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Culture Fest 2026 celebrates the diversi...

Culture Fest 2026 celebrates the diversity of the Hills Road community

Culture Fest returned to Hills Road this week, bringing students and staff together for another vibrant celebration of the many cultures that make up the College community.

Published on 15/07/2026

Culture Fest returned to Hills Road this week, bringing students and staff together for another vibrant celebration of the many cultures that make up the College community.

Running from 13-17 July, the annual Culture Fest event transformed the Hills Road campus into a colourful showcase of culture and creativity, as part of an annual celebration of the broad spectrum of cultural heritage within the Hills Road community.

Throughout the week, students proudly represented their heritage by wearing traditional clothing, displaying national flags and sharing customs from around the world. A world map invited students to mark the countries connected to their heritage, highlighting the incredible diversity found across the College. Students also enjoyed a range of international dishes, with the Café serving themed menus inspired by cuisines from around the world.

On Wednesday, the Quad was filled with student society stalls offering interactive activities, cultural displays and opportunities to learn about traditions from across the globe.

Wednesday's performance programme brought the Quad to life with an exciting afternoon of music and dance. The performances featured live performances of traditional African song, a dance performance honouring Madonna and a vocal performance celebrating Pakistani music. Students also enjoyed a demonstration of the Tsugaru Shamisen, showcasing the traditional Japanese string instrument and its distinctive sound.

The afternoon concluded with a series of interactive performances, inviting students and staff to take part in line dancing, Turkish dance and traditional céilidh dancing, all of which proved wildly popular as most of the Quad were following along in the sunshine! The performances encouraged everyone, from all backgrounds, to join in and learn something new.

Students also enjoyed the chance to sample different world cuisines at the Café, with offerings from across the globe on the menu.

The new Student Council did a truly impressive job of organising this year’s edition of Culture Fest: everything from coordinating performances, setting up events, and producing promotional videos and content, all of which can be viewed on their Instagram page: @hillsroadcouncil.

The Student Council once again did a fantastic job organising the festival, coordinating performances, supporting societies and helping to deliver another successful week of celebrations.

Thank you to everyone who performed, volunteered, ran stalls and attended Culture Fest 2026. Events like these continue to celebrate the wide range of cultures represented at Hills Road and reflect the College's commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging.

We look forward to another fantastic edition of Culture Fest next year!