Annual Dinner 2026 -- Friday, 27^th February from 7pm onwards

The President and the Committee request the pleasure of your company at the Cambridge Society Annual Dinner 2026.

We are most pleased to announce that this dinner will be held once again at the prestigious Cercle Royal Gaulois, Rue de la Loi 5, 1000 Brussels.

The dress code is black tie or smart evening dress. Smart lounge suits and smart ladies' business attire is acceptable. Gentlemen are expected to wear ties. Academic attire and national costumes are especially welcome.

Registration open (see below)! Doors open at 6:30pm, welcome at drinks at 7pm, dinner at 8pm.

The Chancellor will speak on the topic of: "What is a University For?"

Chris Smith -- The Chancellor

We are honoured to welcome Lord Chris Smith of Finsbury, Elected Chancellor of the University of Cambridge (July 2025), as our Speaker and Guest of Honour.

Lord Smith’s distinguished career spans politics, academia, and cultural leadership. Born in 1951 and educated in Edinburgh before attending Pembroke College, Cambridge, he achieved a double first in English and later completed a PhD on Wordsworth and Coleridge. He also spent a year at Harvard as a Kennedy Scholar. His political career began in local government and quickly progressed to national politics when he became MP for Islington South and Finsbury in 1983.

During his years in Parliament, he served in several Shadow Cabinet roles before being appointed Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in 1997. In that role he restored free admission to national museums and galleries, expanded support for the arts and sport, and championed the creative industries at a time when their economic and cultural significance was becoming increasingly visible. He also oversaw the creation of NESTA, the Film Council, Creative Partnerships for schools, and the Foundation for Youth Music, helped initiate funding for Olympic athletes, and launched the national transition to digital television. He was the first openly gay Cabinet Minister in the world.

After returning to the back benches in 2001 and playing a leading role in opposing the Iraq war, he stepped down from the Commons in 2005 and entered the House of Lords. Alongside his parliamentary work, he has held numerous leadership roles across the cultural and public sectors, including Director of the Clore Leadership Programme, Chairman of the Environment Agency, Chairman of the Advertising Standards Authority, Chairman of the Art Fund, Chair of Judges for the Man Booker Prize, and Chair of the Donmar Warehouse Theatre. He has also chaired Cambridge and South Staffs Water, served as Chair of the Intellectual Property Regulation Board, acted as a Non-Executive Director of PPL, and continues to support the Wordsworth Trust as Honorary President. From 2015 to 2025, he served as Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge.