Community

Events and festivals in Oxford

The city hosts a series of events and festivals throughout the year, including:

  • Oxford Science Festival, a three-week festival in March, which aims to engage and enthuse people about science.
  • Oxford Literary Festival, a week-long literary festival held in venues across Oxford in late March or early April.
  • May Day, when the choristers of Magdalen College School sing an invocation to summer from the top of Magdalen College Great Tower at 6am on 1 May.
  • Artweeks, a visual arts festival held during May, when artists and crafts people open their homes and studios to the public.
  • Oxford May Music, a classical music festival combining concerts and lectures that explore music, science and literature.
  • Oxford Pride, a one-week festival in June, which brings together lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and transsexual communities.
  • Cowley Road Carnival, a one-day carnival held in East Oxford in July involving dance, theatre, and music.
  • Oxford Open Doors, a weekend event in September when University, college and city venues open their doors to the public.
  • Oxford Lieder Festival, a two-week festival of song, which takes place in late October.
Museums

Oxford’s museums, including the Ashmolean, Pitt Rivers, Museum of Natural History and Museum of the History of Science, contain collections of international importance. Details of events and exhibitions can be found on the Events page of the University website.

Each of the University’s museums has its own education service to develop programmes to increase public access to the collections. If you are interested in volunteering to help with tours and activities for visitors and local family groups, visit the Volunteering page on the museums' website. 

Further information
Parks and Gardens

Oxford boasts a large amount of green space, including beautiful riverside walks, the University Parks, the oldest botanic garden in the country, and college gardens.

Six miles south-east of the city, you can enjoy Harcourt Arboretum, which contains one of the finest collections of mature trees in the country. Entrance is free on presentation of a University Card. Wytham Woods, a 400-hectare expanse of woodland and grassland, lies three miles north-west of Oxford and can be reached via Wolvercote or the northbound A34. Entrance is free but you need to apply at least two weeks in advance for a permit. Permits are valid for three years.

Further information
Theatre and cinema

Theatres in Oxford include:

There are a number of resident theatre companies in Oxford, including Creation Theatre Company and the Oxford Shakespeare Company, which specialises in open-air theatre.

Each year, a major theatrical figure is appointed as Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre to give a series of lectures and workshops. Past names include Richard Attenborough, Patrick Stewart, Kevin Spacey, Michael Frayn, Trevor Nunn, Meera Syal and Stephen Fry.

Cinema-goers have a choice of four cinemas in the city: