The Fox Hunt is Ashworth's most popular event, held on the first Saturday of November, and it involves the entire university community in a day-long pursuit that has evolved from a simple game into an elaborate ritual with defined roles and rules. The event is a cross-country chase on horseback, with the goal of capturing the Fox, who carries a flag and must evade the pursuit for as long as possible while travelling from the campus to a designated finish point approximately fifteen miles away across the surrounding farmland. The hunt is divided into two teams named after the residence halls, North Courtyard and South Courtyard, and each team has a designated set of roles that are assigned by anonymous vote the day before and kept secret until the game begins.
The Fox is the central figure of the game, typically a strong rider who is familiar with the terrain, and their task is to reach the designated finish point while avoiding capture by the teams. They start thirty minutes before the Hares, who are two riders from each team who attempt to distract and mislead the pursuers by creating false trails and leading groups in the wrong direction. The Hares wear distinctive armbands to identify their role and are allowed to deviate from the course as long as they remain within a designated boundary. The Ravens are scouts who ride separately from the main group and use flags, bells, and horns to communicate information about the Fox's location and the movements of the opposing team. The Hounds are the main group of pursuers from each team, consisting of all the remaining riders, and their task is to catch the Fox by taking the flag from their saddle.
Each team also has a King, who is usually a tutor, and who serves as the leader of their side, directing their strategy and making decisions during the game. The Banner Bearer carries the King's banner, a navy or gold flag that corresponds to their team, and if the banner is captured by the opposing team, the team is penalised with a half-hour time-out during which they must remain stationary. The Duke and Duchess are the most playful roles, assigned to two students, typically a man and a woman, who are selected either because they are a couple, because their friends think they would make a good couple, or simply because they are the most humorous choices. The Duke and Duchess serve as second-in-command after the King and have the authority to split off from the main group if necessary.
The Guards are positioned before the game begins at key crossings, bridges, gates, and narrow passages, and they control access to the course. They are usually teachers or senior students, and they hide clues that teams must find to progress, opening gates only once a specific condition has been met. The Marshal is the chief referee and organiser, responsible for starting the game, announcing the rules, leading the opening ceremony, and ensuring safety throughout the event. The Marshal has the authority to stop the game at any point and is responsible for resolving disputes.
The hunt begins with the Fox and the Hares starting first, followed thirty minutes later by the Ravens, and then by the two teams in their full groups. The teams compete not only to catch the Fox but also to capture each other's banners, and the game continues until the Fox is caught or reaches the designated finish point. Once the Fox has been caught, both teams gather at a predetermined location for a celebration involving food, drink, and the presentation of a small trophy to the team that successfully captured the flag. The event has been held every year since 1883, with only two cancellations due to severe weather, and it is considered the highlight of the autumn term by most students.
The Ball Mystery takes place during the annual Winter Ball, a formal event held in the Galahad Room on the first Saturday of December. The ball is a relatively standard university event – dinner, dancing, formal attire – but it includes a mystery component that has become its defining feature. During the evening, a staged crime occurs, typically a theft or an incident of vandalism, and guests are invited to solve the mystery while continuing to enjoy the social aspects of the ball. The crime is designed by a student committee in advance, with planted clues distributed throughout the venue, and the solution is announced at midnight, with a small prize awarded to the guest who comes closest to the correct solution. The mystery has evolved over the years from a simple puzzle to an elaborate production with multiple suspects, red herrings, and a resolution that often includes a comedic twist. The ball also features a tradition where guests wear a mask of their own creation, a practice that dates to 1983 and was originally intended as a way to make the event more inclusive by reducing the social pressure associated with formal dress.
Night Watch is held on the night of the first full moon in April and is an all-night vigil that takes place on the campus grounds. Students gather at the Saddle after dinner and remain there until sunrise, participating in a series of activities that are designed to be quiet and contemplative. The tradition originated in the 1960s as a protest against the university's curfew policies and has evolved into a peaceful gathering that includes storytelling, poetry readings, and a communal breakfast prepared just before dawn. The event is not officially sanctioned but is tolerated by the administration, and students are expected to clean up the area before they leave. The most notable feature of Night Watch is the Lantern Walk, a procession that takes place at midnight where participants carry lanterns to the Wish Oak and attach them to its branches, creating a spectacle that is visible from the surrounding farmland. The lights remain on the tree until morning, when they are collected and stored for the following year.
The Ashes Game is the final event of the academic year, held on the last Saturday of Trinity term, and it serves as a conclusion to the North-South rivalry. The game is a one-day cricket match played on the Saddle, which is temporarily converted into a pitch, with Northcliff Hall and Southgate Hall teams competing for a trophy that is a wooden box containing the ashes of a burnt cricket ball from the original 1912 match that started the rivalry. The match is deliberately unserious, with players wearing costumes and a rule that allows spectators to interfere with the game as long as they do not physically touch the players. The event draws the largest student turnout of any event outside of the Fox Hunt, and the atmosphere is one of exhaustion and celebration rather than genuine competition. The game concludes with a ceremony where the losing team is presented with a ceremonial wooden spoon and the winning team receives the trophy, which they are expected to hide somewhere on campus by the following morning. The Ashes Game is followed by a barbecue on the lawn and marks the unofficial end of the academic year for most students, with final exams already completed and graduation ceremonies scheduled for the following week.