The University of Warwick is set to open its new £57.5million Faculty of Arts Building this Friday with a mini festival.

'FAB Fest' will feature a host of activities to celebrate arts and creativity on campus including stage combat workshops and the chance for guests to learn the dances from Bridgerton.

There will also be student performances and drop-in events until 5pm, with live music performances continuing into the evening. 

The official opening ceremony will begin at 12 noon, with speeches from Prof Christine Ennew, Provost of the university, and Prof Penny Roberts, chair of the Faculty of Arts.

The eight-storey building actually first welcomed students in December and is the new home for all the departments and research centres across arts and humanities.

Prof Roberts said: "It will be wonderful to throw open the doors of our magnificent new building and showcase the breadth and depth of the work that we do at Warwick.

"We are looking forward to seeing students, past and present, colleagues, guests and the local community filling our wonderful new space and engaging with art and culture here on campus."

The building first opened in December but the official opening ceremony is on Friday, May 20

The running order for FAB Fest includes: 

• Stage Combat Workshops: Touch gloves and take a corner! It's time for a rumble at Warwick. Enjoy a drop-in workshop from Squire Stage Combat and test your mettle against your opponent.
• Antiquities Room Showcase: Show and Tell: Come and explore the University of Warwick's Antiquities Room to discover more about our ancient artefact collection.
• Bridgerton Dance Workshop: Be led in dance by Dr Heidi Ashton (Cultural and Media Policy Studies) who worked on series one of Bridgerton assisting in the development and style of the dances.
• Ceramics Talk with Matthew Raw: Matthew created the ceramic wall art on the front of the new building, with a little help from the children of Coventry. Come and hear all about it.
• Delphic Tree Ceremony: The trees outside the new building are grown from seeds from the Sanctuary of Delphi in Greece, have been gifted to the University by the Greek Press Association UK in recognition of the work of Professor Michael Scott, himself an honorary citizen of Delphi. Michael will be present to say a few words.

Plus aerial acrobatics, poetry workshops, afternoon tea on the lawn, modern languages taster sessions, family history classes, roman cookery demonstrations, escape rooms, lino cutting workshops, pole dancing, live music and much more.

The event has been organised Dr David Coates, Assistant Professor and Faculty of Arts curator.

He said: "This won't be your average ribbon cutting ceremony.

"We'll hear welcome words from screen director and former student, Lawrence Till.

"Poet Raymond Antrobus will perform his specially commissioned poem, which is inscribed on the walls of the building, and then we will enjoy short performances to celebrate the work of every department.

"It will be a spectacle and a celebration and we look forward to welcoming people onto campus to enjoy this moment with us."

More information can be found here.