What is the Global Lounge?

The University of Bristol Global Lounge is a multicultural hub in the heart of campus, open to all students and staff.

It has two main functions:

• Bringing home and international students and staff together through a range of social events and cultural celebrations.
• Supporting our international students during the arrivals period, helping them to settle into Bristol and university life through a vast array of welcome events and activities.

A cultural hub on campus: bringing home and international students together

The Global Lounge offers diverse activities, from global celebrations like Day of the Dead and Ramadan to weekly events like Language Café, providing the University community with opportunities to experience and learn about various cultures. These events, open to all students and staff, are mostly free and include refreshments and entertainment. (Check out some of the past events).

Previously operating as a pop-up from Autumn 2019 to September 2021, the Lounge now occupies a dedicated space on the first floor of Senate House. It serves as a hub where home and international students can connect, expand their social circles, and enhance their intercultural awareness. The Global Opportunites team are also situated in this space to provide information on studying, working, and volunteering abroad.

Relax

The Global Lounge is open from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday (during term-time) for all students and staff. Come by for unlimited free tea, coffee, and biscuits, with relaxing music to give you those cultured café vibes! You’ll always be greeted with a smile by our friendly Global Lounge team or Global Lounge Ambassadors.

Learn and connect

Join us for a variety of social events and cultural celebrations where you can meet new people, boost your global awareness, and connect with people outside your usual circle. From fun festivities with free food and entertainment to study skills sessions and intercultural webinars, the Global Lounge has something for everyone in a friendly and inclusive setting.

Collaborate

We’d love to work with you! Whether you’re an individual, part of a student society, or a professional services team, the Global Lounge is your go-to spot for collaboration. With dynamic event spaces and bookable areas, you can run your own events too. If you’re into bringing people together to share and learn in a welcoming environment, get in touch with us!

Our Welcome programme: helping students settle in

As well as running our cultural and social events, we play an important role in supporting our international students when they first arrive in the UK. We host fun events to help you connect and socialise, both before and after you arrive in Bristol. These events aim to share advice from current students, introduce British Culture and allow you to get to know your new city and university with campus and orientation tours.

Here, students share their positive experiences of our welcome programme:

‘Many thanks for today’s phenomenal session. Like the previous ones, it has been incredibly informative, enlightening, and useful. This is all thanks to you guys!’
Sude Capoglu, Honours Law (LLB)

‘The Global Lounge’s student life webinars are extremely helpful, and enable students to settle quickly into a new place,’
Dhruv Marwha, Data Science (MSc)

‘I’ve attended events since first joining the University, and they were such a promising resource for me when I was in quarantine after arriving from Dubai. The Global Lounge is incredibly creative, welcoming and proactive, with a team that genuinely sets out to support and mobilise the community.’
Tala Youhana, Honours Law LLB