Graduation

Car parking

The Royal Armouries is located on Leeds Dock on the south side of the city centre. The closest available car park is CitiPark, Leeds Dock, LS10 1LE. You are able to book your space in this multi-storey in advance through their website. Due to the proximity of alternative car parks to the Royal Armouries we definitely recommend that you book your parking to avoid disappointment on the day.

Tickets

Start your day by registering and collecting your tickets from the graduation reception inside the Royal Armouries Museum.

Inside your ticket pack there will be your ticket and your guest tickets for New Dock Hall and the live stream in Bury Theatre. Please see the 'Event Information' email from us to check your guest ticket allocation.

All graduands and guests will need to show their ticket to enter the New Dock Hall and Bury Theatre.

Gown, hood and hat

Collect your gown, hood and hat from the Armouries Hall inside the Royal Armouries Museum. Specialist gown hire company Ede & Ravenscroft will be there to fit your gown correctly. Gowning opens at 8:30am, please allow enough time to collect your gown, and make sure to return your gown by 6:30pm.

We ask that only graduands wait in the queue to collect their gown, guests can wait in the refreshments lounge in Armouries Hall.

If you haven't booked your gown in advance online you will be able to hire it on the day from Ede & Ravenscroft.

The gown is black with a crimson red hood, you can see it pictured below, it was designed by a former BA (Hons) Textile Design student and is completely unique to us.

Graduation is a formal occasion so we ask that you dress smartly. You will probably find that hairgrips are useful to secure your mortar. We recommend wearing ‘sensible shoes’, as you will be awarded your degree on stage, which you enter via a ramp and exit via a couple of steps.

Photography

Photography is located in the Armouries Hall inside the Royal Armouries Museum. Specialist gown hire company Ede & Ravenscroft also manage the photography. Please allow enough time to have your photograph taken before the ceremony.

We ask that only graduands and guests who are having their photograph taken wait in the photography queue, other guests can wait in the refreshments lounge in Armouries Hall.

If there isn’t enough time before your ceremony you can come back to have your photograph taken after the ceremony, please remember that photography closes at 6:30pm.

Graduand and guest seating

The doors to New Dock Hall and Bury Theatre will be open from an hour before your ceremony. You are welcome to take your seats once you have collected your tickets and gown and had your photograph taken. All graduands and guests must take their seats 15 minutes before the ceremony starts.

New Dock Hall is located on the other side of Armouries Square. Graduands sit in labelled seats at the front of the hall, it is essential that you sit in the seat we have allocated to you.

The ceremony is live streamed into Bury Theatre which is inside the Royal Armouries Museum. Guest seating can be accessed via the ground floor and a small amount from the first floor, we recommend anyone with mobility issues use the ground floor seating.

All guest seating is unreserved.

Your graduation ceremony

During the ceremony you will be addressed by the Vice-Chancellor Professor Simone Wonnacott and our Honorary Masters recipient who is a successful figure in the creative industries.

You will walk across the stage and the Vice-Chancellor will award your degree by shaking your hand, you will then walk to the other side of the stage and return to your seat. Please be aware that your official degree certificate will be sent in the post.

You enter the stage via a ramp and exit it via a couple of steps, please get in touch if you foresee any problems accessing the stage.

YouTube live stream

Friends and family without a ticket can watch the live ceremony via YouTube on the University website. Click here to watch the live stream.

Drinks reception

After the ceremony you and your guests are invited to join us for a celebratory glass of bubbly. Drinks will be served in New Dock Hall and you will be able to take your drink outside to Armouries Square where you will find a traditional fairground carousel and bar. The carousel is free, the bar takes card payments only.

Disabled access

This information will be useful if you have disabled guests or guests with reduced mobility. Please email graduation@leeds-art.ac.uk if you want to discuss specific accessibility needs.

The Royal Armouries is located on Leeds Dock on the south side of the city. You will either need to take a taxi there or park in CitiPark, Leeds Dock, LS10 1LE.

The graduation is spread over four locations: The Royal Armouries Museum, New Dock Hall, Bury Theatre and Armouries Square. All of these venues are on a level access.

The New Dock Hall is 200 meters from the CitiPark and the Royal Armouries Museum is a further 100 meters across the Armouries Square. If you have guests with limited mobility you can seat them in the foyer of New Dock Hall whilst you collect your tickets, gown and have your photograph taken.

Seating in the New Dock Hall is unreserved and it is all on one level, there is no tiered seating. There isn’t a specific disabled viewing area, guests in wheel chairs will be able to sit on the end of a row, the seating is loose chairs and these can easily be removed from the ends to accommodate.

Seating in Bury Theatre is tiered but the majority of it is on ground floor access, if one of your guests needs the disabled viewing area please email graduation@leeds-art.ac.uk.