Dear Members,
As we look ahead to 2027, we are already beginning to think about the events and activities that will bring our Society together over the coming year. There will, of course, be some familiar dates in the calendar. We hope to continue many of the traditions that have become part of the rhythm of the Oxbridge Society of Hamburg: our Garden Party, the Annual Dinner, another visit to British Flair at Basthorst, and, naturally, our Boat Race Party.
But the Society should not simply be a programme of events organised for its members. At its best, it is a community shaped by its members — their interests, professions, experiences, friendships and curiosity. We would therefore very much like to invite you to help us shape the programme for 2027.
Your ideas – and perhaps your invitation?
Suggestions for events are always welcome. Even more welcome, however, are members who might like to host an event themselves.
Perhaps you could invite a small group of members for a tour of your company, institution, laboratory, gallery or workplace. Perhaps there is a subject from your professional or academic life that you would enjoy discussing with fellow Oxonians and Cantabrigians. You might know an interesting speaker, have access to an unusual venue, or simply like to bring ten or fifteen members together for an informal discussion over a glass of wine.
Our seminar on Artificial Intelligence in 2026 was a good example of how interesting such member-led events can be: three members approached a subject from their different professional and academic perspectives, followed by discussion among the participants. An event does not always have to be large or elaborate. Some of the most enjoyable Oxbridge occasions begin simply with an interesting question, an interesting room and a group of people who enjoy exchanging ideas.
Following the success of last year’s seminar, Professor Dr Ulf Schmidt will once again host an evening devoted to Artificial Intelligence, with presentations and discussion in an academic and informal setting. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Please save the date for the AI Seminar on 29th January 2027.
If there is something you have always thought the Society should do, please tell us. And if your suggestion begins with the words “I could host…”, so much the better. The Committee will, of course, be happy to help with invitations, communication and organisation.
A very special Boat Race year
One date can already be entered prominently into the 2027 calendar. The CHANEL J12 Boat Race will take place on Sunday, 11 April 2027, on the traditional Championship Course between Putney and Mortlake.
And 2027 will not be an ordinary Boat Race year. It marks 100 years since the first Women’s Boat Race, held on 15 March 1927. To mark the centenary, the usual order of racing will be reversed: the Men’s Boat Race will start at 15:40, followed by the Women’s Boat Race at 16:40, which will close the programme. For the first time, the winning crews will also receive two newly designed CHANEL trophies of equal size.
There will even be a centenary re-enactment on the Isis in Oxford on 15 March 2027, exactly 100 years after the first Women’s Boat Race.
All of this should give us ample reason to make our Hamburg Boat Race gathering in 2027 a particularly festive one — with Light Blue and Dark Blue scarves equally welcome.
On Sunday, 11 April 2027, we will once again gather at Der Hamburger und Germania Ruder Club to watch the Oxford–Cambridge Boat Race together. We are very grateful to our friends at the rowing club for hosting us again and look forward to an afternoon of rowing, friendly rivalry and good company by the Alster. The exact schedule for our Hamburg gathering and registration details will follow.
Cambridge and Oxford in 2027
There will also be plenty happening in Cambridge and Oxford themselves.
The Cambridge Alumni Festival will take place from 24 to 26 September 2027, bringing alumni back to Cambridge for lectures, discussions, College events and opportunities to reconnect with the University and one another.
At Oxford, the University’s flagship alumni gathering is Meeting Minds. College calendars are already pointing towards the weekend of 17–19 September 2027 for the Oxford Alumni/Meeting Minds weekend, with the detailed University programme to follow.
There are also some remarkable anniversaries to look forward to. Robinson College, Cambridge, celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2027, with a year-long programme of events. Corpus Christi College in Cambridge celebrates its 675th anniversary in 2027. Trinity Hall will continue its programme marking 50 years since the admission of women, including the anniversary of its first female undergraduates in 1977. For those with a particular interest in rowing, Trinity Hall Boat Club has another impressive reason to celebrate: it turns 200 years old in 2027.
Oxford has an even older birthday to mark. Lincoln College will celebrate its 600th anniversary on 13 October 2027, exactly six centuries after its foundation in 1427, with events planned throughout its anniversary year.
We mention these anniversaries not only because some of our members belong to these Colleges. They are also a reminder of one of the enjoyable aspects of an Oxbridge alumni society: each of us brings our own College, subject, generation and set of experiences, while remaining part of a much larger Cambridge and Oxford community.
Beyond Hamburg
That community extends well beyond our own Society. We are increasingly in contact with Cambridge, Oxford and joint Oxbridge alumni societies elsewhere in Germany and across Europe, many of which organise very active programmes of lectures, dinners, visits, Freshers or recent-graduate events and informal gatherings.
We regularly receive invitations from our sister societies and hope in 2027 both to share more of these opportunities with you and to welcome members of other societies to events in Hamburg. The Universities themselves make this increasingly easy: both Cambridge Alumni and Oxford Alumni maintain online event calendars and directories of their regional alumni groups, so it is worth having a look when travelling or spending time elsewhere. You may discover that an Oxbridge dinner, lecture or drinks reception happens to be taking place nearby.
We also hope that the growing exchange between the European societies will generate further opportunities for joint events — whether in Hamburg, elsewhere in Germany, or with our neighbours across Europe.
Help us make the 2027 programme
So, while some dates are already beginning to fill the calendar, a large part of our 2027 programme remains deliberately open.
If you have an idea, please send it to us. If you can introduce us to an interesting speaker, let us know. If you would like to show fellow members what you do, open the doors of your organisation for an afternoon, organise a visit, lead a walk, convene a discussion, or simply host a small gathering around a subject you think others would enjoy — we would be delighted to hear from you.
The Oxbridge Society of Hamburg has always been at its most interesting when the knowledge, enthusiasm and connections of its members become part of the programme. We hope that 2027 will offer many opportunities to continue that tradition.
We look forward to seeing many of you during the year — at the Boat Race, in a garden, at Basthorst, around a dinner table, at an event proposed by one of you, or perhaps somewhere we have not yet thought of.
With all best wishes,
The Committee of the Oxbridge Society of Hamburg
Melania Zauri • Wilfried Becker (Presidents)
Karsten Wenzlaff (Secretary) • Florian Heinemann (Treasurer) • Marcus Brüggen • Maximilian Kiener • Nils Kohler (Student Representative)
