Oxford Tourist Information

Candle Making Workshop
2026-05-31 09:00 - 11:00 (Europe/London) | Bicester Candles & Crafts, Station Road, Bletchingdon, OX5 3BQ
Join us in our beautiful studio with a fun, relaxed environment where you can create and commune.

Join us in our beautiful studio with a fun, relaxed environment where you can create and commune. Our team has over 4 years of candle-making and manufacturing experience, and we look forward to sharing our expertise and hosting you soon!
What to Expect: You will choose your favorite vessel from our assortment of options and test scents and oils to create your blend before being led through each step of the candle-pouring process by one of our staff members.
After pouring, you can check out our retail shop with more candles and a beautiful selection of intentional home and wellness goods, apparel etc. all at 10% OFF as a gift for being a workshop guest! While enjoying a freshly group coffe. Each workshop is about 40 min to an hour long. Your candles will be ready within TWO hours from your pour time or at your convenience any day there after!
What You’ll Get: A beautiful hand-poured candle with a custom blended fragrance — adorned with a topper (if you wish!), maybe crystals, dried flowers, or even an all-natural mica powder for a little added sparkle.

Brokenness and repair exhibition
2026-05-31 09:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-01 09:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-02 09:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-03 09:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-04 09:00 - 17:00 | Oxford Brookes University, Oxford Brookes University, Headington, Oxfordshire, OX3 0BP
Venue:

The Glass Tank, Oxford Brookes University

Date(s):

Monday, 26 January 2026 to Friday, 6 February 2026

Timing:

9am – 5pm

Cost:

0

Inspired by the sublime beauty of techniques of visual repair across cultures, these works invite reflection on brokenness and why it matters.
In recent years, the traditional Japanese technique of repairing broken pottery using lacquer, often embellished with gold or other precious metals, known as ‘kintsugi’ has fascinated and inspired not only contemporary artists, but also pscyhologists, philosophers, scientists and archaeologists. But the idea of caring for something that is broken and finding beauty in its imperfection resonates much more widely. Whether we are living with the painful yet precious memories of loss, or trying to reassemble places of belonging from the remnants of abandoned buildings, brokenness and repair speak to our fundamental ways of being in the world.
Through sculpture, sound, images, and pottery, this exhibition creates a space of dialogue between Japanese aesthetics of brokenness and repair and those of other cultures. Each piece invites visitors to reflect on the complex, sometimes challenging beauty of brokenness, and the care and attention involved in repair.
The exhibition includes original works from Rob Simpkins, Katie Taylor, Johanna Tulloch, Dan O’Brien, Natasha Durie, Juliet Eccles, and Rachel Barbaresi, as well as kintsugi pieces by Iku Nishikawa (Oxford Kintsugi).
All are invited to join us to meet the artists and organisers over wine and refreshments.
This exhibition and reception was made possible through the generous support of the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation.

Further Information

Contact Details:

https://www.brookes.ac.uk/about-brookes/…
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/brokennes…
dobrien@brookes.ac.uk

Recycled Extravaganza
2026-05-31 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-06-01 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-06-02 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-06-03 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-06-04 10:00 - 16:00 | Thame Museum, 79 High Street Thame, Oxfordshire, OX93AE, United Kingdom
Venue, Timing and Cost

Venue:

Thame Museum

Date(s):

Saturday, 7 February 2026 to Friday, 20 March 2026

Timing:

During opening hours Wed. Fri. Sat. 10am-4pm; Sun. 1pm-4pm-

Cost:

Free admission

This exhibition has been created by the talented art students of Lord Williams School Thame. Exhibition Gallery Thame Museum

Further Information

Contact Details:

Yvonne Maxwell, publicity@thamemuseum.org.
Thame Museum, 79 High Street Thame, OX93AE
www.thamemuseum.oirg

New Work 2026 at the West Ox Arts Gallery in Bampton
2026-05-31 11:30 - 16:30, 2026-06-01 11:30 - 16:30, 2026-06-02 11:30 - 16:30, 2026-06-03 11:30 - 16:30 | Ox Arts Gallery, Bampton, Market Sq, OX18 2JH
Venue, Timing and Cost

Venue:

West Ox Arts Gallery, Bampton.

