List of social activities at the University of Cambridge

Last updated March 16, 2025

This is intended to be a complete list of articles detailing clubs, societies and other common leisure activities associated with the University of Cambridge, England.

Sports

General

Varsity match, the annual match for each sports team against the University of Oxford
Cambridge Blue, an award for competing at the highest level of University sport
The Hawk' Club, a social club for men with a Blue, Half Blue or Second Team Colours

Clubs

Association football:
- Cambridge University Association Football League
  - CUAFL Cuppers
  - CUAFL Plate
  - CUAFL Shield
  - CUAFL Vase
- Cambridge University Association Football Club
- Pegasus A.F.C., a now-defunct combined Oxford-Cambridge football team
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Rugby union:
- Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club
- The Varsity Match, the annual rugby union varsity match
Cambridge University Automobile Club
Cambridge University Lawn Tennis Club
Strange Blue, the Cambridge University Ultimate Club ^[1]

Rowing

College boat clubs

Bumps races

Political societies

Cambridge University Liberal Association
Cambridge Union Society, commonly known as the Cambridge Union - a debating union
Cambridge University Conservative Association
Cambridge University Labour Club
The Wilberforce Society, the student think-tank

Academic societies

Drama societies

Amateur Dramatic Club
Cambridge University Gilbert and Sullivan Society
Footlights, an amateur dramatics and comedy club
Cambridge University Light Entertainment Society
Improvised Comedy Ents (ICE), the University's oldest improv society
Alcock Improv, another improv society
The Corpus Christi Fletcher Players
The Movement, now a professional theatre company but still using actors from the University.
Christ's Amateur Dramatic Society
Girton Amateur Dramatics Society (GADS)

Student Unions

Cambridge University Students' Union, the Cambridge-wide federal union
Graduate Union, the students' union specifically for Graduates

Musical societies

Cambridge University Musical Society (CUMS), a federation of the university's main orchestral and choral ensembles, which cumulatively put on a substantial concert season during the university term.
Cambridge University Jazz Society
Cambridge University Hip Hop Society
Cambridge University Ceilidh Band (CUCB)
Cambridge University Brass Band (CUBB)
Cambridge University Opera Society (CUOS)
Cambridge University Jazz Orchestra (CUJO)
Cambridge Gamelan Society
Cambridge University Steel Pan Society

College Music societies

Emmanuel College Music Society (ECMS)
Selwyn College Music Society (SCMS)
Homerton College Music Society (HCMS)
Trinity College Music Society (TCMS)
Clare College Music Society (CCMS)
Fitzwilliam College Music Society (FCMS)
St John's College Music Society (SJCMS)
MagSoc

Choirs

Choir of King's College, Cambridge, a world-renowned choir known for broadcast services, specifically Carols from King's.
Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, a renowned choral society.
Choir of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, directed by David Skinner, (musicologist) and, uniquely among the collegiate choirs of Oxford and Cambridge, it sings an entirely Latin Vespers weekly.^[2]
Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, directed by Graham Ross, (musician) and funded by John Rutter.
Choir of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Christ's College Chapel Choir, Cambridge
King's Voices, a mixed voice chapel choir based in King's College, Cambridge
Choir of St John's College, Cambridge, a renowned choir that recently, 2022, allowed women and girls to participate.
Queens' College Chapel Choir, Cambridge

Miscellaneous societies

Cam FM, the student radio station
Cambridge Apostles, an elite intellectual secret society
Cambridge Explorers, secret social and adventuring club
Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union, a student Christian organisation
Granta, periodical which started as a student society
Hawks' Club, a member's club for university sportsmen
Cambridge University Heraldic and Genealogical Society, a society dedicated to the study of heraldry and genealogy
University Pitt Club, an exclusive social club
Per Capita Media, Cambridge University's newest student publication and magazine.
Cambridge University Punting Society, the oldest and largest extant punting society in the world.
Cambridge University Railway Club, railway and transport enthusiast society.
Cambridge University Science Fiction Society (CUSFS), known as one of the likely creators of The Game
- Jómsborg the New - the Fantasy Fiction Society, and subset of CUSFS
The Cambridge Student, a student newspaper
Cambridge Student Community Action, a charity and volunteering organisation
Cambridge University Tiddlywinks Club, the world's oldest tiddlywinks club
Varsity, a student newspaper
Cambridge University Wine society, the university wine society
Cambridge University Wireless Society, the university amateur radio club

College clubs and societies

Gonville & Caius A.F.C., the only college team to have reached the 1st round of the FA Cup
Pembroke Players, an amateur dramatics society
Go and Yes Minister Society (found in Girton College)
Pembroke College Winnie-the-Pooh Society
Churchill Regular Association for Poker

Leisure activities

Formal Hall, a formal dinner in a college
June Event, an alternative to May Balls
May Balls, a college ball, usually held annually in May Week
May Week, the week after the end of examinations, actually in June
Punting
Suicide Sunday, the Sunday during May Week

References

↑ Strange Blue, the Cambridge University Ultimate Club
↑ "Choir". Sid.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2022.

External links

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[1] Strange Blue, the Cambridge University Ultimate Club

[2] "Choir". Sid.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2022.

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