See what your options are if you’re planning to stay on the Sussex campus or nearby over the Easter break, summer vacation or Christmas holidays.
Holiday dates
The main breaks in our academic year dates are:
- Christmas, listed as the winter vacation
- Easter, listed as the spring vacation
- Summer, listed as the summer vacation.
Christmas
Christmas happens during the winter vacation listed in our academic year dates.
Events
Our Residential Life team aim to bring you Sussex events throughout the Christmas break. Follow @ResLifeSussex on Instagram and Facebook to keep up to date.
Events include:
- Dogs on Campus (7 December, 12-2pm)
- Holiday Hangout (13 December, 7-9pm)
- Classical Music & Mingle (19 December, 10am-3pm).
View the Christmas on Campus leaflet, created by the Belong at Sussex programme team, for more activity ideas and reminders of support available.
You can also see ideas of things to do in Brighton for Christmas on the VisitBrighton website.
Christmas celebrations
If you are staying on campus, there is a:
- Carol Service (5 December)
- Christmas gathering for students on campus (20 December, 12 noon to 2pm)
- Christmas Day drop-in (25 December, 12 noon to 3pm).
Check all Meeting House opening times over the holidays and see events for mass times.
Students’ Union events
The Students’ Union runs its own events over Christmas.
Operational hours
Outside of term time some services on campus run reduced hours.
Check:
- Library opening hours
- Sports Centre and Complex opening hours
- residence reception hours
- cafes and food outlets
- Students' Union shops and services
- Health Centre opening hours.
The Student Centre building will remain open 24/7 during the vacation, though it will not be operating a full Welcome and Triage service from 22 December to 2 January. The support services inside the Student Centre are closed on Tuesday 13 December 2022 for staff training.
The University Pharmacy is closed 24-27 December 2022 and from 31 December 2022 to 2 January 2023. The Pharmacy will also be closed on Saturdays from 10 December to 7 January (inclusive).
The Security office is available 24/7, including bank holidays and the holiday period.
The launderette is open, although service washes will be unavailable from end of Friday 23 December 2022 to Monday 2 January 2023.
Public transport does not run on Christmas Day (25 December).
Check which services are running around the Christmas and New Year period for:
Travelling abroad
Many Sussex students use this time to travel abroad. The winter vacation is usually about three weeks.
Check our Coronavirus information before you leave and before you return.
If you need a visa for travelling in Europe, request a visa letter as soon as possible to allow time for it to be produced and emailed to you. Most University offices will close from Thursday 22 December 2022. Before you request a letter, check the government guidelines for the country you are travelling to and the waiting times for appointments at the embassy of your destination.
Sending letters and parcels
If you’re planning to send packages or letters home before Christmas, there are last posting dates for Royal Mail.
Staying with us
You’re welcome to stay in your University-managed accommodation over the break. If you want to do this, fill in a form to let us know.
Your accommodation agreement covers you for the winter vacation.
Easter
Easter takes place during the spring vacation listed in our academic year dates.
If you’re staying in University-managed accommodation, your accommodation agreement covers you for the spring vacation.
Summer
Our summer vacation period is listed in our academic year dates.
If you’re staying in University-managed accommodation, your accommodation agreement normally ends before the summer vacation starts.
You can find out about staying in University-managed accommodation over the summer.
Support services
See details of our support services if you need them.