Christmas on Campus

Get into the festive spirit at Warwick and further afield this Christmas! Explore our handy list of everything going on on campus and over the vacation, including our Christmas Tree Lights Switch-on on November 29.

Mental Health & Wellbeing at Christmas

If you’re alone at Christmas and are feeling overwhelmed, there are a number of services that you can reach out to for support, find out more.

Events in the local area

Coventry has a lights switch on event, reindeers at Belgrade Plaza, festive food, a weekend Festival of Christmas and much more festive fun to enjoy!

There's a lantern parade in Leamington Spa on December 3 setting off from the Royal Pump Rooms Gardens Bandstand at 4.30pm. The parade will be accompanied by a local band and finish with Christmas carols around the Tree of Lights at the Town Hall.

Kenilworth Christmas lights are being switched on Old High Street and Warwick Road. Find out more.

There are also carol singing evenings at Abbey Fields in Kenilworth and Warwick Castle.

You won't be disappointed with a trip to Birmingham, to visit the famous Frankfurt Christmas Markets, and for many other seasonal treats.

On Boxing Day, 26 December, there is a Duck Race in Abbey Fields, Kenilworth.

Jump to: Events on campus | Eating & Drinking | Opening hours | Travel

Events on Campus

23 November - 31 December

Warwick Volunteers has a list of festive volunteering opportunities and charity events in Coventry and Warwickshire; from helping the homeless to supporting winter craft activities for local children, there’s a range of opportunities to get involved in this winter! Visit the Warwick Volunteers website to see the current opportunities.

27 November

Warwick Christmas Lectures 2017: Enjoy a night of fantastic new ideas, explosions, experiments and answers to questions taxing Warwick’s finest minds. See some fiery transformations in this lively interactive lecture and discover what happens when you detonate over 1,000 ping pong balls using liquid nitrogen. Hold onto your Santa hats! After the sell-out success of the past years, get your tickets before it’s too late.

29 November

Campus Christmas Tree Lights Switch-on: 1pm At 1pm we will light up our Christmas tree on the Warwick Arts Centre Plaza (outside the Bookshop). Accompanying the lights, as part of Creative Warwick, a number of Warwick Student Societies will be performing. EQHO (HipHop Dance), MTW (Music Theatre Warwick), Warwick Belly Dance and Warwick Tap will be delighting the crowds with some festive themed mini-shows from 1pm until 2pm.

Chocolate and Gifts Christmas Markets: Come and soak up the atmosphere at the last Market Day of term from 10am - 3pm, and find gifts and chocolates for all the family, whilst you try something tempting for lunch. There will be a vibrant mix of stall holders selling local, fresh produce or mouth-watering street food as well as chocolatey treats and handmade chocolate gifts!

Also taking place on 29th November is the Freeflow Festival, bringing together inspirational thinkers, authors, journalists and performers to share what’s fresh, controversial and relevant today. All events are FREE but booking is required.

1 December

Carols by Candlelight: Butterworth Hall, 7pm: Revel in candlelit festivities as the University of Warwick Chamber Choir present a cappella choral classics such as Arvo Pärt’s Magnificat, John Tavener’s The Lamb and Eric Whitacre’s Sleep. Enjoy the fun of The Twelve Days of Christmas by Bob Chilcott and then sing your hearts out with carols including: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Once in Royal David’s City and Jingle Bells.

Christmas Bauble Challenge: sessions every 30mins from 2 - 6:30pm Get together for a not-so-conventional festive celebration before you head home for the holidays. Wearing your Christmas Bauble (a giant inflatable bubble) take on Warwick Sport's festive-themed obstacle course to be in with a chance of winning great prizes!

1 December - 31 December

Snow Mouse: Helen Martin Studio: An enchanting winter’s tale for the very young. Come and join the two new friends on their adventures in a magical forest full of play, puppetry and music. For more Christmas activities for children, why not come along to Stamp It: Christmas Activities, every weekend in December?

