Cambridge Festival is an annual celebration of research, arts, and ideas, hosted by the University of Cambridge.
At Wolfson, you can explore our beautiful gardens, enjoy poetry written by our College members, and discover a book exhibition featuring books published in Africa in the 1960s from the collection of William “Bill” Kirkman MBE (1932–2022).
Bulb Trail
Early March brings the first true burst of colour to the College Gardens, and our new bulb trail allows you to enjoy our thoughtfully planted displays at your own pace.
Bulb Trail maps can be collected from the Porters' Lodge or viewed online.
Children are most certainly welcome and will have plenty of space to explore - but please ensure they are accompanied at all times. Unfortunately, no dogs are allowed on the poetry trail.
Opening times:
10.00 - 16.00 every day, from Monday 16 March until Sunday 22 March
Poetry Trail
Follow our self-guided trail through the College gardens which feature extracts of poetry written by Wolfson members from our latest WolfWords poetry anthology, press play.
The full anthology is available to read online, and physical copies are available from the Porters’ Lodge.
Poetry Trail maps can be collected from the Porters' Lodge or viewed online.
Children are most certainly welcome and will have plenty of space to explore - but please ensure they are accompanied at all times. Unfortunately, no dogs are allowed on the poetry trail.
Opening times:
10.00 - 16.00 every day, from Monday 16 March until Sunday 22 March
Decolonisation and Independence: an exhibition of 1960s books about African nations
Drop-in and browse a selection of books published in Africa in the 1960s, which belonged to William 'Bill' Kirkman MBE (1932-2022).
Bill Kirkman was Africa Correspondent and Commonwealth Staff Correspondent for The Times in the early 1960s. During this time, he was a frequent broadcaster with the BBC World Service and Africa Service. Bill's unique collection of books from that period, reflect the rapid de-colonisation of the continent.
Bill also was a Fellow of Wolfson College from 1968 to 2000, Vice-President from 1980 to 1984, Director and Founder of the Press Fellowship Programme started from 1982 to 1996, and Emeritus Fellow from 2000 to 2022. The College is very grateful to Bill's widow, Anne, for this donation of over 100 books.
Opening times:
11.00 - 14.00 on Friday 20 March
Wolfson Gardens Discovery Tour
Join the Wolfson gardening team on this special tour that will take you around our beautiful College grounds. Our gardens consist of a series of lawned courtyards forming a set of garden ‘rooms’, with some stunning herbaceous borders. The beds and borders contain a wide variety of plants and shrubs that provide structure, colour and interest throughout the year.
Gain a special insight into the evolution of the gardens and learn how our dedicated gardening team keeps sustainability and biodiversity at the forefront of their work.
Book onto the tour:
14.00 - 15.00 on Friday 20 March
Meeting Place: Porters Lodge
This event is now fully booked.
Find out about more events during Cambridge Festival
Check out the Cambridge Festival website for the full programme of events.
