Record-breaking Cambridge Festival 2025 ends on a high, uniting 45,000 visitors in celebration of ideas, discovery and dialogue
The fifth Cambridge Festival has drawn to a triumphant close, having welcomed a record-breaking 45,000 visitors across 385 events during 17 inspiring days.
With standing-room-only talks, packed-out family events, and thought-provoking debate on some of the most important issues of our time, Cambridge Festival 2025 has set a new benchmark for public engagement with research.
Festival in numbers & standouts
- Over 10,000 people attended the Family Weekend (March 29–30), where 1,000 people were trained in CPR with festival partners East Anglian Air Ambulance.
- Over 500 KS2 and KS3 school pupils took part in the festival’s school days.
- 150 students from 11 different schools across the county debated climate change in the Cambridge Union's historic chamber.
- All keynote talks at the historic Cambridge Union were complete sell-outs—including Professor David Spiegelhalter’s talk on risk and uncertainty, which had audiences standing at the back.
- Over 5,000 people joined us at our Big Biomedical Day at the Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology and West Cambridge.
Volunteers from East Anglian Air Ambulance train visitors in CPR.
Volunteers from East Anglian Air Ambulance train visitors in CPR.
Audience at the Cambridge Union watching a talk.
Audience at the Cambridge Union watching a talk.
“Where else can you go to learn about decoding whale longevity and the ethics of cancer screening to chasing bats, debating AI’s place in democracy, and hearing a room gasp as Michael Rosen walks in? This year’s Festival felt like the city itself came alive with ideas—unexpected, thought-provoking, sometimes surreal, and always buzzing. We’ve never seen this level of curiosity and connection.”
David Cain
Cambridge Festival Manager
Children wear helmets during a helicoper simulator with East Anglian Air Ambulance.
Children wear helmets during a helicoper simulator with East Anglian Air Ambulance.
Children aim at Cambridge United Foundation's inflatable goal.
Children aim at Cambridge United Foundation's inflatable goal.
A shot of the audience during an AI talk at the Cambridge Union.
A shot of the audience during an AI talk at the Cambridge Union.
A child looks through a microscope during the Family Weekend.
A child looks through a microscope during the Family Weekend.
A child's hands can be seen making crafts.
A child's hands can be seen making crafts.
A researcher from CRUK Cambridge Centre engages with a child during the Biomedical Campus Day 2025.
A researcher from CRUK Cambridge Centre engages with a child during the Biomedical Campus Day 2025.
Volunteers from AstraZeneca at the Family Weekend.
Volunteers from AstraZeneca at the Family Weekend.
Students take part in workshops during the Cambridge Festival Schools Days 2025.
Students take part in workshops during the Cambridge Festival Schools Days 2025.
A child at the Department of Archaeology stall during the Family Weekend.
A child at the Department of Archaeology stall during the Family Weekend.
A child and woman look at an iPad at a stand during the Family Weekend.
A child and woman look at an iPad at a stand during the Family Weekend.
A young boy receives CPR training with East Anglian Air Ambulance.
A young boy receives CPR training with East Anglian Air Ambulance.
The festival kicked off on Wednesday 19 March with a special launch event with a screening of The Hexagonal Hive and a Mouse in a Maze at the Everyman Cinema. Over 380 events followed this over the following three weeks celebrating the world-leading research taking place in Cambridge.
Family days at the Biomedical Campus and across departments on the West Cambridge site saw 5,000 people come to learn and be inspired with a further 10,000 people joining us for our big Family Weekend on 29/30 March.
Highlights from our Family Weekend include an audible gasp upon author Michael Rosen entering the room, almost 1,000 people visiting Cambridge Carbon Footprint and pupils from Parkside Community College in their Destination Restoration as well as over 1,000 people being trained in CPR thanks to the East Anglian Air Ambulance.
The Cambridge Festival schools days saw over 500 KS2 and KS3 students from across the country get a taste of studying at the University of Cambridge with a number of talks and workshops covering veterinary medicine, astronomy, archaeology, materials science and how to disagree well
A visitor trys our key-hole surgery during the Biomedical Campus Family Day 2025.
A visitor trys our key-hole surgery during the Biomedical Campus Family Day 2025.
Michael Rosen performs at the Family Weekend.
Michael Rosen performs at the Family Weekend.
A researchers from the Department of Computer Science and Technology with Furhat, the conversational robot.
A researchers from the Department of Computer Science and Technology with Furhat, the conversational robot.
A view of Destoration Restoration at the Family Weekend.
A view of Destoration Restoration at the Family Weekend.
Several keynote talks took place at The Cambridge Union including standing room only for a talk by Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, an informative and interesting talk from top human rights lawyer, Philippe Sands and a packed crowd taking a trip into the cosmos with Professor Hiranya Peiris.
