Cambridge was a wonderful opportunity for us to connect with the wider local community and open conversations about the power of nature to support wellbeing." 

Another organisation which has had a long-standing relationship with Open Cambridge is the Cambridge Quakers. Each year the organisation puts on a number of events around educating the public about the history of the Quakers, introducing famous Quakers and telling their stories, and inviting people into their meeting house on Jesus Lane. 

“We really value the opportunity that Open Cambridge offers us to share our building and values with new visitors every year. In 2023 we welcomed over 200 visitors to our Exhibition and all our talks and workshops were extremely attended. The wider publicity that Open Cambridge offers us is extremely valuable to a small organisation.” 

Attracting people to parts of the city with rich histories

Mill Road History Society is another community organisation which regularly takes part in Open Cambridge. From tours and talks, the society puts on events to celebrate and highlight stories of extraordinary people in the local area. They said, “we love being part of Open Cambridge and have organised all sorts of different events for many years now.  We like the way that we can attract audiences we might not otherwise meet and can bring our work to people who might not know about us, or indeed about Mill Road.  Anything that the University can do to reduce the gap between Town and Gown is valuable.” 

In 2024, Open Cambridge saw approximately 11,000 people attend events across the 10 days. One visitor remarked, “Open Cambridge is a welcoming event. It gives us opportunities to explore wider and deeper in and about Cambridge.” Another said, “[w]e have recently moved from Birmingham to a village south of Cambridge. We have been delighted to have this opportunity to get to know our new city and its impressive history.”