Global Week returns to campus celebrating students and their different cultures

Students from the UK and around the world were celebrated as part of the University’s Global Week programme for 2024.

The five days of festivities returned to campus with its biggest and most varied programme ever at over 20 events and activities available.

Key events included a fashion show featuring clothes from around the world and a food and culture festival hosted by the University’s global societies. In addition, with Lunar New Year falling in Global Week, a Chinese evening gala performance was held, including cultural activities, performances and traditional dress.

The Gala - one of the biggest events on campus showcasing Chinese culture - ushered in the Year of the Dragon, attracting a large audience as well as a delegation from the Chinese Consulate in Manchester.

A total of around 1,200 people attended these free events, which all took place on campus at the Oastler Building.

Other events saw a variety of music, dance, sport and food on offer throughout Global Week across multiple venues on campus. These included a research poster competition which started the week off, followed by enterprise activity, 3D Printing, an alumni panel and a global quiz.

A World of Sports Tournament featured sports such as badminton, volleyball, basketball and table tennis and a number of teams took part in a Global Futsal Tournament.

The aim of the week-long celebration was to provide a chance for both UK and international students to come together and share in each other’s cultures, with around 4,500 international students from more than 100 countries currently studying at the University.

Reanna Courtney-Stacey from Wakefield, who is studying Events Management at the University’s Huddersfield Business School, said: “The diversity of culture was inspiring, it’s truly a blessing to live in this day and age where people can come from different backgrounds and ethnicities and share a passion and excitement through food and performing arts. I am grateful to have been a part of this experience.”

Alan Tobi, International Student Experience Manager, added: “Further improving the student experience on campus is key to success among our students and it has been fantastic to see that this year’s Global Week brought joy and happiness to them with over 1,000 students attending over 20 different events and activities.

“Seeing the range of integration from the delegation of the Chinese Consulate to the Research student competition, the sports tournaments and the Global Fashion Show was a pleasure to witness and the opportunity that it gives our students from the UK and around the world is priceless. I look forward to building on this success to feed into the plans for 2025.”