Whether you are visiting the city of live here and just want to know what’s on in Cambridge in May, this guide of events will help you plan ahead for fun gigs, quality plays, and more. We try and keep the guide as up to date as possible but things change. Therefore do click through to the venues for bang up-to-date timings, dates and availability. On to the May guide!
Cambridge Corn Exchange:
CB2 3QE
5th May–The Divine Comedy A collection of their finest moments!
6th May– Tony Hadley- 40th Anniversary Tour to celebrate 40 years in music , with classic Spandau Ballet and solo tracks.
8th May– Bianca Del Rio“The Joan Rivers of the Drag World” (The New York Times) on the Unsanittized UK tour
10th May- Travis playing both classic and new tunes
11th May- Michael Kiwanuka SOLD OUT
12th May– Trixie Mattel- drag queen, musician, stand up comedian, entertainer, entrepreneur.
15th May – The Shires ,country music’s most prominent voices, present their music.
16th May– Strictly Come Dancing’s Giovanni Pernice – This is Me tour
17th May– stand up comedy in the form of Stewart Lee: Snowflake/Tornado
19th May – Legendary guitarist and singer-songwriter Robert Cray returns to the UK
21st May– More comedy from Joe Lycett in More More more, how do you Lycett, How do you Lycett.
28th May– a collection of short films from Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour (Blue Programme)
29th May– Patti Smith and Her Band, 1970-2022 in Poetry and Music
30th May– The Overtones – the Multi-platinum selling vocal harmony group, in their 10th Anniversary Tour!
The Junction:
1st May- The Bubble Show, Junction 2, Mr Bubbles thrills children and adults with his amazing bubbles show- 11.30am & 2.30pm
Hannah White, Junction 3, solo artist performing her heartfelt Americana noir
3rd & 4th May– Fault Lines, Junction 2, A fashion show like no other as five diverse performers take to the stage!
5th May– Junction 1, Cambridge Band Competition Final as bands compete for the prestigious title.
Junction 2, Sam Sweeney instrumental English traditional music.
Junction 3, TOGETHER CULTURE PRESENTS A DINNER OF IDEAS, conversation and discussion.
6th May– Junction 1, The Fiver giving emerging bands the stage
Junction 3, Hammer and Tongue– 8 poetry and spoken word performers compete for a place in the regional final
7th May-
Junction 1, Britpop favourites Sleeper return to the stage
Junction 2, The Ukranians gives you a night to celebrate 30 years of music.
8th May- Junction 2, Roald Dahl and the Imagination Seekers is a family show inspired by the work of Dahl
9th May –
Junction 1, John Dwyer’s group the OSees (oh Sees)
Junction 2- Alyssa and Doug Graham perform The Grahams
10th May–
Junction 1, new and original music from Cambridge Regional College – Final Major Project Showcase
Junction 2, Ana Silvera with folk and blue grass tinged tunes
11th May Junction 2 has three events, for art lovers, a day of fun creativity in Inspiring Creativity Cambridge 2022, and drop in café Arts & Minds , then in to the evening with music from Flook.
12th May
Junction 1 has dance pop music from Confidence Man
Junction 2 classic country music with My Darling Clemetine
13th May A Junction takeover for performance-artist-cum-games-master-cum-dream-master Daniel Oliver in Chipperlarterant Party: The Board Game
Junction 2- The Noise Next Door’s Comedy Lock in
14th May-
Junction 2 folk artist Will Varley in Junction 2
Junction 3 musical comedians Jonny and the Baptists bring you Dance Like it Never Happened
15th May Apple and Spice in Junction 2, Indian storytelling, dance and shadow puppetry
16th May– Seven-time winner at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Karine Polawart & Dave Milligan in Junction 1
17 & 18th May- Junction 2 has SHOWWOMEN is a feminist rewrite: the untold herstory of British working-class entertainment from immigrant, queer, activist and occult perspectives.
19th May-
Junction 1- Street performer, recording artist & producer Dub FX , featuring Mr Woodnote
Junction 2 -Comedian Seann Walsh with Back from the Bed
20th May
Junction 1 hosts one of the UK’s most talented and treasured songwriters Peter Doherty
Junction 2 offers stand up comedy from Alfie Moore: Fair Cop Unleashed
21st May
Junction 1- From the West End, The All or Nothing Experience is the classic rock and roll story of the Small Faces, four charismatic young kids from East London.
