Pip's big list of ... undergraduate arts degree shows
Find your local show and experience some excellent new art
It’s summer degree-show season in the UK!
From the end of May into June/July, it’s very likely that your nearest university will be exhibiting the work of final-year students studying arts subjects.
I’ve put together a big list of all the different summer showcases / graduate shows that are coming up so that you can hopefully find one local to you, if you’re in the UK.
With ongoing funding cuts in the university sector, particularly for the arts, these degree shows are one of the things under threat. So, this post is a public service announcement to encourage you to check out your local show (or a non-local one that catches your eye) and enjoy all the incredible work that emerging artists are putting into the world.
Art is an imperfect term to cover the wide range of creative courses represented at these summer shows, as it encompasses Animation, Architecture, Art & Ecology, Art & History of Art, Carving, Ceramics, Costume, Communication Design, Conservation, Creative Writing, Design for Film/TV, Digital Technology, Fashion and Textile Design, Film, Fine Art, Games Design, Graphic Arts, Engineering, Illustration, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Jewellery and Metal Design, Marketing, Makeup for Film/TV, Media and Media Production, Modelmaking, Music and Sound Production, Painting, Performing Arts, Photography, Product Design, Sculpture, Theatre, Urban Planning, Visual Effects, and more (depending on what courses the university offers).
The degree shows are almost always:
free to attend1
open to everyone during the main dates
held in accessible spaces – venues tend to be university studio/teaching spaces or affiliated art galleries/studios
open during at least the core hours of 12–4 pm Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, but check before you go (occasionally weekdays are by request)
photography-friendly (remember to tag the uni and the students if you share your photos online)
The Previews / Private Views – which usually take place a day ahead of the show opening dates, in the early evening – are often open to everyone too. Occasionally, these opening nights are invite-only due to venue capacity and security and/or because they’re a special occasion just for students’ friends and family. Where that information is clearly shown on the uni’s website, I’ve detailed it on my list as well.
Grad shows can be a great thing to go along to on your own, so don’t let that stop you if you can’t think of someone to go with you. And don’t feel you need to look at everything; there will be so much that it could easily feel overwhelming. Just choose what you’re drawn to, and move on when you’re ready to.
I especially love seeing the Fashion final pieces. For Fashion, there will usually be an additional catwalk event too, sometimes on a different date, although sometimes these special events are invite-only, so check first.
Without further ado, here’s my big local list of Summer Degree Show Dates for 2025
Oh… okay, there is a bit more ado to do, because I can’t add a nice table or drop-down list format to Substack. So, head over to the list on my website:
A–Z of undergraduate arts degree shows, 2025 edition
Let me know if you spot any I’ve missed, and I’ll add them to the list.
Eurgh, how annoying to have to put a footnote next to ‘free to attend’, but this is because I have included in the list a few non-university events that showcase new graduates’ work: D&AD’s New Blood Festival, Graduate Fashion Week, and New Designers show, the latter two require paid tickets for general admission.