Recycled Extravaganza
2026-05-11 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-05-12 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-05-13 10:00 - 16:00 (Europe/London) | 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

A Little Look At… Pattern
2026-05-11 10:15 - 10:45 | Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Parks Road, Oxford, England, OX1 3PW, United Kingdom
From dots and spots to stripes and swirls, come and look at patterns found in nature. Listen to a story and join us for a guided walk around the Museum.
This session lasts 30 minutes and features storytelling, specimen handling and a guided tour around the Museum led by a member of staff to look at animals on display.

Oxfordshire Artweeks 2026
2026-05-11 11:00 - 18:00, 2026-05-12 11:00 - 18:00, 2026-05-13 11:00 - 18:00 | West Ox Arts Gallery, Town Hall, Market Square, Bampton, Oxfordshire, OX18 2JH, United Kingdom
fordshire West Ox Arts Gallery, for Artweeks 2026, showcases a variety of work across the visual arts with the extended exhibition running from Saturday 25 April to Sunday 30 May 2026.
Our 13 exhibiting artists for this years’ Oxfordshire Artweeks include;
Gil Salway, Kirstie Grainger, David Stone, Judith Harden,
​ Daphne O’ Connell, Sally Middleton, Janet Lewendon,
Keith Appleby, Jan Fennelly, Liming Chen,
Laura Hounam, Andy’s Metal & Melanie Phillips

With first time exhibitors and seasoned pros we look forward to welcoming our artists and visitors alike as we celebrate and showcase art in Oxfordshire.

Liming Chen

Laura Hounam

New Work 2026 at the West Ox Arts Gallery in Bampton
2026-05-11 11:30 - 16:30, 2026-05-12 11:30 - 16:30, 2026-05-13 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

Choral Vespers
2026-05-11 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
2026-05-11 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
2026-05-11 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

Tide Lines
2026-05-11 19:00 - 23:00 | O2 Academy Oxford, 190 Cowley Rd, Oxford, Oxon, OX4 1UE, United Kingdom
Scottish four-piece Tide Lines have always been storytellers and their fourth album, Glasgow Love Story is a masterclass in that and more.
Celebrating their ten years of releasing music together, this album is a heartfelt tribute to the city that they have grown to love and call home. Their passion, both for Scotland and for music, is palpable on the album.

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari Silent Film
2026-05-11 21:00 - 22:30 | Magdalen College, High Street, Oxford, Select a State:, OX1 4AU, United Kingdom
The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) Silent Film with live improvised organ accompaniment by David Bednall

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) is a seminal German Expressionist horror film directed by Robert Wiene. It follows Francis, who recounts how the sinister Dr. Caligari uses a somnambulist, Cesare, to commit murders in a town, utilizing jarring, twisted sets to mirror a distorted, nightmarish reality and a twist ending.
David Bednall is published by Choral Music Publishing, Oxford University Press, Boosey and Hawkes, Faber, and Novello. He is Choral Director of Clifton Cathedral, Musical Director of Bristol Bach Choir, Bristol Chamber Choir and Chew Valley Choral Society, alongside an extensive freelance career. He was previously Organ Scholar at The Queen’s College, Oxford, and then at Gloucester Cathedral, Assistant Organist at Wells Cathedral, Sub Organist at Bristol Cathedral and has improvised on live radio, and performed extensively in the UK and abroad, including at Notre-Dame de Paris – and even was stunt organist on Dr Who! His compositions are widely performed, recorded, and broadcast on BBC Radio and Classic FM. David’s St Mark Passion was commissioned for the BBC Singers in 2025.

Pets & their People
2026-05-12, 2026-05-13, 2026-05-14 | 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.

Brokenness and repair exhibition
2026-05-12 09:00 - 17:00, 2026-05-13 09:00 - 17:00, 2026-05-14 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

James Freemantle in conversation with Adam Smyth
2026-05-12 17:00 - 18:00 | Weston Library, Broad Street, Oxford, England, OX1 3BG, United Kingdom
About this event
The Bodleian Libraries’ Printer in Residence 2025 – 26, James Freemantle, talks with Adam Smyth about the pleasures and challenges of making books by hand in the 21st century and about the work of his private press, the St James Park Press.
Speakers
James Freemantle is proprietor of the St James Park Press, established in 2014. All editions from the St James Park Press are printed by hand, and these include George Orwell’s works, 1984 and Animal Farm; An Albion in the Antarctic; The Beauty of Byrne, about Oliver Byrne’s edition of Euclid; and the forthcoming Paradise Lost.
Adam Smyth is Professor of English Literature and the History of the Book at the University of Oxford, and author of The Book-Makers: A History of the Book in 18 Remarkable Lives (Bodley Head, 2024)
Event information

This event takes place in person in the Sir Victor Blank Lecture Theatre at the Weston Library.
The Weston Library is wheelchair accessible. Find out more about accessibility at our site.
Please note: only bottled water is permitted in the lecture theatre. No food or other drinks are allowed.