4 December

Warwick Christmas Lectures 2017: Enjoy a night of fantastic new ideas, explosions, experiments and answers to questions taxing Warwick’s finest minds. With a generous helping of fireworks, prepare to see colour in a new light and join us on a journey through rainbows and stars in this interactive lecture exploring the world around us. After the sell-out success of the past years, get your tickets before it’s too late.

5 December

The Nightmare Before Christmas (SU cinema) 7:30pm, Lecture Theatre 3 (Science Concourse)

Join the SU Cinema society for a screening of The Nightmare Before Christmas! Enjoy perhaps Tim Burton’s most famous film, the grizzly yet festive tale that has captivated audiences for many years. Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, is renowned for being the best at creating a horrifying Halloween. Yet when he finds a doorway from his home Halloween Town to the magical Christmas Town, Jack becomes entranced by his discovery. Bored of the annual repetitiveness of Halloween, Jack seeks to introduce “Christmas” to Halloween Town, without fully understanding what Christmas is.

7th December

Opening of the Westwood bandstand: 6pm. Join us as we officially open the Westwood bandstand, the new home of student performance on campus. There will be a brass band, percussion ensemble and steel drums playing and sing-along carols to join in with. Café Westwood will be open until 6pm so you can enjoy hot drinks as you watch and sing along.

8 December

Candlelit Carol Service: Students and staff are invited to join the University Chaplains for a candlelit service to mark the end of term and the approaching Christmas celebrations. Carols will begin at 4.30pm in the Chaplaincy, followed by refreshments. Everyone is welcome.

9 December

Trip to Stratford upon Avon: Looking for a beautiful Christmas destination? Why not take a trip to Stratford upon Avon's Christmas Markets on Saturday 9 December with the International Office? All students are welcome!

11 December - 7 January

The Chaplaincy will be open to all students and staff with valid University ID cards from 9am to 9pm each day in the vacation (including bank holidays). ‘The Student Lounge’ will lauch on Wednesday December 13 where you can see the activites and facilities on offer whilst enjoying festive snacks.

'The Student Lounge' will feature board games and other activities to use, and a TV with DVD player and library of DVDs, for film watching. The kitchen will be stocked with fresh milk for hot drinks and bread to make toast with.

12 December

A Cracking Postgraduate Christmas! Join us from 5-7pm in the SU Atrium for a Christmas celebration open to all postgraduate students. There will be a variety of activities including arts and crafts, a reindeer rodeo, games and music as well as mince pies and mulled wine. A great way to celebrate the festive season with your Warwick PG Community! The cost is £2.50 and you can purchase tickets here.

13 December

‘The Student Lounge’ at the Chaplaincy will lauch on Wednesday December 13 where you can see the activites and facilities on offer over the vacation whilst enjoying festive snacks.

15 December - 21st December

Film - The Man Who Invented Christmas: Arts Centre Cinema: The Man Who Invented Christmas tells the magical story of how Charles Dickens combined real life inspirations with his vivid imagination to conjure up a timeless tale and unforgettable characters, such as Ebenezer Scrooge, forever changing the Christmas season. Starring Dan Stevens, Jonathan Pryce and Christopher Plummer.

Friday 15th December is Christmas Dress-Down Day! Dress super-smart, dig out that sparkly festive jumper, or just wear your favourite comfy clothes. Donate £2 to help raise much-needed funds for cancer research at Warwick - and enter the #WarwickXmas prize draw!

18 December

Make Your Own Christmas Tree: from 7pm. Get your room into the festive spirit by decorating a pot for your very own mini Christmas tree at the Chaplaincy. All materials will be provided.

19 and 20 December

Board Games Evenings: from 7pm. Come and meet other students also on campus over the vacation for an evening of fun around some classic board games at the Chaplaincy.