Junction 2- Regular feature, Jesterlarf Comedy Club
Junction 3- Find new and emeging acoustic, folk and roots artists at New Routes
22nd May-
Junction 1- Following a sold out show at London’s Jazz Café, L’Entourloop
Junction 2- family fun with Moomin Mischief and Mystery in Moomin Valley
23rd May-
Junction 1- Fancy a sing-a-long? Bowling for Soup with Jaret and Rob
Junction 2- Acclaimed British soul singer and songwriter JP Cooper
24th May
Junction 1 -Irish Folk Music from Dervish
Junction 2- Comedy from Patrick Kielty in his Borderline tour
25th May– Junction 2 has Work In Progress Evening – A triple bill of work in development by members of the artist development network, Troop.
27th – 28th May– many acts as part of the Disrupt Festival, two days full of events to disrupt. Festival pass available.
30th May
Junction 1 hosts musician, YouTuber, actor, author and professional boxer KSI
Junction 2 offers Scottish folk star Kris Drever (LAU), and Nashville-based Americana artist Rachel Baiman
31st May
Creative café is back in Junction 2, and also in Junction 2 is Hang Massive, dream-like acoustic and upbeat electronic sounds.
ADC Theatre:
3rd -7th May- Corpus playroom offers Garry Bonds’ Balanced Breakfasts is an original comedy-drama by Rishi Sharma asking ‘What will you do to be the best?
Also at the Corpus playroom, However Belligerent the Cactus is a play that deals with political idealism, power imbalance, and the unstable self-consciousness of youth.
The ADC Theatre hosts The Son, a touching portrayal of teenage depression and the effect it has on those around by Florian Zeller
4th-6th May The ADC Theatre’s Blue Workers: A Backstage Musical Extravaganza is a toe-tapping original musical.
10th-14th May see’s Hooded at the Corpus Playroom, a darkly comic piece of new writing exploring the power dynamic when age, class and gender norms are instantly subverted.
The Chair by Desmond Sim is also showing at the Corpus playroom, a story about tradition, culture and family ties from a region of the world that is much too far away.
The ADC Theatre gives us Enron – a a true story of scandal, greed, lies, coverups and tragedy by Lucy Preebles.
11th-13th May– The ADC Theatre tells, through mine, the classic tale of the Pied Piper for those over 15.
17th- 21st- The Corpus Playroom has An Open Book, a Wildean farce set in modern-day Cambridge by Rosalind Moran.
Also at Corpus, A Place on Earth, a play that blends realism with comedy and takes a detached look at the universal themes of experimenting and young love.
M Butterfly at the ADC Theatre. A story of an American navy boy in Japan, failing his oriental love for his soon-to-be wife, Butterfly.
18th- 20th May , at the ADC Cambridge Footlights Harry Potter prize winner 2021 Bunker.
24th – 28th May Ballyturk an amateur production presented by an arrangement with Nick Hern Books at the Corpus Playrooms.
Also at the Corpus Playrooms, Wedding of the Century by Lucy Sargent. A hopeful comedy exploring love and friendship.
At the ADC Theatre, Vanity Fair: An (im)morality play.
25th- 27th May, the ADC theatre hosts Streamlined, while the Larkum Studio offers Moles– a queer song cycle about a very complicated threesome.
More One Night Stands and Bar Shows in May here.
Cambridge Arts Theatre:
3rd May– Ricky Gerais and Friends– new material night
4th-8th May– children’s classic The Smartest Giant in Town , based on the book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
10th -21st May – Beautiful, the award-winning West End and Broadway show Beautiful – The Carole King Musical
22nd May – My Name is Why: Lemn Sissay
23rd- 28th May -Patrick Duffy, Linda Purl and Gray O’Brien, star in the exciting new production of the classic Broadway thriller, Catch Me if You Can.
31st May- National treasure Barry Humphries: The Man Behind the Mask
Town and Gown:
5th May Bingo at Tiffany’s- evening of hilarious bingo games, raucous singalongs and glamorous dancing
7th May MOLECULAR MIXOLOGY & MUSICALS WITH CAMBRIDGE GIN LAB a theatrical gin tasting delight!
10th & 11th May– Tales from Star City based on true events and untold stories.
12th & 13th May – Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, this play by classic Irish playwright Frank McGuinness celebrates the strength of the human spirit. based on a true story.
14th May – The Secret Cabaret Club offers a killer line up by resident hostess Gloria Squeezers
17th & 18th May- Somewhere to Belong- a clownish hour of chaos!
19th May – regular comedy night Big Deal Comedy
24th-26th May– Cell Outs – a dark comedy written and performed by two ex-prison officers
28th May- sing-a-long fun with AN EVENING WITH THE TWO TOMS
The Portland Arms:
See the music events for May at the Portland Arms here.
Storeys Field Centre:
12th May- Robyn Hitchcock– contemporary singer/songwriters and live performer
14th May- Tom Robinson Band for live music
20th May- Cancer v Comedy– stand up comedy night!
21st May- Pro Wrestling with The Rasslin’ Bunch
See more ideas for night out in Cambridge here.