Jazz Night At The Bear
2026-05-12 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

Nature Tots - Sutton Courtenay, Wednesday 13 May
2026-05-13 09:00 - 11:00 | Sutton Courtenay Environmental Education Centre, Sutton Courtenay Road, Didcot, OX14 4TE
Join us for an adventure with outdoor nature play, crafts and stories for toddlers on our beautiful nature reserve at Sutton Courtenay.

Join our friendly Nature Tots staff and volunteers to explore the nature reserve and enjoy wildlife themed activities suitable for children aged 18 months to 4 years. We have a different theme each month, eg mini-beasts, dinosaurs or weather, and every session includes wildlife exploration, sensory play, stories and crafts. We start with child-led play and then come together for a story (it’s a good idea to bring a snack and a drink for your child to eat at this point, we provide tea and coffee for grown ups) and usually some singing before we move on to a few extra activities, often including a craft. A lovely way to spend quality time in the great outdoors with your child.
Please note activities will take place outdoors – dress for the weather! In winter we may head into the centre for the second half of the session to warm up with a story and crafts by the stove, but we always start outdoors.
You only need to book a place for your child, not for the accompanying adult. It’s fine to bring baby siblings along, they do not need a ticket.
Please note the centre is accessible by public transport with regular buses (including connection to Didcot Parkway railway station) serving Milton Park, a few minutes walk from the centre.
We are committed to keeping our visitors, staff and volunteers safe. Please DO NOT attend if you or your child are unwell, or testing positive for an infectious illness, such as COVID-19. Your consideration is hugely appreciated.

Share this event Chunky Arm Knitting Workshop
2026-05-13 14:30 - 17:30 | Bicester Candles & Crafts, Station Road, Bletchingdon, OX5 3BQ
Fun for all the family and complete beginners

Come and join us for a fun arm knitting workshop and take home your own mega chunky, snuggly blanket!
This class is suitable for total beginners – no knitting or crafting experience is required. Adrienne from ‘Snuggle & Squish’ will be teaching you how to use your arms as knitting needles and you’ll create your whole blanket before the workshop has ended.
Your finished blanket will measure approximately 150cm x 80cm. The exact size will vary depending on the tension of your yarn and the size of your stitches. This is what makes every blanket so unique. You will learn how to cast on, create the stitches, cast off and how to keep your blanket in tip top condition.
You’ll receive your own 2kg ball of vegan friendly “Mammoth” acrylic yarn from the masters of extreme knitting, Woolly Mahoosive. There are lots of different colours to choose from which can be viewed on the workshop photos. Availability depends on demand when you come to the workshop.
It’s best to leave your jewellery and watches at home so they don’t get caught in your yarn and we recommend wearing short sleeves – don’t worry about getting cold, you’ll be toasty and warm as the blanket grows on your lap.
Included in your workshop:

Workshop will last approx 2 hrs
2kg ball of mammoth yarn
Chunky knit blanket to take home on the day – Handmade by you.
Refreshments and cake can be purchased onsite

Please follow GOOGLE MAPS to ‘BICESTER CANDLES’ for the best instructions to get to us.

Turi Munthe WHY WE THINK WHAT WE THINK with Nigel Warburton
2026-05-13 17:30 - 18:30 | Blackwell’s Bookshop, 48-51 Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BQ
This eye-opening book takes us through biology, geography, history, psychology and much more to uncover the hidden DNA of our opinions.

Why We Think What We Think
Without knowing it, almost all our opinions – whether we believe in God or in ghosts, our views on sex or animal rights or immigration, our basic sense of what’s right – are shaped by an astounding web of hidden forces. The age-old idea that our views are forged by reason and evidence alone is wrong: we are influenced by everything from the quirks of distant history, through the lines of our genetic code, to the geology of where we grew up.
This eye-opening book takes us through culture, biology, geography, history, psychology and much more to uncover the hidden DNA of our opinions.
Packed with surprising stories and counterintuitive discoveries, Why We Think What We Think does more than reveal how our beliefs are formed. By showing where our beliefs really come from, it invites us to step outside our own assumptions – and learn how to think more clearly, and more generously, about the world we all share.
Turi Munthe
Turi Munthe is a journalist and policy analyst turned media entrepreneur, who has written for theEconomist, theGuardian and the TLS and appeared on the BBC, CNN and Fox News. He founded Demotix, the largest network of photojournalists in the world, and Parlia, an encyclopaedia of opinion.

