Explore art, history and culture
Culture
Both the city and the University are home to people of all cultures, who bring their passion for different pursuits to Portsmouth – so whether you're interested in Ghanaian fashion, Bengali music or comic book culture from around the world, you can take your interest further here.
Student-led cultural groups
When you study with us, you can join as many student-led groups as you like. These include cultural societies like the Cinema Society, Book Club or the Harry Potter Society and national groups including the Bengali Society, the Czechoslovakian Group, or the Afro-Caribbean Society. If you don't find a society based on your interests, you can always start your own when you arrive at University.
Cultural festivals
The city hosts many different cultural festivals throughout the year in celebration of food, community, art and history. The University also hosts its annual Festival of Culture during Global Week, where students showcase their culture and international heritage.
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Traditional lion dance
Festival of Cultures
Eastern European dance
Art
The city has several art galleries and hosts regular arts and crafts festivals, where you can discover local artists, buy their work, or exhibit your own. Turner Prize winner Sir Grayson Perry studied at Portsmouth, and the city still has a strong artistic community.
Art galleries
Home to new, contemporary and more traditional art, explore some of the main galleries in Portsmouth. You can also catch a train to the centre of London from Portsmouth in less than 90 minutes, where you'll find hundreds of galleries.
Creative workshops
At the University, we offer workshops and creative short courses that you can sign up for outside of your studies. Make sure to also have a look at the societies run by the Students' Union for any student-led groups that offer workshops.
Explore Aspex Portsmouth Art Gallery
Aspex is Portsmouth's contemporary art gallery.
We've been in the city since 1981, established by artists, recent graduates and staff of the University of Portsmouth.
I come in quite often of friends and, you know, nice aesthetic here, quite relaxed vibes.
Whatever subject one's studying at university, there's always a lot to draw from contemporary art.
I do think Aspex gallery is unique to Portsmouth.
I don't think other cities have got quite what Portsmouth has to offer.
There's a lot of stuff to do.
It's just a beautiful city.
It's like nowhere else.
Museums
You can visit museums to learn about our literature, natural history, and history as the home of the Royal Navy. Museums in the city include:
Historic Dockyard
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is a collection of Naval charities and museums including the National Museum of the Royal Navy, the Mary Rose Trust, the HMS Warrior Preservation Trust Ltd and the HMS Victory Preservation Company.
The D-Day Story
The D-Day Story tells the story of the Normandy Landings. D-Day was the largest invasion ever assembled by allied troops and the D-Day Story is home to over 10,000 items of significance from the Normandy Landings and the people that were part of it.
Portsmouth Museum
Portsmouth Museum gives you an idea of what it was like to live in Portsmouth at different times in history. Galleries include 'Living in Portsmouth,' 'No Place Like Pompey' and 'Portsmouth at Play'.