Freshers Entertainment Ideas: A Planning Guide

Freshers week sets the tone for students' entire university experience. The entertainment you choose affects whether new students make friends in their first week or spend it feeling isolated. That's a lot of pressure on whoever's planning it — usually a student union entertainment officer juggling multiple events, venues and a limited budget.

We've been supplying freshers entertainment to universities across the UK since 2009. This guide shares what we've learned about what works, what doesn't, and how to plan it all without losing your mind.

Start With Your Students, Not Your Budget

Before looking at games and activities, think about who's actually coming. Today's freshers cohorts are diverse: school leavers, mature students, international students, students with disabilities, and students who are deeply nervous about the whole experience. Your entertainment needs to create opportunities for all of these people to feel included.

Games that work across this range tend to share common traits: they're easy to understand without instructions, they create natural conversation, and they don't require physical fitness or cultural knowledge to enjoy. Giant garden games, photo booths and prize games all tick these boxes.

Games that exclude tend to be the ones that assume everyone's confident, sporty or extroverted. The students who most need freshers week to work for them are often the ones who won't voluntarily join a high-energy group activity.

Indoor Ideas That Actually Work

Most freshers events happen in student union buildings, which means working with the space you've got. A few well-chosen games work better than trying to fill every corner.

Reaction games like Batak Lite and Batak Pro draw crowds because they're visually exciting — flashing lights and competitive energy pull in spectators who then want a go themselves. Position these where passersby can see them.

Photo booths serve double duty. They're entertainment on their own, and the branded prints or digital sharing create social media content that promotes your freshers week to students who haven't turned up yet. Some unions use Magic Mirrors in their welcome events to create shareable moments from day one.

Retro arcade games bridge the gap between confident and shy students. There's something about standing next to an arcade cabinet that makes conversation happen naturally. No one needs to be introduced — you just start talking about high scores.

Racing simulators draw a specific crowd who might not engage with other entertainment. The students queuing up for the racing sim are often the ones who wouldn't approach a dance competition or icebreaker game, but they'll happily spend 20 minutes trying to beat the leaderboard.

Outdoor Ideas for Campus Events

If the weather cooperates (and even in September, that's not guaranteed), outdoor events on campus lawns or courtyards create a festival atmosphere that indoor spaces can't match.

Giant games — Jenga, Connect 4, Corn Hole — work beautifully outdoors. They're relaxed, social and give groups something to do together. New flatmates who've just met can bond over stacking blocks without the awkwardness of forced conversation.

Fairground stalls like Hook-a-Duck, Coconut Shy and Ring Toss add a fun-fair feel that makes the day feel special rather than institutional. These are familiar, accessible and work for literally anyone who walks past.

Fun food — candy floss, popcorn, pick 'n' mix — creates gathering points where conversations happen over shared food. Free food at a student event is never a hard sell.

Weather backup: Always have an indoor contingency. We can advise which of your chosen games work indoors and which need outdoor space, so you can plan a seamless switch if the British weather doesn't cooperate.

Budgeting Realistically

Student union entertainment budgets vary wildly, but most freshers entertainment bookings fall into these brackets:

2–3 games covers a focused event in one venue — enough variety to keep things interesting without stretching thin.

4–6 games creates a proper entertainment area that feels like an event in its own right. This is the sweet spot for most freshers fairs.

6+ games works for large-scale campus events spread across multiple areas or running over several days.

Think about cost per student interaction rather than just the hire price. A prize wheel at £250 that 300 students use costs less than £1 per interaction — and every one of those students walks away talking about your freshers week.

Published pricing is on every product page on our website — no quote forms or hidden costs. You can build your shortlist and calculate your budget before you even pick up the phone.

Making It Social Media-Friendly

Today's freshers live on their phones. If your entertainment creates shareable moments, it promotes itself. Photo booths with printed and digital sharing are the obvious choice, but reaction games with leaderboards also generate content — students filming each other trying to beat the Batak high score is exactly the kind of content that gets shared in course group chats.

Create a hashtag. Put it on signage near the games. The content your students create during freshers week becomes marketing material for next year's open days.

The Planning Timeline

8–10 weeks out: Decide your event format, venues and rough game selection. Get in touch to check availability — September dates book up fast.

6 weeks out: Confirm your booking. If you want any branded games (student union logo, university branding), we need artwork at this stage.

4 weeks out: Finalise logistics — delivery times, venue access, power supply requirements. Brief your student helpers on what to expect.

1 week out: Final confirmation. We'll agree setup and collection times. Start promoting specific games on your social channels to build excitement.

On the day: We deliver, set up and test everything before your students arrive. Your team focuses on welcoming students. We handle the entertainment.

Ready to Plan Your Freshers Entertainment?

Browse our freshers fair games to see the full range, or contact us to talk through your plans. We'll recommend a selection based on your venues, numbers and budget.

Based in Coventry, we deliver to universities across the UK — from Coventry University and Warwick down the road to campuses in London, Manchester, Edinburgh and everywhere in between.