The University of Sydney Community Festival is a celebration of discovery, connection, and belonging. It’s a chance for the University to open its doors and welcome the wider community to experience all that the campus has to offer.

Enjoy a family-friendly afternoon of talks, tours, live performances, and interactive activities. Whether you're reconnecting with the campus or visiting for the first time, everyone is welcome!

Make sure you check out the full program here.

The University of Sydney Community Festival will be held on Saturday 8 November 2025 at the University of Sydney, Camperdown campus. Head down Eastern Avenue to the Quadrangle and you will find all the action!

The University of Sydney Community Festival runs from 1pm to 5.30 pm.

The day begins with an opening ceremony at 1 pm in the Great Hall and Quadrangle Front Lawns, featuring live music, performances, and a shared slice of the University’s 175th birthday cake. Festivities continue throughout the afternoon with interactive experiences and entertainment for all ages, and conclude with a closing ceremony at 5 pm at the Front Lawns stage, complete with free tacos and surprise giveaways. To cap off the celebrations, the Sydney University Musical Society will present their Second Semester Concert in the evening at 6 pm in the Great Hall.

Everyone is welcome! The Community Festival is a chance for the University to open its doors and share campus life with the wider community. Whether you're a student, staff member, alum, neighbour, or just curious to explore — bring your family and friends and enjoy the day with us.

Yes, absolutely! The Community Festival is designed for visitors of all ages — including your littlest adventurers. From lawn games and roaming performers to magical tours and hands-on research displays, there’s plenty to keep kids (and grown-ups!) entertained.

Check out the ‘Age group’ filter in the full event listing page for more session details.

Yes! Furry friends on leashes are welcome to join in the fun on the outdoor grounds. While pets won’t be able to enter buildings, there’s still plenty for them to sniff out and enjoy. Swing by the Quadrangle Front Lawns where the University Veterinary Teaching Hospital (UVTHS) will be offering free pet health checks — a perfect opportunity to get your four-legged friends a check-up.

The Community Festival – including all activities and sessions – are completely free to attend.

Some sessions have capacity restrictions, so make sure you register and add them to your agenda to secure your spot.

Yes! You’ll find four food trucks located near the Main Quadrangle offering a variety of festival meal deals, soft drinks, and options to suit different dietary needs.

Sounds Café in the Chau Chak Wing Museum will be open from 12 pm until 5 pm for indoor dining.

For drinks, free tea and coffee will be available at the Festival Hub, and there’s a large water refill station outside the Main Quadrangle where you can refill your bottle.

Check the food and drink page for full details.

You’re welcome to bring your own food and enjoy a picnic on the lawns. To help reduce waste and support sustainability on campus, please use one of our three-bin waste stations around the festival for recycling, compost, and general waste.

Yes - we encourage you to share the fun and memories with your friends and family on social media. We would love to see the memories you made on the day, so please don’t forget to tag us and use #USYDAlumni.

There will also be event photography and filming from Festival staff and contractors occurring throughout the day. Any footage or photos may be used to promote the festival and University events in the future. If you have any concerns about this following the event, please contact alumni.office@sydney.edu.au.

Rain will not ruin the University of Sydney Community Festival!

All talks and many activities are inside or under cover. The Chau Chak Wing Museum has a full program of activities, interactive alley is under the cover of the historic cloisters and there will be plenty of space at the Festival hub marquee to catch up with friends.

We will email all registrants if a tour is cancelled because of weather conditions, so please keep an eye on your emails in the event of rain.

Whatever makes you comfortable! Check the weather before the day and come prepared to have some fun. A few suggestions include hat, sunnies, warm clothes for the evening, walking shoes for any tours.

The University is passionate about keeping our events as green as possible.

You’ll find water refill stations across campus (with extra brought in just for the day) so you can top up your bottle and skip single-use plastics. Our smart bins make it easy to sort your rubbish into general waste, recycling, or food waste, with proceeds going to Chester the biodigester.

There’s plenty to explore if you’re curious about sustainability in action: chat with researchers in Interactive Alley, play Remediate, the card game tackling environmental issues and dive into conversations on global justice while sipping zero-waste juice from the Ecoscene Juice bar, and catch George Peppou’s talk on cultured meats and the future of sustainable food.

You can find out more about the University’s sustainability strategy here.

We’re so happy to hear you’re keen to help!

There are several volunteering opportunities available, including greeting patrons, providing festival information, assisting with event enquiries, and ticketing.

To volunteer you must be over 18 years old and available to attend a volunteer briefing session.

Benefits of volunteering include:

• Meeting like-minded people, including University of Sydney staff, students, guests, community groups and fellow volunteers
• Gaining behind-the-scenes insights into the workings of a large-scale Community Festival

Plus, receive a festival volunteer t-shirt and other perks during your time at the festival!

You can register your interest by filling out this form.

Alumni are invited to enjoy our exclusive Alumni Lounge in the Festival Hub, a welcoming space just for you and your guests. Relax with complimentary tea and coffee, browse past editions of SAM magazine and Golden Yearbooks, and chat with our friendly alumni team about making the most of your alumni benefits program.