YouthLab: Weekly Drama (Kidlington)
2026-05-13 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

Perfect Show For Rachel
2026-05-13 19:30 - 21:00 | Oxford Playhouse, 11-12 Beaumont St, Oxford, OX1 2LW
Tickets from £15*

Age
14+
Duration
1hr 15mins
Interval
No
Warning
Contains strong language. Flashing lights may be used during this performance
Venue
Oxford Playhouse
Additional Information
Please see Access information below for details

Why can’t more theatre be like this? Open, relaxed, fun and full of love
The Guardian

Created by Zoo Co Theatre. Produced by Zoo Co and Improbable

Meet the O’Mahony sisters. Flo is an award winning theatre director. Rachel is an enigmatic, learning-disabled 35 year-old who loves Kylie and seeing people fall over. So they decided to create Rachel’s perfect show: fast paced, funny, and different every night.
Expect physical comedy, live music, home movies, dancing and a lot of Rachel soaking her sister with a watergun in this critically acclaimed, award winning show. As Rachel creates the show on her own terms every night, the cast have to be ready for anything – including fart jokes, becoming singing biscuits, bar room brawls and being fired on the spot. This is ‘An absolute joy to watch’ (A Youngish Perspective)

4 Stars
Bright, funny, musical, silly scenes… try not beaming
The Times

5 Stars
A joyous celebration of theatre without the rules
The Stage

Perfect Show explores who defines artistic taste, and questions who that currently excludes, winning Zoo Co the Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award in 2022. Created by Zoo Co Theatre, a multi award-winning company creating theatre that loudly champions access, co-produced with Improbable, a pioneering company of improvisers and theatre-makers who have been making ground-breaking work for the past 25 years.
Access Information
All performances are Relaxed Performances, though due to the nature of the show, loud noises and flashing lights may feature. Audience members are welcome to come and go from the auditorium during the show as needed.
All performances include a mixture of creative captioning, live captioning and integrated BSL, meaning it will be accessible for d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing audiences. Due to the improvised nature of some parts of the show, some scenes may just have creative captions or integrated BSL.

Image gallery

Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings
2026-05-13 20:00 - 23:00 | North Wall Arts Centre, S Parade, Summertown, Oxford, OX2 7JN
Bellowhead frontman Jon Boden’s Waitsian parlour ballads and Napoleonic power-pop, are performed alongside the band’s sixteen-year back-catalogue of traditional and original songs and tunes.
Bringing together some of the biggest names in English folk music, it’s no surprise that they deliver a deep understanding of traditional music with musical audacity and theatrical brio.
Featuring the enormous talents of Sam Sweeney (Bellowhead), Rob Harbron (Leveret), Ben Nicholls (Seth Lakeman Band), Sally Hawkins (Bellowhead) and the vocals and pedal-steel guitar of cult singer-songwriter M.G. Boulter.

Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings
13 May 2026 – 8:00 pm
Tickets£27
LinksJon Boden

Bicester Business Buzz Networking
2026-05-14 10:00 - 12:00 | McCafferty’s Irish Bar, 4 Sheep Street, Bicester, OX26 6TB
Come join us at the Bicester Business Buzz Networking event for some great connections and buzzing conversations!

Business Buzz Bicester networking sessions are an excellent way to mingle face-to-face with other local businesses in a free-flowing, fun atmosphere.
Designed to work with your schedule, there’s no such thing as late with this two-hour drop-in session. Turn up whenever you like before the event closes at 12 noon and stay for 5 minutes or the full two hours. With no membership and no strings attached, it’s never been easier to meet your local business community.
For just £10+ VAT you’ll get refreshments, a brilliant new set of contacts and the warmest of welcomes. With new people every month and a huge buzz in the room you’re sure to make some great connections; we believe the more you chat, the more business just happens.
We meet every 2nd Thursday of the month between 10 am and 12 pm at the same venue.
While you can book on the day, we ask that you purchase your ticket before you set off on your journey.
This makes it much easier to check you in and get you to the coffee as soon as possible!
How it works
When you come to a Buzz you’ll be welcomed by the Buzz team, shown where the coffee is and introduced to some of the other attendees.
We’re here if you need further introductions to more guests, but you’ll find that everyone is really friendly and you can easily move around conversations to network as you like.
The focus is open networking and easy-going conversations so that more business happens between our attendees easily.
At roughly 11 am there is a short announcement section and you’ll find out who is in the room to help facilitate more connections.
