The leaves are turning brown, the stationery aisles are all fully stocked, and there's a chill in the air. That can only mean one thing... it's almost time for the beginning of the academic year at UAL! And at Arts SU, we've got some amazing events coming up to get your year off to an exciting start.

Pop-Up Stalls

Are you studying at Archway, Lime Grove, CSM King's Cross, LCF, or LCC? We're coming to visit you! Our pop-up stalls are going on tour this September - come by and say hi to our incredible Arts SU team!

For the first time, we're also running a whole series of events across UAL that are open to all students. Want to get involved? Here's the run-down:

Creative sessions

On 23rd September (1:30-2:30pm), we're at our very own Darkroom Bar at LCC for an intimate poetry workshop exploring the theme of RESISTANCE led by Lagnajita Mukhopadhyay. And later that evening (6-9pm), you can take the stage at Darkroom for our spoken word open mic night!

Student mixers

Our post-grad mixer is back on 24th September (4-7pm), and it's bigger than ever! Held at Darkroom Bar, LCC, this mixer is hugely popular and we're already so excited.

We're also running some brand new mixers this year! Join us for our disabled/SPLD/neurodivergent mixer (1st October, 4-7pm, Chelsea College of Arts), our Students of Colour mixer (2nd October, 5-9pm, Chelsea College of Arts), and our Pre-Degree mixer (3rd October, 4:30-7:30pm, Lime Grove).

Socials and more

Who said you can't mix with other Unis? Not us! We're teaming up with our friends at UCL to bring you an exclusive mixer, held at the trendy new Riverside East bar over in Stratford. Your ticket includes free snacks and a drink on arrival, plus free access to loads of craft and activity sessions! Tickets are now available.

Bingo, anyone? We've partnered up with The Lonely Girls Club for some friendship bingo. Sounds intriguing? Pick up your tickets for 26th September (Darkroom Bar, LCC, 7-9:30pm) or 3rd October (Platform Bar, CSM, 7-9:30pm).

Markets

Got lunch plans on 2nd October? Now you do! The Urban Food Fest Food Market is heading to Chelsea College of Arts from 11am-2pm, bringing you an array of food stalls serving global gourmet street food dishes. We're hungry already...

Plus, on 3rd October you can get your autumn wardrobe sorted! Chelsea College of Arts also plays host to the STOCK UP! Vintage Clothes Fair from 11:30am-5pm.

Arts SU Connect

This is the one you've been waiting for... We're so excited to announce Arts SU Connect, a brand new two-day wellbeing festival on the first two days of the Autumn term (30th September and 1st October)! We'll be taking over the marquee at Chelsea College of Arts for two days of workshops, activities, and so much more. More details to come...

Welcome Fair

We can't talk about the start of term without mentioning Welcome Fair (28th September, 10am-4pm)! You might know this as Freshers' Fair, but at Arts SU, we do things a little differently. Our Welcome Fair is open to all UAL students, no matter what year of study you're in! We'll be bringing over 50 sports clubs and societies to Chelsea College of Arts, and we've invited a few friends from UAL and beyond to join us, too. This is your chance to find out about life at UAL in one handy place!

This year, the first hour of the Fair is our quiet hour: this is designed to be accessible to students who might otherwise not be able to attend. We'll be turning the music down and curating a more peaceful environment with less sensory input.

Welcome Fair is completely free, and no sign-up is needed - but you can register your interest to get handy reminders and updates directly to your UAL email address!

It's safe to say, we're pretty busy this Autumn... will we see you there?!