You can also relive your graduation moment with a grad photo reshoot in MacLaurin Hall. Dress in your gown and hood to pose against the stunning backdrop of the Quadrangle and the Jacaranda Tree in full bloom for the perfect keepsake. Take a solo portrait or gather your guests for a special group photo to remember the day.

Yes, The Quad Seminar Room S227 will be available as a prayer room. Please email alumni.office@sydney.edu.au if you would like more information. If you need assistance on the day, a member of our friendly staff will be happy to assist you.

Yes, there is also a brand-new parent’s room available inside the Chau Chak Wing Museum. Ask staff at reception for directions.

Free parking will be available on campus. We would recommend the New Law Building Car Park, entrance on Barff Road for its proximity to Festival activities.

Alternatively, there is limited parking across campus, as well as in Glebe (on Arundel St/Catherine St), where you can use the pedestrian Footbridge to cross over to the University.

If you are arriving by bus, there are stops at our main entrances on Parramatta Road and City Road. There are frequent buses from Railway Square to Parramatta Road and City Road.

If you are walking to campus, Redfern station is a 20 minutes' walk to the main Quadrangle of the University of Sydney. Central station is 25 minutes’ walk.

Some performances, talks and tours have a limited capacity. Registration will secure your place and allow us to create a waitlist for sessions that are at capacity.

Plus, we have special program announcements coming throughout the rest of the year. Registration guarantees you’re the first in the know.

To register for the Festival, please visit the sign up page.

Yes – once you have registered yourself, you will have the opportunity to add guests.

You can log back in at any time to edit your session selections, add registrants, edit registrant details or access your ticket.

The more the merrier! We encourage you to spread the word and bring your family and friends.

There is no minimum age for guests – anyone and everyone is welcome! In fact, many sessions are designed with kids in mind. You can easily filter “By Age Group” on the “Build My Agenda” page to see which sessions appeal to a particular age group.

If you have any concerns or questions, please email alumni.office@sydney.edu.au or speak to a friendly staff member on the day.

The University of Sydney Community Festival home page has a “What’s on” section where you can explore the different events on the day by event type. You may find what you are looking for here.

Alternatively, you can select the “Full event listing” in this section, and use the available filters to explore all the events at once. Use the magnifying glass on the right-hand side to see more information about the session.

To modify your registration simply login from the Festival home page or use the link from your confirmation email to access your "Registration hub". In the Registration hub you will be able to add or edit guests and sessions or access your ticket.

To cancel your registrations please email alumni.office@sydney.edu.au

You can update the contact information on your registration by logging in from the Festival home page or using the link from your confirmation email to access your "Registration hub". In the Registration hub you will be able to update the relevant details using the "Update my registration" button.

Unfortunately, our events will not be livestreamed. However, talks and some performances will be recorded and available on demand following the event. If you have been registered for the festival, you will receive an email notifying you when these are available.

As some performances, talks and tours have a limited capacity and require you to register your attendance, you will not be able to register for events which clash. Events which require registration will have this noted on the event page.

Once a session has reached capacity you will not be able to add it to your agenda. Empty seats at talks will be filled by stand by guests on the day 2 minutes before the session is scheduled to commence.

If you feel there is another issue, please email alumni.office@sydney.edu.au for assistance.

The University is dedicated to ensuring that all visitors have equal access to the experiences we offer. Some sessions, such as the Carillon tour may involve unavoidable steps or uneven ground.

We have made note of the accessibility needs on each event.

If you have any questions, please contact alumni.office@sydney.edu.au

If you have any accessibility requirements, or if you require further information or assistance to participate and engage in the full program of activities, please don’t hesitate to contact the Alumni Office: alumni.office@sydney.edu.au.

We have four MBBS reunions taking place on Festival day –1980, 1995, 2000 and 2005.

Civil Engineering is also having a reunion for all those that graduated in the mid-90's.

If you are in any of the above cohorts and are yet to receive an invite, get in touch with the team the Alumni Office: alumni.office@sydney.edu.au.

That’s great news! Check out our reunions page to learn more or contact our team at alumni.office@sydney.edu.au.

In 2025, the University of Sydney proudly celebrates 175 years of serving the community as Australia’s first university, founded on principles of merit and equity.

For 175 years we have endeavoured to hold true to these principles through our commitment to leadership for good: shaping and sharing knowledge, empowering generations of students, and addressing some of the world’s most complex challenges.

We honour the founding knowledge of the custodians of the land upon which the University’s campuses are located.

This milestone is an opportunity to celebrate our community and reflect on our history, whilst looking to the future with ambition and innovation. It’s a celebration of the countless people — students, alumni, donors, researchers, and staff — who have contributed to our enduring impact, inspiring new ideas and driving progress for over a century and a half.

The University has a variety of events happening throughout the year to mark 175 years, including the Community Festival! Make sure you keep an eye out on the day for our 175 celebrations.

If you have any concerns or questions, contact alumni.office@sydney.edu.au and we will be happy to assist.