Date(s):

Saturday, 14 February 2026 to Saturday, 14 March 2026

Timing:

Tues to Sat 11.30 – 4.30, Sun 2 – 4, Mondays closed

Cost:

free

West Ox Arts is delighted to present New Work 26, an exhibition celebrating the breadth and diversity of work created by its members. Taking place from 14 February to 14 March 2026, the exhibition will be held at the WOA Gallery, a distinctive and well-established venue in the heart of Bampton, Oxfordshire.
Visitors are invited to explore an inspiring range of contemporary art and craft, including painting, sculpture, glass, jewellery, textiles, wood, and wirework. The exhibition reflects the richness of artistic practice within the West Ox Arts community and offers something to engage every visitor.
Highlights include:
* Meet the artists – Learn about their inspirations, creative processes, and the stories behind the work.
* Discover new talent – Find emerging and established artists, uncover unique pieces, or simply enjoy the pleasure of artistic exploration.
* Support local creativity – Your visit helps sustain and encourage the region’s vibrant artistic community.
Artists interested in exhibiting in our member exhibitions are warmly invited to enquire about West Ox Arts membership. For further information, please contact: gallery@westoxarts.com
We look forward to welcoming you to the gallery.
Visitor Information
* Free entry
* Opening Times:
* Tuesday–Saturday: 11:30am – 4:30pm
* Sunday: 2:00pm – 4:00pm
* Monday: Closed
* WOA Gallery,Market Square. Bampton, Oxfordshire. OX18 2JH

Further Information

Contact Details:

Email: gallery@westoxarts.com
Website: www.westoxarts.com
Instagram: @westoxarts
Facebook: WestOxArts
Telephone: 01993 850137

How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
2026-05-31 12:00 - 16:00 | History of Science Museum, United Kingdom
Free entry — All welcome — Includes Light & Space Backpacks
Ever wondered how our ingenious scientific instruments work?
Join our volunteers for an afternoon getting hands-on with some of our collections — and see our amazing objects in action.
And if you’re visiting as a family, why not grab a Light and Space backpack to explore science stories in every gallery?
– Light and Space Backpacks
Explore science stories with hands-on activities throughout the galleries.
We worked with students from Iffley Academy special school and scientists from the Rutherford Appleton Space Lab to design these inclusive SEND-friendly packs that will appeal to children of all ages, with our without SEND (special educational needs and disabilities).
– Get hands-on with real objects
Our team will show you ingenious scientific devices — so you can get hands-on and experience how they worked in practice.
– Family Scavenger Hunt Trails
From Spot the Animal to Mission: Morse Code, discover a world of stories, puzzles and treasures with our Family Scavenger Hunt trails.
Just to let you know …
As these weekends are led by our volunteers, we may sometimes have to postpone or cancel them if someone is poorly.
Our apologies in advance if that does happen.
We’ll let you know on the website and on social media if we have to change dates and times.

Pets & their People
2026-06-01, 2026-06-02, 2026-06-03, 2026-06-04 | Weston Library, Broad Street, Oxford, England, OX1 3BG, United Kingdom
11 March – 27 September 2026
ST Lee Gallery, Weston Library
Free admission, no ticket required
About the exhibition
We have been domesticating animals for over ten thousand years. But why do we want tame wolves in our homes or wild cats on our laps?
This exhibition explores the relationship between humans and their pets – or pets and their humans.
Pets & their People draws on depictions of pets in stories, imagery and poetry in the Bodleian’s collection – from one of the earliest recorded depictions of an assistance dog for the blind to a rare copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland that has never been displayed in the UK before. The exhibition asks how the special bond between owners and their pets has evolved over time, and what that evolution tells us about who we really are.
Are we taming our pets, or are they bring us back to our wild roots?
Curators
Charles Foster, Fellow of Exeter College and bestselling author of Being a Beast
Acknowledgements
Pets & their People is made possible with generous support from the John S Cohen Foundation.

