2019 – Experience Oxfordshire

Oct 21 2019

Oxford’s Christmas Light Festival 2019

In recognition of the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest adventures of our age, the Apollo moon landings, Oxford’s annual Christmas Light Festival takes the theme of ‘Discovery’ for a series of illuminated installations, performances, displays and more. From 15th to the 17th November the historic city will be lit up as schools, community…

Oct 18 2019

8 Spooktacular Halloween Events in Oxfordshire

Make the most of summer in Oxfordshire with these outdoor shows!

Oct 18 2019

Shiny Historic Bus Returns After Repainting

The Oxford Bus Museum’s 1961 Dennis Loline II (304 KFC) has returned from Selby in Yorkshire having had its front end rebuilt, replacement window seals and a complete repaint including period adverts on the sides and rear. The last repaint was over 20 years ago. Chris Butterfield, a Museum Trustee, commented that “Although the Loline…

Oct 18 2019

IF Oxford 2019: Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Periodic Table with Elemental Science for All

There is no Targaryen Iron Throne in Oxford: however university researchers are battling it out for an Iron Crown as they argue about this element’s most important functions during IF Oxford science and ideas festival. Since the end of the stone age, when the advent of metal-working gave us advances in both tool and weapons,…

Oct 18 2019

IF Oxford 2019: Looking at the Perils of Children and the Policies that Might Help

After WWII, portrayals of ‘evil children’ proliferated in horror and science fiction films in both Britain and the US. From characters displaying a disturbing amount of intelligence to those who were simply outright bad, children as well as adults were suddenly being presented in popular culture as dangerous threats rather than innocent victims. Drawing on…

Oct 09 2019

Oxford Bus Company Scoop Large Bus Operator of the Year Gong at Industry Awards

The Oxford Bus Company has won UK Large Bus Operator of the Year in a prestigious national bus industry award. It scooped the accolade in the Route One Awards, dubbed ‘The Oscars of the bus, coach and mini-bus industry’, in the Large Bus Operator category. The awards recognise and celebrate achievements, innovation and…

Oct 09 2019

WW2 Veterans’ Portraits to Go on Display at Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum

A new exhibition of photographic portraits of WW2 veterans is set to go on display at the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock, from 19th October 2019 to 5th January 2020. The exhibition, titled 3945 Portraits, is the work of award-winning photographer Glyn Dewis. He is leading an ongoing project to photograph Second World War…

Oct 09 2019

IF Oxford 2019: Family Activities

IF Oxford bursts into life, there’s a chance for children to get down and dirty with science at family events across the city. From exploring the city’s geology with a trowel to uncovering the secrets of the human body through a microscope or peering into the far reaches of the galaxy, there’s something to intrigue…

Oct 09 2019

IF Oxford 2019: A Scientific Wonderland in Oxford

Oxford has a literary heritage that goes back centuries and some of the world’s most loved books were written here. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was crafted by Christ Church mathematician Charles Dodgson, under the pen name Lewis Carroll and is feted globally for its wordplay. It is also riddled with mathematical conundrum and scientific analogies…

Oct 07 2019

Oxfordshire Locations Rank as Best Destinations for Autumn Breaks in the UK

Oxford has ranked as the sixth best destination in the UK for an Autumn ‘staycation’ by HomeToGo, the world’s largest search engine for holiday homes, apartments, villas and cottages. Burford in Oxfordshire also ranked at number 20 on the list. HomeToGo’s list of the twenty best destinations in the UK for Autumn considered everything…

Oct 03 2019

Oxfordshire Artweeks’ Top Ten Art Picks This Month

In Oxfordshire this month there’s art to enjoy that encompasses everything from the earliest life on earth to a landscape by JMW Turner described as the most beautiful view of Oxford. Esther Lafferty from Oxfordshire Artweeks chooses her ten places to visit. In the Banbury Museum, The Young Turner: Ambitions in Architecture and the…

