Festivals and celebrationsEurope
May Week
Cambridge's end-of-year week of balls, boat races and garden parties after exams
May Week is what the University of Cambridge calls the stretch at the end of the academic year. It began as a week in May before exams, but now falls in June once exams are over, and students mark it with boat races, May Balls, June Events and garden parties.
When is May Week kept?
May Week is kept each year at the end of the academic year, in June after Easter Term and the exams.
May Week is the name Cambridge students give to the closing stretch of their academic year. Once it fell in May, in the days just before exams; today it comes in June, after the last papers, and the mood turns to celebration. Boat races, May Balls, June Events and garden parties fill the week, and the Sunday after term ends has a name of its own.
What it is
Cambridge splits its year into terms, and the last one is Easter Term. May Week marks the point when teaching and exams are behind the students. The name is old and a little misleading, because the week now sits in June. For those who study and live in the city, it is the most social stretch of the year: parties in college gardens, boat races on the river and the May Balls. Former students often come back for it. Many events are open only to members of the university.
Origins and history
The week once lived up to its name. It was held in May, in the last week before the exam period started, and the boat races known as the May Bumps sat in the same month. Over time the races moved later, into June, and the exams came first. The celebration then followed the papers rather than going before them. That shift is why the modern May Week falls in June, and why the older name stayed even after the month changed. What was a pause before the exams turned into a release after them.
How it is kept
Students sit their final exams, then celebrate. The week's main draws are the bumps races on the river, the May Balls, the June Events and garden parties in college grounds. The Sunday after Easter Term ends is given over to celebration, when garden parties fill the day and the Cardboard Boat Race brings home-made boats onto the water. Graduates and former students return and join in. The events are arranged for current members of the university, though former ones often take part.
The Sunday after term
The Sunday that follows the end of Easter Term has its own nicknames. By that point every student has sat their exams, but few results have been released, so the day is a waiting game, part relief and part worry. It is widely called Suicide Sunday; in 2015 a campaign run by students pushed for the gentler 'May Week Sunday', and the older label has proved hard to shift. Earlier in May comes Caesarian Sunday, named for the Caesarians, a drinking society at Jesus College. That day is the last chance for students to drink heavily on Jesus Green before exams begin.
How May Week is kept
Students sit their final exams, then celebrate. The week's main draws are the bumps races on the river, the May Balls, the June Events and garden parties in college grounds. The Sunday after Easter Term ends is given over to celebration, when garden parties fill the day and the Cardboard Boat Race brings home-made boats onto the water. Graduates and former students return and join in. The events are arranged for current members of the university, though former ones often take part.
When and where
May Week closes the academic year at Cambridge. It used to sit in May, in the week before exams; today it comes in June, once Easter Term and the exam period have finished. The Sunday that follows the end of term is part of it, and the May Bumps have shifted later into June as well.
It belongs to the University of Cambridge and to the city that surrounds it. College grounds hold the balls and garden parties, the river carries the races, and Jesus Green is the setting for the drinking that marks Caesarian Sunday earlier in May.
What May Week means
For the students who keep it, May Week marks a threshold. The exam papers are handed in, results are still unknown, and the waiting sits alongside relief. The week turns that uneasy gap into something shared: colleges open their gardens, boats take to the river and the year is sent off in company. Its Sunday carries two names, one blunt and old, one a newer attempt at something kinder.
Questions people ask about May Week
When is May Week kept?
May Week is kept each year at the end of the academic year, in June after Easter Term and the exams.
What is May Week?
It is the name used at the University of Cambridge for the period at the end of the academic year. It began as a week in May before exams, but today it falls in June after the exams are over, and it is given over to celebration.
Where is it kept?
At the University of Cambridge, in the colleges and their grounds, on the river, and at places such as Jesus Green. The events are arranged for current students of the university, though former students often return and join in.
Why is one Sunday called Suicide Sunday?
It is the Sunday right after Easter Term ends. All exams are finished, yet most results have not been published, so students wait in a mix of relief and worry. In 2015 a campaign run by students promoted 'May Week Sunday' instead, but the older name is still used.
What is the Cardboard Boat Race?
It is one of the main attractions of the Sunday after term, and an alternative to the garden parties and the more serious boating. It began in 2010 with three boats from Magdalene College, and other colleges were invited to take part from 2011.
See also
ChristmasA festival of Jesus's birth, kept on 25 December with gifts, lights and shared meals
Valentine's DayA Christian feast day and cultural celebration of love kept on February 14 in many countries.
PicnicA meal taken outdoors in a park or scenic spot, often shared with friends and family.
International Mother Language DayAn annual observance on 21 February to protect linguistic diversity and honour the Bengali language movement.Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "May Week", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryParampara rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-14.
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