The Cambridge Festival runs from March 19th to April 4th 2025, and you can find a whole host of events from evening talks to hands on family activities. Here at the Museum of Zoology we have a number of events taking place. Read on to find out more.

Honest Histories? Uncovering where Our Tasmanian tigers came from

6:45pm-8:30pm on Wednesday 19 March

Today, natural history museums are starting to research the full histories of how their collections were built, and this can bring to light some surprising and troubling stories. Thylacines, or Tasmanian tigers, are icons of extinction, and some of the world’s best-preserved specimens are in Cambridge’s University Museum of Zoology. New research there has uncovered an uncomfortable truth about how the history of the extinction of the thylacine had strong parallels with the violent events that took place in Tasmania in the nineteenth century.

Join zoologist and author Jack Ashby (University of Cambridge) and journalist and academic Lainy Malkani (University of the Arts London) in the inspiring setting of the Museum of Zoology for a conversation about Tasmanian tigers, museum collecting, and how to tell these difficult stories. The evening is also the launch of a new podcast miniseries exploring these topics, incorporating thought-provoking soundscapes and interviews.

The series is part of a unique art/science collaboration between the Sonic Screen Lab, UAL (Lainy Malkani, Professor Shreepali Patel & Julia Schauerman) and the Museum of Zoology (Jack Ashby).

After the talk, participants will have the chance to explore the galleries while they listen.

SENSEational Animals

10:00am-4:30pm on Saturday 29 March

Visit the Museum of Zoology for hands-on science fun. Discover animal senses, feel textures handling real museum specimens, and uncover amazing stories of the evolution of animal colours. We will be joined by researchers working on the bright colours of passion vine butterflies, the changing populations of UK insects and more. This is your chance to meet zoologists, find out more about the way zoology collections like ours were built and how they are being used for research, and see real animals both from the collections, and living examples too. Activities will be taking place in the Whale Hall, Learning Lab, Galleries and Discovery Space of the Museum.

Drop-in. No need to book.

Sensing Change

Tuesday 25th – Sunday 30th March, with a special performance on Wednesday 26th March from 6pm-8pm

This innovative collaboration between the Museum of Zoology and Cambridge School of Visual and Performing Arts examines environmental change through a sensory lens. Students from a wide range of creative disciplines, including animation, fine art, 3D design, music and drama, will explore the impacts of environmental threats on wildlife, offering narratives of resilience alongside cautionary tales.?

This display will feature intimate sculptures, animations, a striking 9-meter-long drawing, ceramics works, a large-scale sculpture, augmented reality experiences and interactive drawing activities. These works, made from sustainable materials, bring to life how animals experience and adapt to a rapidly changing planet?