Charles Foster THE EDGES OF THE WORLD with Dan Kieran
2026-06-01 17:30 - 18:30 | Blackwell’s Bookshop, 48-51 Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BQ
Writer, traveller, veterinarian, taxidermist, barrister and philosopher Charles Foster joins us talk about his latest book.

The Edges of the World
We tend to think that everything important comes from the centre: from big cities, from established orthodoxies in the sciences and the arts, from the Establishment in all its forms. We think this because the centre tells us it is so, but it’s a lie. It is only at the edges that we think, innovate and thrive.
This book travels to the frontiers of human culture and consciousness; to the edges of continents, of evolution, of artistic and political movements, and life itself: from a rocky precipice in the Peloponnese where the first human set foot in Europe to an ancient Egyptian temple where monotheism was invented; from St Francis, kissing lepers to the giant bird-eating mice of St Kilda.
Why do we stare at sunsets? Why do we celebrate birthdays and grieve for those who are gone? Why do all adventures begin when we leave and get lost? Who has the better view of reality – the Government or the dispossessed?
And what happens when we live with the knowledge that we’re all teetering on the edge of the dark?
Charles Foster
Charles Foster is aNew York Times bestselling author whose work has been longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize, shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize for nature writing, and won the Ig Nobel Prize for Biology and the 30 Millions d’Amis Prize. He is a fellow of Exeter College, University of Oxford, and has particular passions for Greece, waves, the Upper Palaeolithic, mountains and swifts.
Dan Kieran
Dan is the author and editor of fourteen books, including the Sunday Times bestseller Crap Towns (the first viral internet phenomenon to turn into a bestselling book), The Idle Traveller (the bestselling Slow Travel: Die Kunst des Reisens in Germany), Three Men in a Float (the story of his journey across England in a 1957 electric milk float also recorded for BBC Radio 4) and Do Start: How to create and run a business (that doesn’t run you). A travel writer for the Guardian, The Times and the Telegraph, he has given talks on a range of subjects including publishing, creative writing, fundraising, entrepreneurship and how to have ideas for places like The Idler, The Do Lectures and The European Parliament.

Choral Vespers
2026-06-01 18:00 - 19:00 | Merton College Chapel, Merton Street, Oxford, Select a State:, OX1 4JD, United Kingdom
A service of Choral Vespers sung in the beautiful chapel of Merton College. All welcome.

Open mic nigh
2026-06-01 19:00 - 21:30 | Kazbar, 27 Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 1HP
Open Mic Night, Open to all ages and abilities. House guitar provided (Keys can be provided too).

Poker Night
2026-06-01 19:00 - 22:00 | The Cape Of Good Hope, Iffley Road, Oxford, OX4 1EA
Poker Night at The Cape Of Good Hope
A night packed full of no risk poker and free to enter
Organised by redtooth poker league players register for free and play for points with a chance to win awesome prizes.
Prizes include chances to play in regional finals and depending on placement in these finals you could be one of the lucky 100 to fly and play in Vegas with all expenses covered by redtooth.
book a table in advance incase of large turnout

Please check venue event page for any changes or cancelations

Oxford Generative Music Exchange
2026-06-02 19:00 - 21:00 | EOF Hackspace, 1 Aristotle Lane Oxford OX2 6TP
A jam of enthusiastic manipulators of sound signals. Exchange knowledge about algorithmic music, pattern generators, eurorack and more.

