Keele Day 2026
Keele alumni, along with their families and friends, are warmly invited to return to campus to celebrate Keele Day on Saturday 27 June 2026 - a joyful gathering bringing together past, present and future members of the Keele community.
Held annually, Keele Day offers alumni the chance to reconnect with the University, reflect on shared memories and look ahead to the future. This year's event will coincide with the University's Undergraduate Open Day, creating a vibrant and welcoming atmosphere across campus.
Centred around the beautiful grounds of Keele Hall, the day will feature a wide range of activities - including live music, picnicking on the lawns, arts and crafts, a Keele Hall-themed escape room, a Postcards from the Past exhibition (featuring alumni submissions), and plenty of family friendly activities, with more to be announced.
We look forward to celebrating everything that makes the Keele community unique and hope you can join us!
A detailed itinerary is available below.
Please be aware that essential road resurfacing works will be taking place on campus between Monday 15 June and Friday 10 July. Although our main entrance will remain open, road resurfacing works on University Drive mean there will be no through route to central campus.
To help ensure a smooth arrival on Keele Day, we recommend that visitors access campus via the Keele Drive entrance through Keele Village.
To help you find your way, please see the information below:
Keele Drive Entrance (via Keele Village)
- Google Maps
- what3words: ///moon.churn.dame
- Postcode: ST5 5AD
Keele Day 2026 - activity programme
Alll activities are drop-in 11am-4pm, unless stated otherwise
Activity |
Time |
Location and description |
|---|---|---|
| Meet and greet | 11am-4pm |
Location: Ground floor reception entrance, Keele Hall Please arrive to this entrance to receive a warm welcome, sign-in and get information and leaflets to help you make the most of your visit. |
| Refreshments | 11am-4pm |
Location: Great Hall, Keele Hall Complimentary tea, coffee and light snacks available to alumni and their friends and families. There will also be a paid bar available in Keele Hall (University Common Room), where you can purchase a range of alcoholic and soft drink options. Please note Keele Hall is a cashless venue. |
| Family heritage trail | 11am-4pm |
Location: Meet & Greet desk, ground floor reception, Keele Hall Collect your map from the sign-in desk, then explore the Lawns and Italian Gardens to find the hidden squirrels! Return your completed sheet to win a prize for under 14s! Suitable for children of all ages. |
| Picnic on the Lawns | 11am-4pm |
Location: Keele Hall Lawns (collect lunches and blankets from the Picnic Station in the Great Hall, Keele Hall) Relax on the Lawns like in your student days and enjoy music and performances throughout the day. Bring your own food or collect a pre-paid Picnic Pack from our Picnic Station! You can order your picnic pack here. Please order before 1pm on Friday 26th June. As well as outdoor seating, there will be a limited supply of picnic blankets available to borrow; just ask at the Picnic Station. |
| Outdoor family games | 11am-4pm |
Location: Keele Hall Lawns Try your hand at: Croquet | Giant Jenga | Giant Draughts (Checkers) | Pop Up Tennis | Bean Bag Toss | Bowls | Frisbee Golf |
| Cheerleading: have a go sessions | 12pm-tbc |
Location: Keele Hall Lawns Try your hand at cheerleading! All ages and abilities welcome to this activity, which is led by Keele Panthers, our student Cheerleading team. Please note this activity will only go ahead in dry weather, and all participants will need to sign a waiver before they take part. |
| Escape from Keele Hall | Begin on the hour, 11am-3pm |
Location: The Old Library, Keele Hall Suitable for adults and children 8+ only. With the help of your Games Master, enjoy our Keele-themed escape room! Please arrive at least 5 minutes before the game is due to begin. Priority will be given to those who arrive first, with a waiting list available to sign-up to on the day. Duration: 30-40 minutes. Last game begins at 3pm. There is also a digital version of Keele's Escape Rooms available if you don't get chance to do this activity on the day. Access it here. |
| Earth Stories | TBC |
Location: TBC Find out about the Keele student-led environmental film festival taking the world by storm! Meet the team and watch some of the award-winning short films. Children-friendly activities available. |
| Stalls and stands | 11am-4pm |
Location: Around Keele Hall
|
| Raven Mason pottery collection | 11am-4pm |
Location: Raven Mason Suite, Keele Hall Enjoy ceramic highlights showing the skill and dedication of generations of craftspeople for over 200 years, along with art works and images of the Mason Family, the Potteries and workers which present a fascinating picture of an industry in times of change. |
| Original materials from the Keele archives | 11am-4pm |
Location: Raven Mason Suite, Keele Hall Explore photos, academic and society magazines from yesteryear. There will be a special focus on materials from the early 1970s to celebrate our 'Golden Graduates' - alumni celebrating their 50th anniversary since graduation. |
| Postcards from the Past: an alumni exhibition | 11am - 4pm |
Location: Raven Mason Suite, Keele Hall Alumni have sent in their picture perfect memories of their time at Keele! If you'd like to send us your photos to display, please email us at alumni.hq@keele.ac.uk |
| Keele's Art Collection | 11am-4pm |
Location: Stairwell, Landing, & Raven Mason Suite, Keele Hall Explore some of Keele's art collection on display currently in Keele Hall. Please note that access to the chamber floor is via the stairs only (no lift). |
Other activities taking place across campus |
||
| Tour of the Horwood Energy Centre | 12pm, 12:30pm, 1pm, 1:30pm |
Location: meet at Horwood Energy Centre (visible from Keele Hall courtyard) Keele’s campus was recently transformed into Europe’s first smart energy test site to develop pioneering green technologies and help cut the UK’s carbon emissions. Visit the control centre and hear about the Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND), a world-leading development in collaboration with international tech-giant Siemens, which has turned Keele’s campus into a ‘living laboratory’. Talk duration: 20-25 mins; maximum capacity of 15 people at each talk. Priority will be given to those who arrive first. |
| Self-guided tours of Keele's arboretum | 11am-4pm |
Location: leaflets available at sign-in desk Explore the arboretum at your own pace and learn about the Keele campus history at the same time. |
| Keele Observatory | 1-3pm |
Location: Keele Observatory View celestial objects through the 151-year old 31cm Grubb refractor or 15cm solar telescope (weather permitting), or enjoy a tour of the observatory and meet an astronomer. A 10 minute walk from Keele Hall, find out more about the location here. |
| Art exhibitions across campus | 11am - 4pm |
At Keele, we host artists and exhibitions in the Chancellor's Gallery, Chapter's Cafe and in other spaces across campus. We also work with partners across the Bourough of Newcastle and the City of Stoke-on-Trent to bring exhibitions and artists into new spaces. Explore the current exhibitions and their locations here. |
| Shuttle bus transport | until 3pm |
Location: Hop on at KeeleSU car park/bus stops around campus. If you would like to explore the rest of campus, you are welcome to use the shuttle bus. Please note that this is available as part of the Undergraduate Open Day, so will run until 3:30pm only. |
| Undergraduate Open Day | 9am-3pm |
Location: across campus We hope you will enjoy the buzz and opportunities created by welcoming past and future students at the same time! You can collect a separate Undergraduate Open Day programme from our Keele Day Meet & Greet desk, and you are most welcome to take part in any sessions which are of interest. This includes: Campus tours | Accommodation tours | Academic introduction & taster sessions |
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*Keele University operates as an education charity and has the statutory status of an exempt charity by virtue of the Charities Act 2011 and Schedule 3. Our tax-exempt Inland Revenue charities reference number is X80032.