Sep 27 2019

Chiltern Railways Wins the Sustainable Development Award at the National Rail Awards

Chiltern Railways has won the Sustainable Development Award at the National Rail Awards. The award recognises the work the train operator has undertaken to the long-term sustainability of the railway industry. During the last 12 months, Chiltern Railways has taken its commitment to both local communities and wider environmental issues to a new level with several large-scale initiatives. This includes the development of the UK’s first-ever clean air zone at a railway station and an…

Sep 27 2019

Baby Rhino Birth Caught on Camera at Cotswold Wildlife Park

Stella (pictured left with mum Ruby) is the newest addition to the Rhino family at Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens. She is Monty and Ruby’s first female calf. The newborn is healthy and nursing well from Ruby who is proving, once again, to be an exceptional mother. Monty and Ruby are both fifteen years old….

Sep 25 2019

Stagecoach Customers Make 50 Million Contactless Journeys By Bus

Contactless now accounts for around a third of bus revenue outside London Transactions up 15% year-on-year as passengers respond to more convenient travel Tap and go payment technology on Stagecoach fleet of 7,000 regional buses Popularity of system sees switch from cash to contactless growing at 1% a month Plans underway to offer capped daily…

Sep 24 2019

Thames Travel Connector Services Carries 1.5M Passengers Per Year

More than 1.5M passengers took journeys on Thames Travel’s Connector services in the last year, new figures have revealed. The data for the company’s most recent financial year revealed nearly 200,000 more passenger journeys were taken compared to the previous 12 months. The 13% increase in passenger journeys follows a year of strategic investment and…

Sep 19 2019

Sri Lankan Street Food Restaurant the Coconut Tree Launches Brand New ‘Cocotail’ Menu

Pioneering Sri Lankan street food restaurant group The Coconut Tree has launched a new range of low-alcohol, low-sugar and sharing cocktails, and an updated range of their sweet and fiery cocktails (nicknamed ‘Cocotails’). From the 19th September, the Sri Lankan street food restaurant group will be rolling out the new menu across their five…

Sep 17 2019

Spring Awakening at Oxford Playhouse

Oxford University students bring eight-time Tony and Olivier Award-winning hit musical Spring Awakening to life from 6 to 9 November at Oxford Playhouse. Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik’s provocative reimagining of Frank Wedekind’s play combines an alt-rock score with a narrative fueled by sexuality, morality and rebellion. It is Germany, 1891. After becoming an…

Sep 17 2019

The Lovely Bones at Oxford Playhouse

Following a hugely successful tour in 2018, the acclaimed stage adaptation of Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones comes to Oxford Playhouse from 11 to 16 November. Susie Salmon is just like any other young girl. She wants to be beautiful, adores her charm bracelet and has a crush on a boy from school. There’s…

Sep 16 2019

Oxford University Museums Win Collections Trust Award 2019 for Project Working with Forced Migrants

An award-winning project at the History of Science Museum and Pitt Rivers Museum has received further recognition for its work creating volunteering opportunities for forced migrants. Multaka-Oxford was named winner of the 2019 Collections Trust Award at a ceremony on Thursday 12 September. The annual award recognises the often unsung achievements of those who manage…

Sep 16 2019

Ghostfest is Back for its 10th Year at Oxford Castle & Prison

This October, Oxford Castle & Prison will host its popular Halloween Festival for its 10th year! From 25th October – 2nd November, the ancient castle site will embrace its bloody past with a series of spine-chillingly spooky events! Oxford Castle’s history is filled with murder, battles and executions so it’s no wonder that many…

Sep 16 2019

Kiki Smith: I am a Wanderer at Modern Art Oxford

28 September 2019 – 19 January 2020. Oxford, UK: The German-born American Kiki Smith (b. 1954) is a pioneer of contemporary printmaking and sculpture who has created a materially experimental and multifaceted body of work that explores the political and social aspects of human nature. I am a Wanderer is her first solo UK institutional show in…