On the day

By Tube:

There are a number of London Underground and Elizabeth Line stations that are close to the Barbican: 

• Barbican - Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Circle lines (4 min walk)
• Moorgate - Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Circle lines (7 min walk)
• Farringdon - Elizabeth line (8 min walk)
• St Paul's - Central line (11 min walk)

By London Overground

The nearest train stations are Liverpool Street and Farringdon:

• Liverpool Street (11 min walk)
• Farringdon (8 min walk)

By Bus

• Bus Route 153 runs directly past the Barbican along Chiswell Street - Alight at 'Silk Street'
• The Barbican is also close to Bus Route 4 and 56 which serve Barbican tube station

See Transport for London for public transport information and to plan your journey to the Barbican.

We would strongly recommend all graduates and their guests to use public transport if possible to attend the ceremonies.

Whilst paid parking at the Barbican is available and accessed via Beech Street and Silk Street, spaces are extremely limited and must be booked in advance. Further information can be found on the Barbican website.

I am carrying huge bags/luggage, is there a luggage storage in the venue?

Due to space restrictions, large luggage items are not permitted inside the ceremony room.

Whilst there is a limited capacity cloakroom inside the venue for coats and small bags, we are unable to accommodate large bags and/or items of luggage.

You are welcome to bring baby prams into the Barbican, however due to space restrictions, they will not be permitted inside the ceremony room. There will be a signposted dedicated space outside the room for you to leave any prams or car seats.

Please ensure you bring your tickets with your unique QR code (which will be emailed to you prior to the ceremony), and two forms of ID (ie. passport, driving license, bank card etc.).

Upon arrival, you must register at the sign-posted Registration Desks. Here, you will be checked-in and given your physical guest tickets which will have their seat number on them. Please ensure you keep these guest tickets safe, as you will need them in order to access the ceremony room and we are unable to re-issue them once collected.

Staff will be on hand to guide you to gowning and photography.

We encourage all attendees to arrive at least 90 minutes before the ceremony starts, so that you can collect your gown and have your photos before taking your seats.

On-the-day photography will be available to purchase, if you have not yet pre-purchased them.

Please note that we are unable to take cash payments on the day. Any purchases must be done via credit or debit card.

Guests are seated in the stalls and circle level of the Barbican Hall, separate to graduates.

Guests will be issued with tickets for Barbican Hall at the registration desk and must sit in the seat number on their ticket. Any children attending must be accompanied by an adult who is not graduating as there are no childcare facilities available.

Please inform us if you or any of your guests are wheelchair users or require other accessible seating arrangements in the Barbican. We cannot guarantee we will be able to support their needs on the day as space is limited. If circumstances change for any reason, please contact us as soon as possible: universityevents@london.ac.uk

Guests are not required to be smartly dressed. However, as it is a formal event most guests do prefer to be appropriately dressed for the occasion (e.g. collar and tie). 

Registration closes 45 minutes before the ceremony starts.

Whilst we will endeavour to accommodate late arrivals, due to the nature of the event, this may not always be possible. For this reason, we encourage all attendees to arrive at least 90 minutes before the ceremony, so that you can register, collect your gowns and have any photographs taken before the ceremony starts.

Now that bookings are closed:

• You will be invited to attend the next graduation ceremonies in 2024 (We currently cannot confirm future dates).  
• Please note that you do not need to attend a ceremony in order to graduate – these are celebratory events and if you have been awarded your degree, you have officially graduated.

If you or your guests would like a programme, these will be available for you to collect before entering the ceremony room. If you cannot find the programmes, please ask a member of staff who can point you in the right direction.

No flash photography or video recording is allowed inside the hall. We are recording and live streaming the ceremonies and official photographs will be available to purchase.

Don’t worry! There will be a live demonstration before the ceremony starts to show you what to do as you cross the stage.

Yes. There will be a live stream of each ceremony for those that wish to follow the day from afar, and a link will be available on this webpage for a few days before the event.  This can be sent to family and friends so they can watch even if they can’t attend on the day.

Yes, we will be hosting a post-ceremony reception after each ceremony within the Barbican.

Ushers will be on hand to guide you to the reception area.

There are no current government restrictions in place on holding events in the UK. 

The UK government has lifted all COVID-19 restrictions for events but if you prefer to wear a mask in the venue you may.

If you feel unwell, please do not attend your graduation – particularly if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. You will be able to watch a live stream and we will post your certificate to your registered home address.

You can find a range of accommodation for all tastes and budgets on the Visit London website.

If you want to stay near Senate House, search for accommodation in Bloomsbury. If you prefer to stay close to the Barbican Centre, search for accommodation in Barbican.