Frankie Goes to Bollywood
2026-06-02 19:30 - 22:00, 2026-06-03 19:30 - 22:00 | Oxford Playhouse, 11-12 Beaumont St, Oxford, OX1 2LW
Venue, Timing and Cost

Venue:

Oxford Playhouse

Date(s):

Tuesday, 2 June 2026 to Saturday, 6 June 2026

Timing:

Tue 2 – Sat 6 Jun 19:30 | Thu 4 and Sat 6 Jun 14:30

Cost:

Tickets from £15*

After a smash-hit UK tour, Frankie Goes to Bollywood returns – bigger, bolder, and bursting with Bollywood glamour.
This dazzling musical comedy-drama dives deep into the glitzy, high-pressure world of Indian cinema, where dreams are mass-produced, identities are reshaped, and women are expected to smile and play by the script written for them.
At the centre of it all is Frankie, a young British woman with little interest in fame. But her quiet suburban life is turned upside down as she is thrust into a world of dazzling lights, choreographed perfection and media obsession. Frankie must decide: Can she become a star without losing who she really is?
What must she give up to succeed in a man’s world – and what is she willing to fight for?
With show-stopping choreography, lavish costumes, and a cast of unforgettable characters, Frankie Goes to Bollywood is a bold, uplifting story of ambition, transformation, and the power of telling your own story.
Featuring original Bollywood songs by hit composer Harry Anand, this is Rifco Theatre Company’s most ambitious production yet – a celebration of love, identity and courage, packed with joy, drama, and spectacular entertainment.
Whether you’re a fan of musicals, Bollywood films, or powerful British stories, this is one night at the theatre you won’t want to miss.
*A £2.75 booking fee per transaction applies to this event across all channels – website, phone and in-person bookings at the Box Office. The fee is waived for members, schools, groups and access bookers.

Further Information

Contact Details:

Oxford Playhouse
www.oxfordplayhouse.com | 01865 305305
Beaumont Street, Oxford, United Kingdom, OX1 2LW

Jazz Night At The Bear
2026-06-02 20:00 - 22:00 | The Bear, 6 Alfred Street, Oxford, OX1 4EH
Jazz Night At The Bear

Every Tuesday at The Bear enjoy a glass of red or a refreshing pint as you watch a weekly Live Jazz session!
Get Moving! Get Grooving! Get Dancing!

Please check on website incase of date changes or cancelations

YouthLab: Weekly Drama (Kidlington)
2026-06-03 18:00 - 19:00 | North Wall Arts Centre, S Parade, Summertown, Oxford, OX2 7JN
Join the YouthLab youth theatre to develop skills in drama, discover an artistic style and be the creator of your own work. We will spend the autumn term developing skills in performance, we will spend the spring term devising a show and we will spend the summer term rehearsing for a Summer Showcase at The North Wall.
For ages 12 – 17
Venue: St John’s Church, Kidlington
Full bursary places available: click here to apply

YouthLab: Weekly Drama (Kidlington)
Tickets£90 per term
Extra information
Full bursary places available: click here to apply
Venue: St John’s Church, Kidlington

Social Thursday
2026-06-04 10:30 - 11:30 | Oxford Playhouse, 11-12 Beaumont St, Oxford, OX1 2LW
FREE (Book ahead, or just turn up)

Age
50+
Additional Information
Time: 10.30am – 12noon
Location: Main Foyer, Oxford Playhouse

Be a part of our Social Thursday events…
A welcoming, supportive space for people later-in-life to come together, have a go at creative activities and build new friendships, our Social Thursdays sessions provide opportunities to allow everyone the space to try something new.
A curated programme of various art forms, including talks, dance, singing, play-reading and much more, our sessions are designed for you to take part at your own pace. Refreshments are available during the session.
You can book your space ahead of time, or feel free to turn up on the day. If you would like more information before coming to one of our sessions, please email community@oxfordplayhouse.com.

0 Stars
Each session has something for everyone. I felt even more revitalised than usual!
Previous participant
