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Arts and Humanities Day 2024 | Frequently Asked Questions

Summary

 

What is Arts and Humanities Day?

Arts and Humanities Day (formerly Hands-on Humanities Day) is the University of Southampton’s family-friendly event filled with discovery and exploration. The day features exciting interactive activities, workshops, talks, performances, and exhibits.

Meet and Discover: You'll get to meet researchers, students, local community groups, public engagement professionals, and freelance artists throughout the day.

Free Event: The event is free, but registration is required.

Expanded Programme: This year, Arts and Humanities Day has partnered with the Southampton ESRC Festival of Social Science, adding social science-focused activities, exhibitions, and talks. Collaborations with John Hansard Gallery, MAST Mayflower Studios and Southampton City Art Gallery will further enrich the festival with an exciting variety of activities and events.

Event Details:

  • Date and Time: 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM
  • Locations: Southampton Cultural Quarter, including Sir James Matthews Building (SO14 7FQ), John Hansard Gallery (SO14 7DU), MAST Mayflower Studios (SO14 7DU), and Southampton City Art Gallery (SO14 7LP).

Look for us: Festival team members will be in lime t-shirts, Student Ambassadors in light blue t-shirts, and Festival exhibitors in pink t-shirts.

 

Why do I have to book tickets for Arts and Humanities Day if it's free?

We ask everyone to book online a free general admission ticket, in advance, and to check-in to one of our Welcome Desks during the day.

This helps us with planning, sending you essential communications and ensuring the best visitor experience on the day and at future events.

PLEASE NOTE: to reduce waste to a minimum, we kindly ask everyone to avoid printing their tickets. Once at the Welcome Desk, please show on your mobile phone the QR code on the email confirmation you received from Eventbrite or just provide the name and surname of the contact you used for booking. You can also download the Eventbrite app onto your iPhone or Android device to show the QR code at the desk.

 

Is Arts and Humanities Day really suitable for all ages?

Yes, we have activities that will entertain everyone from infants to adults. You can check the 'Age suitable for' information for each activity to check more closely about this.

Paper wristbands will be available at the Welcome Desks for all ticket holders, including toddlers, children and vulnerable adults. You can use those to enter your contact phone number on the band(s) in case anyone gets separated/lost during the day.

A list of facilities for babies and information on other useful resources available on the day can be found on our Accessibility page.

 

Is Arts and Humanities Day accessible to people with needs?

Yes, we are doing our best to increase inclusivity and make Arts and Humanities Day accessible and welcoming to everyone, reason why in past years we reached out Autism Hampshire, Deaf Action, Southampton Sight and Winchester Science Centre to start implementing changes.

Please visit our comprehensive Accessibility page to find out what resources and supports will be available on the day and to start planning your attendance.

 

How can I find my way around Arts and Humanities Day?

You can use the website ahead of time to plan your experience.

All activity descriptions will have a building and room number and an embedded what3words map link to show where they are located on campus.

On arrival, you can pick up a Arts and Humanities Day official map with the programme of live events and the list of all activities the Welcome Desk.

There is lots going on - it's just about possible to see everything in one day, but that would be ambitious, especially if you are with children or have additional needs. It can help to make a list in advance of things you want to take part to or prioritise.

This year we are also developing a sensory map to help you understanding what to expect on site. This will be available on our Accessibility closer to the time.

 

Do I have to pre-book for activities at Arts and Humanities Day?

A few of our most popular workshops have ticketing, so we can manage numbers across the day for a great visitor experience.

Activities and events that require booking are clearly labelled on the Timetable. If you have already booked a general admission ticket, we will message you through Eventbrite to let you know that tickets for the shows have been released.

For these shows, we release a proportion of tickets in advance on Eventbrite (check for the 'Book Your Ticket' button on the activity page), but we keep the remaining tickets for release on the day on a first-come-first-served basis.

PLEASE NOTE: tickets for timed events will not be accepted at the Welcome Desk when checking-in on the day. Please don't forget to book a free general admission ticket to the festival for the best experience.

 

I want to take part in a particular workshop, but all the tickets have gone.

Don't worry, additional tickets for all workshops will be available on the day, but please be aware they are on a first-come-first-served basis.

On arrival, go directly to the room where the workshop will take place (see location link on the activity description), where one of our Student Ambassadors will help you to book your tickets at the Ticket Desk.

PLEASE NOTE: You will not find tickets for any of the workshops at the Welcome Desks.

 

How do I get to the Arts and Humanities Day?

Visit the Find us page for directions, sustainable travel and parking information.

We will run a Travel Sustainably Competition with amazing prizes, so where possible, plan your journey to enter the prize draw when checking-in to the Welcome Desks.

 

Will I be able to purchase food and drinks while I'm at Arts and Humanities Day?

The Artisan in Sir James Matthews Building will be open on the day and it will serve hot, cold beverages, and food, including a selection of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.

Alternatively, the festival venues sit nearby a range of cafés, restaurants, pubs and food outlets, primarily located alongside Above Bar St.

A water fountain for refilling water bottles will be available on Level 1 and on Level 5.

 

I am coming as part of a group - what do I need to know?

If you are travelling to Arts and Humanities Day with a mini-bus, or are planning to have lunch together as a group, please get in touch ASAP by email at festival@soton.ac.uk or use our dedicated contact form to discuss potential spaces.

You will find children's wristbands at the Welcome Desk, as mentioned in the age suitability section above.

Please note that as mentioned in the section above, some activities are ticketed and you can book tickets online for these in advance or pick up tickets on the day, but on a first-come-first-served basis. We strongly recommend pre-booking if you are intending to experience a ticketed activity as a group.

 

How can I provide feedback for Arts and Humanities Day?

We kindly ask everyone attending Arts and Humanities Day to complete a short anonymous survey we created in Microsoft Forms. This will be emailed to all ticket holders through Eventbrite a day after the event.

The purpose of this is to help with understanding how the day went, planning and ensuring the best possible visitor experience during future Festival events, and your help would be greatly appreciated.

For any other feedback, please email festival@soton.ac.uk or use our dedicated contact form.

 

What similar events can I join in with my family?

The UoS Festival team at the Public Engagement with Research unit organises several family-friendly events across the year.

Our annual Southampton Science and Engineering Festival (SOTSEF) is held every March, during British Science Week. The 10 days of celebration are usually concluded by by Science and Engineering Day, our free family-friendly STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) event taking place at Highfield Campus and Boldrewood Innovation Campus, with more than a hundred interactive hands-on activities, workshops, exhibits, talks, shows and laboratory tours.

A few University of Southampton's researchers and students also contribute towards related special events including Black History Month (October), UK Disability History Month (November-December) and LGBT+ History Month (February).

The UoS Festival team also has a dedicated YouTube channel with video resources and recordings of events from past Festivals. Consider subscribing to the channel to never miss upcoming live events and remain updated with the latest content on-demand.

You could also follow UoS Engagement on Instagram, on Facebook, on X  and request to join our UoS Festival mailing list to find out more and stay up to date with the latest opportunities.

 

I have another question - how do I get in touch?

Please send an email to festival@soton.ac.uk or use our dedicated contact form.