20 December

Go Global Christmas Dinner The Dirty Duck 3:30-7pm. If this is your first time experiencing Christmas, your first time spending Christmas away from home, or you'd just like to meet fellow students from around the world, join us for the Go Global Christmas Dinner on Wednesday 20 December. The event includes two courses from the Dirty Duck Vacation menu, a Christmas quiz, festive activities, fun, frolics and a lot more besides! If you are staying on campus during the festive period, this is the ideal way to network with others, and an event not to be missed.

University Christmas Drinks The Slate, 3pm Come along for festive music, drinks and refreshments. Everyone welcome! Please register for catering purposes.

25 December

Mass: Join the Chaplaincy for Mass at 12:30 on Christmas Day. Mass will also take place throughout each Sunday at 12:30 throughout the Christmas vacation.

Eating & Drinking

Get together with friends for Christmas lunch at any of the following venues:

Cafe Gibbet Hill | 29 November and 6 December, 12-2pm
Cafe Library | 21 and 30 November, 12 noon onwards
WBS Cafe | 30 November and 7 December, 11.45am-3pm
University House restaurant | 28 November and 5 December, 12-2pm

Lunch for £7.95 or £9.95 with mince pie and filter coffee, includes a choice of carvery, vegetables and all the trimmings, or a vegetarian option. Festive hot and cold drinks also available.

The Bread Oven

fusion christmas The Bread Oven has Christmas Specials on sale in Weeks 9 and 10.

Fusion Christmas

Enjoy Fusion's three course Christmas set menu for £14 | View their Christmas menu
27 November - 8 December, 11.30am-9.00pm; Saturday 9 - Thursday 21 December, 12.00pm- 3.00pm

Curiositea

Curiositea has winter and Christmas specials on sale now.

Opening Hours

Careers & Skills

During the Christmas vacation, Student Careers and Skills will have appointments available, bookable via myAdvantage.
Students should continue to contact Student Careers and Skills by ringing in on 02476 524748 or emailing careers@warwick.ac.uk 11th -21st December and 3rd – 5th January.

Chaplaincy

The Chaplaincy will be open to all students and staff with valid University ID cards from 9am to 9pm each day in the vacation (including bank holidays). Over the December vacation ‘The Student Lounge’ will feature board games and other activities to use, and a TV with DVD player and library of DVDs, for film watching together. The kitchen will be stocked with fresh milk for hot drinks and bread to make toast with.

Funding Office

22nd December (midday) - 3rd January (9am) CLOSED

Student Funding will be offering emergency loans to students until Thursday 21 December.

Health Centre

11-22 December: Mon-Fri: 09:00-17:00

24 December - 1 January (inclusive): CLOSED

If you need medical assistance when the Health Centre is shut, you can call 111 for phone advice by the NHS or go to the walk-in City of Coventry Health Centre. The Centre is open 7/7, 8am to 9pm.

If you are severely injured, you may go to the A&E in University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire.

ITS

All IT services will be available through the holiday period with no planned outages. Services will be monitored and we have a limited emergency out-of-hours provision to respond to any critical issues that occur.

The IT Help Desk will close at 17:30 on 22 December and re-open on 3 January at 08:30.

Library (including the Teaching Grid and Wolfson Research Exchange)

Sat 23 Dec – to close at 19:00
Closed: Sun 24 Dec – Tues 26 Dec inclusive
Reduced hours: Wed 27 Dec - Sun 31 Dec, 11:00-18:00 (Helpdesk open)
Closed: Mon 1 Jan 2018 - Tues 2 Jan inclusive

Learning Grids

Rootes
Closed: Sat 9 Dec – Sun 7 Jan inclusive

LG1 and LG2 University House
Temporary closure of LG1, Fri 8 – Mon 18 Dec inclusive
Reduced hours: Sun 24 Dec, 07.00 – 18.00
Closed: Mon 25 Dec, Christmas Day
Reduced hours: Sun 31 Dec, 06.00 – 18.00

