Member guide

Summer garden parties in Cambridge: May Week, open-air theatre and music on the lawn

College garden parties and May Balls, Shakespeare in college gardens, Wednesday music in the Botanic Garden and the fairs on the commons: how Cambridge spends its summer outdoors.

By the Cambridge Society editorial desk · Updated 14 September 2026

An audience on chairs and rugs in a college garden before an open-air Shakespeare performance

Cambridge moves outdoors in summer. Once the exams are over, colleges open their gardens for balls and garden parties, actors perform Shakespeare on college lawns, brass bands and jazz groups play in the Botanic Garden, and the commons fill with fairs. This guide covers the main open-air events of the Cambridge summer, when they happen and what you need to know before you go.

May Week: balls and garden parties

May Week is the University's end-of-year celebration, held after the examinations. Despite the name, it takes place in June: the balls and other celebrations moved from May to June in 1882, and the old name stuck.

Fireworks bursting over the River Cam and college buildings at night — Fireworks at the Trinity May Ball in 2017. Photo: Cmglee, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

May Balls are formal, all-night events in college courts and gardens, with a strict dress code of black tie or, at some colleges, white tie. The first official one was the First and Third Trinity Boat Club May Ball in 1866.
Garden parties and June Events have grown up alongside the balls. June Events are cheaper and simpler than the balls, and several colleges hold garden parties.
Fireworks on The Backs. Punting companies run night-time trips during May Week so that people can watch the firework displays of St John's and Trinity from the river.

Each college sets its own ticket rules, and prices, dates and line-ups change every year. See our A–Z entry on May Week.

Shakespeare in college gardens

Theatregoers picnicking on a college lawn before a Cambridge Shakespeare Festival performance — Picnicking before a performance at the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival. Photo: John Sutton, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).

The Cambridge Shakespeare Festival stages open-air Shakespeare in college gardens every summer. The 2026 festival ran from 13 July to 29 August, with performances in the gardens of Downing College, St John's College and Trinity College. The Times Literary Supplement has described it as "one of the finest events of its kind in the UK". See our theatre guide.

Music in the Botanic Garden

Cambridge Summer Music runs a festival of chamber, orchestral and choral concerts, jazz and recitals in venues in and around Cambridge; the 2026 festival ran from 1 to 29 July. Its best-known open-air strand is Sounds Green in the Botanic Garden, a series of Wednesday evening concerts. In 2026 it ran on five Wednesdays in July, starting at 6.30pm, with brass, jazz and samba bands.

The Cambridge University Botanic Garden is open every day except over Christmas, from 10am to 6pm between April and September. See our classical music guide and parks guide.

Fairs and festivals on the commons

A crowd in front of an outdoor stage at Strawberry Fair on Midsummer Common — A stage at Strawberry Fair on Midsummer Common, 2011. Photo: Cmglee, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Strawberry Fair is a free festival of music, arts and crafts held on Midsummer Common on the first Saturday in June, run entirely by volunteers since 1974. Financial pressures stopped it going ahead in 2025, and its organisers have been raising funds for future fairs, so check whether it is running before you plan a visit.
Midsummer Fair also takes place on Midsummer Common. It was granted a charter by King John in 1211 and is now a pleasure fair.
The Cambridge Beer Festival has been held on Jesus Green every May since 2001.
The Cambridge Folk Festival has been held in the grounds of Cherry Hinton Hall since 1965, over a long weekend in summer. Paul Simon played at the first festival. The 2025 festival was cancelled, and Cambridge City Council said it would explore new opportunities for 2026, so check the current position.

The Victorian house of Cherry Hinton Hall seen across its park — Cherry Hinton Hall, home of the Cambridge Folk Festival. Photo: David Martin, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Gardens for a summer afternoon

Anglesey Abbey, a National Trust property in the village of Lode, about five and a half miles northeast of Cambridge, has 98 acres of gardens and landscaped grounds. Lord Fairhaven, who lived there from 1926 until his death in 1966, landscaped the grounds.
The Orchard, Grantchester. Tea has been served under the apple trees since 1897. Walk there through Grantchester Meadows.
The Backs are best enjoyed from a punt. See our A–Z entry on punting.

Colourful herbaceous borders along a lawn at Anglesey Abbey — The Herbaceous Garden at Anglesey Abbey. Photo: Michael Garlick, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Planning a summer in Cambridge

June: May Week, with balls, garden parties and fireworks on The Backs, and Strawberry Fair if it runs.
July: Cambridge Summer Music and Sounds Green on Wednesday evenings; in 2026 the Shakespeare Festival opened on 13 July.
August: the Shakespeare Festival continues in college gardens.
Bring: a rug and a picnic for open-air theatre and concerts, and a layer for the evening.
Check first: dates, tickets and whether a festival is running change from year to year, so confirm on the organiser's website.

If you would like to meet other members over the summer, our Saturday Exchange Meetup runs every week.

Frequently asked questions

Can the public attend May Balls?

May Balls are run by individual colleges, and each sets its own ticket rules. Prices, dates and dress codes vary from college to college and change every year, so check the ball's own website.

When is the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival?

Every summer. The 2026 festival ran from 13 July to 29 August, in the gardens of Downing College, St John's College and Trinity College.

Where can I hear outdoor music in Cambridge in summer?

Cambridge Summer Music's Sounds Green series holds open-air concerts in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden on Wednesday evenings in July.

Why is May Week in June?

The balls and other celebrations moved from May to June in 1882 but kept the old name. They still take place after the University's examinations.

Glossary

Cambridge terms used in this article. Each links to its entry in our Cambridge A–Z.

College: One of 31 self-governing communities that make up the collegiate University alongside its faculties and departments.
May Week and May Balls: The end-of-year celebrations after exams in June, built around all-night College balls.
The Backs: The river frontage where several Colleges back onto the Cam, with lawns, gardens and bridges along the water.
Punt and punting: A flat-bottomed boat pushed along the River Cam with a long pole, and the leisure trip taken in it.

Sources

Join the Society

This is an independent member's guide compiled by Cambridge Society. We are not affiliated with the venues and institutions mentioned; opening arrangements change, so always confirm details on the official websites before making plans.

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