A highlight was a climate debate hosted by students from schools across the county. Over 150 pupils took part in a debate which concerned climate justice, inter-generational responsibilities and the most effective actions for students to accelerate government action.
Teams from schools* across the county debated each motion with thoughtful and powerful speeches in front of their peers and audience members.
* Schools which took place in the climate debate were Comberton, Stephen Perse, The Perse, St Bedes, North Cambridge academy, Parkside Community College, Cardiff Sixth Form College Cambridge, CAST, Netherhall, Chesterton Community College, Milton Road Primary and Trumpington Community College.
Hopes and Fears Lab logo on the window of the Copper Kettle.
Hopes and Fears Lab logo on the window of the Copper Kettle.
Artificial intelligence: innovation meets ethics
The 2025 Festival took a deep dive into how AI is transforming lives, raising vital questions about power, access and identity.
- A virtual tour of Dawn, the UK’s most powerful AI supercomputer, revealed how Cambridge is driving breakthroughs in climate science and medicine.
- Public got hands-on with ai@cam’s projects tackling local government and climate challenges.
- Professors Neil Lawrence and Diane Coyle led a sell-out session on how AI is changing human identity.
- A high-level panel explored how AI can transform public service delivery, with leaders from Cambridge City and South Cambs councils.
- The Hopes and Fears Lab (April 3) offered a safe, creative space for the public to reflect on AI’s possibilities—and pitfalls.
Dr Leor Zmigrod reads an extract from her book during her event at the Cambridge Union.
Dr Leor Zmigrod reads an extract from her book during her event at the Cambridge Union.
The brain in focus: mental health, consciousness and wellbeing
As headlines continue to spotlight mental health, the Festival offered an essential platform to explore the brain and human experience through groundbreaking science and honest storytelling.
- Brain Boost with Professors Barbara Sahakian and Christelle Langley shared science-backed strategies for better brain health.
- Professor Jane Aspell’s talk My Self and My Brain looked at consciousness and out-of-body experiences.
- James Piercy, brain injury survivor, offered moving insights into recovery in What’s Going On in His Head.
- The Ideological Brain (April 1) saw Dr Leor Zmigrod explain why some minds are more susceptible to extremism.
- Dr Sumru Bayin’s research on brain regeneration and All in Her Mind, a powerful panel on women’s mental health, brought fresh urgency and insight to issues too often overlooked.
Dr Alex Cagan and Javier Luque on stage at the Cambridge Union
Dr Alex Cagan and Javier Luque on stage at the Cambridge Union
Health & hope: from cancer ethics to regenerative therapies
This year’s programme featured more than 130 events dedicated to health, ageing, genetics, and wellbeing:
- AI-assisted music therapy, mini-lung organoids, and polymer heart valves offered a peek into future medicine
- Cancer screening and ethics sparked debate about innovation, accessibility, and informed consent
- Genomic research revealed how whales, tortoises and elephants could help us understand healthy longevity
- Events explored the intersection of creativity, trauma and recovery, including the role of art in health care
Human rights lawyer Philippe Sands on stage at the Cambridge Union.
Human rights lawyer Philippe Sands on stage at the Cambridge Union.
Power, politics and the past
This year’s sold-out political and historical programme delved into questions of democracy, memory, and identity:
- Professor Martin A. Ruehl offered a timely deep dive into What is Fascism?
- Professor Philippe Sands stunned audiences with 38 Londres Street, exposing hidden truths about war criminals and international law
- Events re-examined race and identity in medieval England, early Anglo-Saxon saints, and post-colonial archives
- Audiences explored everything from King Arthur’s political legacy to partition politics through inscriptions, poetry, and oral histories
Visitors get hands-on with Cambridge Neuroscience at the Family Weekend.
Visitors get hands-on with Cambridge Neuroscience at the Family Weekend.
Families, creativity and co-creation
The Festival's family and youth events were once again a huge hit, with children building bridges, exploring earthquakes, and having lots of fun with arcade games, treasure hunts and escape rooms. Whilst community partnerships brought events into libraries, neighbourhood centres and local museums, widening access to world-class ideas and research.
A festival that belongs to everyone
Early audience feedback has captured the impact and inclusivity of this year’s programme:
“It was such a refreshing change to have an event for town people—especially Black town people—and to be in a University building.”
“A wonderful event. We feel privileged to hear talks from these experts, and to have them be willing to take questions from children.”
“The Festival is fantastic! Thank you very much for all the hard work that goes into this wonderful annual event.”
“The feedback has been phenomenal. The Festival is about connecting communities to knowledge – and this year, that connection felt stronger than ever.”
Zoe Smith
Deputy Festival Manager
The Cambridge Festival is a mixture of online, on-demand and in-person events covering all aspects of the world-leading research happening at Cambridge. Meet some of the researchers and thought-leaders working in some of the pioneering fields that will impact us all.
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Published: Thursday 10 April 2025
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