Learning Grid Leamington
Closed: Sat 16 Dec – Wed 3 Jan inclusive

BioMed Grid
Reduced hours: Mon 11 Dec - Sun 17 Dec, 08:00-18:00
Closed: Mon 18 Dec - Tues 2 Jan inclusive
Reduced hours: Wed 3 Jan - Sun 7 Jan, 08:00-18:00

Modern Records Centre

Reduced hours: Wed 13 Dec –Thurs 14 Dec, 09:00-17:00
Reduced hours: Wed 20 Dec –Thurs 21 Dec, 09:00-17:00
Closed: Mon 1 Jan - Tues 2 Jan inclusive
Reduced hours: Wed 3 Jan – Thurs 4 Jan, 09.00-17.00

Nightline

Phone, drop-in and IM services will be closed over the Christmas university holiday.
However, the email service (nightline@warwick.ac.uk) will remain in operation, and they will respond to any emails within 72 hours.
All services will resume full operation on 8 January 2018.

If you would like some more immediate support the number for Samaritans is 116 123.

Nursery

23 December - 2 January inclusive: CLOSED

Oculus Building

10 December - 4 January inclusive: CLOSED

PG Hub

Temporary closure: Fri 15 Dec, 07:00-08:00
Closed: Sat 16 December – Tues 2 Jan inclusive

Post Office

23 December - 2 January: CLOSED
Re-opening 3 January

Retail Outlets

Christmas opening times of cafes, bars, restaurants and shops

Sports Centre

Opening times

Remember: We're part of the UNIversal Gym Membership Scheme which means that any student with an annual gym membership from Warwick Sport can use any other participating university gym on an unlimited basis, free of charge, during the vacation. Find out more.

SU

SU Reception:
Closed from December 8, reopening January 3

SU Advice Centre:
12-22 Dec: 9am-3pm, Monday-Friday
Closed from 23 Dec, reopening 3 Jan (9am-3pm)

Check the SU website for any updates.

University House

LG1 in University House will be temporarily closed for study Friday 8 - Monday 18 December inclusive. This is to accommodate staff needing to relocate during office refurbishments. Please note: LG2 (off the café in University House) will be open for study as normal.

LG1 and LG2 University House opening hours:
Temporary closure of LG1, Fri 8 – Mon 18 Dec inclusive
Reduced hours: Sun 24 Dec, 07.00 – 18.00
Closed: Mon 25 Dec, Christmas Day
Reduced hours: Sun 31 Dec, 06.00 – 18.00

Main University offices: 23nd December - 2nd January inclusive: CLOSED

Travel

Be aware that transportation schedules are often busy and disrupted during Christmas. We recommend you double check all bus and train timetables before departing to make sure you arrive at your destination on time. There is likely to be no public transport anywhere on 25 December and a reduced service on trains and buses on other days (particularly 26 December and 1 January).

Campus Shuttle Bus:

View the timetable here

Bus Services:

Check the Traveline, Stagecoach or National Express and De Courcey websites for details of services over Christmas week
You can view live bus departure here

Rail Services:

National Rail's website provides a summary of the train services being provided by each Train Operating Company during the Christmas and New Year period. Note that there are no train services running on Christmas Day and only certain services will run on Boxing Day. Train services will stop running much earlier than normal on Christmas Eve, Saturday 24 December 2017.
Live departures: Canley | Coventry | Tile Hill | Leamington

Taxis:

Taxis will likely charge higher rates on these days as well and remember that winter weather, particularly snow, can severely disrupt public transport services
If you are travelling by the Meter, you should never pay more than is displayed, unless agreed with the Driver. Meter price is per Taxi, not per person.
In all instances, if you are travelling with a pre-agreed price and not by the Meter, then you and the Driver must agree the price and destination before travelling.
Trinity Street Taxis: 02476 999 999
Trish’s Taxis: 02476 266 666
Metro Taxis: 02476 690 924