What’s going on in Cambridge 2015

2014 was another amazing year in Cambridge. It was marked by some pretty big events: in January, Prince William started a full-time course at the university, and in July, one of the greatest sporting events in the world, the Tour de France, raced through the city (read what Reach Cambridge staff and students made of it here). But 2015 is set to be just as brilliant – take a look at just a handful of the exciting things happening in Cambridge over the next 12 months… There are a lot of candles on Kings’ College Chapel’s cake this year! It’s Happy 500^th Birthday to one of the city’s most famous sites. The anniversary marks five centuries years since the completion of the chapel’s stone structure, but the building actually began in 1446 when the first stone was laid by Henry VI. So you could say the chapel is celebrating it’s 569^th year in the world! One of the university’s colleges has also got a reason to celebrate this year – Wolfson College turns 50 in 2015! Their calendar is filled with anniversary events, such as the 50th Anniversary Lecture series and the 50th Anniversary Weekend, with a dinner, concert and garden party. Another big birthday is Cambridge’s famous Union Society Debating Chamber, which is turning 200 years old: officially ‘the oldest continuously running debating society in the world’. The Union has hosted huge figures over the past two centuries: from Winston Churchill to Theodore Roosevelt, the Dalai Lama to Stephen Hawking, Sir Ian McKellan to Russell Brand, and many more. There are huge plans to mark this milestone, including high profile speakers, a ball, a garden party and, for the first time ever, a debate in London. One of the most anticipated birthdays of all is of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s second child. Prince William and Kate Middleton will welcome a little brother or sister for their first son, George, in April. The new Baby Cambridge will become either a Prince or Princess of Cambridge – and who knows? Maybe the family will make another visit to their city soon! From birthdays to boats! On April 11^th is the annual Boat Race between Oxford University and Cambridge University, which dates back to 1829. 2015 is the first year that both the men and women’s events will take place on the same day, watched by thousands along the banks of the river, and by millions on televisions across the globe. The beautiful grounds of the college gardens will become stages once again this summer for the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival. Many of the students at Reach Cambridge enjoy watching these productions; take a look at this blog from last year describing a trip to see The Merchant of Venice in the gardens of Robinson College. That won’t be the only festival of 2015 – there’s WordFest, e-Luminate Cambridge Festival, the Cambridge Folk Festival, Cambridge Literary Festival, Cambridge Science Festival, Cambridge Film Festival, and more! So there you go – Cambridge is the place to be in 2015! So why not join us – apply to Reach Cambridge today.