Social Life

Once you go through a few prospectuses, you realise that every college calls itself ‘friendly’ at some point, and Emma is no exception. However, life at Emma genuinely is friendly thanks partly to the best and cheapest bar in Cambridge, a wealth of societies, and a shared appreciation of our beloved ducks.

Societies and Sport

It’s really easy to get involved in societies in Emma, simply because there are so many - check out our societies page to find out more!

To get involved in university wide clubs and societies, there’s also a freshers fair at the beginning of each year where all the societies and sports clubs in the university have a stall that you can go and ask questions at. There are too many to go through here!

Entertainment in Emma

Emma Ents hosts a variety of different events in college (organised by the ECSU Ents officers). Our Ents officers are always looking to put on something fun for Emma students (check out the Emma Ents section of the website or the facebook page to find out more). From DJ sets to comedy acts, pool tournaments to 5-a-side football; there’s always something happening! In the Old Library, the Emmanuel Music Society often puts on recitals and the MCR holds jazz nights.

Twice a term, we have our notorious bar extensions in which the bar is open until 2am, featuring cheesy music, fancy dress and student DJs. Themes range from the classics such as Christmas to Heroes and 90s aerobics! The prize for best dressed is always hotly contested.

Cambridge Clubs

While Cambridge can’t claim to have the best clubs in the world, nights out can often promise to be a good laugh if you’re into that kind of thing.

Cambridge itself has 4 main clubs: Ballare (aka "Cindies), Fez, Lolas and Vinyl (aka “Life”) along with a Wetherspoons that opens up its doors as a clubbing venue on a Friday and Saturday night. There’s also the Cambridge Junction, which holds occasional club nights.

As well as having the more normal club nights, Cambridge’s student run nights are a highlight of any term. At present there are regular nights dedicated to Drum and Bass, two funk, soul and disco ones (called Grandma Groove and OOX), an LGBT+ night (called Glitterbomb, that’s open to all and frequently gets in LGBT+ icons such as drag queens from Rupaul’s drag race), a night run by the Architecture Society (best decor and costumes of any night out) and even a plant themed one (called Avant Gardening, the music isn’t plant themed don’t worry). These each tend to happen twice a term so along with all the other student night which we haven’t mentioned there there’s always something interesting going on.

Other things to do in Cambridge

There are plenty of plays and performances put on by Cambridge students (and plenty of opportunities to get invovled in them!). The Ballet, Tap and Jazz, Ballroom and other dance societies all have a number of performances throughout the year. The ADC Theatre organises and hosts many of the student plays, it’s the oldest university playhouse in the country and puts on shows throughout the year. It’s a great place to watch future stars write, direct and act, with the likes of Sir Ian McKellen, Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson and other household names all being alumni. Many colleges also have their own playrooms where student plays are performed.

The entertainment scene in Cambridge as a city is also growing and so there are lots of gigs and nights out to go to that aren’t strictly related to the university with an even greater variety of music. The Corn Exchange theatre hosts plenty of famous artists and comedians regularly throughout term, in the past they’ve had Tom Odell, Hozier, Jimmy Carr, James Acaster and many more.

Kettle’s Yard (an art gallery), the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Botanical gardens are also great places to go for the day if you’re looking for something more relaxed.