For two days in early September, after the summer tourists have gone home and before the students…read moreget back, the people of Oxford celebrate. I'm not quite sure what we celebrate but it is great fun. I no longer go on rides that swing you high in the air or turn you upside down but if you are young enough to enjoy that sort of thing then there is something special about catching glimpses of secret court-yards, quadrangles and lawns behind the yellow walls of the colleges just before you are flung upside down again or hurled towards the ground. For the more sedentary of us there are more traditional rides such as the wonderful merry-go-round and helter skelter. Or you can just wander around enjoying the sights, sounds (and it can be very noisy), smells and tastes (sugar cane as well as candy floss last year) Rumour has it that the rides are longer in the afternoon before it gets busy. If you aren't going to the fair then be warned that all the buses that normally go along St Giles are diverted for 2 days and the road is closed to traffic.

Evolved from a 17th-century parish wake, St Giles fair is a yearly spectacle in the centre of…read moreOxford. Every September excitement grows as bigger and better rides are added to the substantial collection of fairground attractions. Our Oxford teams love this annual event.

This is an annual event. We went yesterday and it was a lovely atmosphere. It is held on actual…read moreallotments. Very reminiscent of country fetes that used to be held in someone's (huge) village garden. Was worth being stuck in traffic forever on our 1 1/2 hour journey there. Huw Lloyd-Langton (formerly of Hawkwind) kindly donated his time again, and this was who we went to see really. The Assassins of Science also did a 40 min set with Huw joining them in some numbers. The Elder Stubbs Festival is a highlight of the Cowley calendar, bringing together allotment holders, members of the Elder Stubbs Garden Group, artists, musicians craftspeople and the public at large from all over the local area in a celebration of work and talents. Two stages allow for musical and poetic expression, and many stalls throughout the site represent local organisations involved in social and environmental work. Fresh vegetables, plants and homemade jams and pickles are available if you get there fast enough, and refreshments are also sold on site. Book stalls, plants, face painting, organic produce amongst others. Hot veggie food and meat stuff. Families. Twisted tree sculptures. Arts, crafts, poetry. The Elder Stubbs Festival began as a small event (2000+ visitors each year now) thirteen years ago as a joint venture between Elder Stubbs and RESTORE as an attempt to generate community support for projects. This proved a great success, and the large amounts of publicity generated have meant it has become a fixture in local life, raising money for RESTORE and the profile of both organisations. There is now strong competition to play on both stages! One of a funniest highlights was the fly past by The RED BARROWS! Team members running round the site in a line pushing red wheelbarrows. Elder Stubbs Festival is special: animals for petting, magicians, belly dancers, bagpipers, weavers, martial artists, poets and rock stars standing shoulder to shoulder amongst flowers, sculptures and vegetables. Set on the Elder Stubbs allotment site, there was a diverse array of attractions from performing arts and workshops to stalls, speakers, children's activities and the vegetable show, as well as a wide choice of foods. Around 50 different stallholders use the festival as a forum to share information about local groups and organisations, sell home-made goods, run an activity or vend an assortment of world cuisines. All proceeds are to charity (£1 entrance fee. Bit of info/history: Elder Stubbs Charity is the proud owner and manager of Elder Stubbs Allotments, at Rymers Lane in Cowley, Oxford. The site is a leading example of the successful reinvention of allotment management, and provides a working model for the involvement of disparate members of the local community in city land use. It provides over 100 allotments for local residents. In addition it has diversified by letting tenancies to other charities with similar aims to itself. Notable amongst these are The Porch Steppin' Stone project which cultivates an area of land to grow the organic vegetables used at its day-centre to provide meals for the long-term unemployed, and the Elder Stubbs Garden Group, part of RESTORE, which cultivates 2 acres as an organic market-garden and orchard run as an horticultural therapy project for people recovering from mental illness. Elder Stubbs Allotments were an award to the poor of Cowley under the Inclosure Act of 1852 in compensation for the enclosure and subsequent loss of their Common on Shotover. 150 years later the charity still provides over 100 allotments for local residents. In addition it has diversified by letting tenancies to other charities with similar aims to itself. Really worth a look next year for something different.

I wish Id known about this earlier definately would have gone,will check it out for next year,thanxread more

Ohhh, the Thirsty Meeples!…read more An absolutely OUTSTANDING board game cafe. My experience may be colored by the fact that it's the first one I ever went to and I was super enchanted by the idea...but nevertheless, we had an absolutely incredible time on all our visits. Their cocktails are amazing (try the Brazilian Monk for a decadent dessert drink) and they have snacks and coffee, too. Really impressive collection of board games for all skills, ages, and interests. Staff are fun and friendly and make great recommendations. If you're looking for a great way to spend the night with pals in Oxford, look no further. I miss this place.

We love boardgames, so Thirsty Meeples seemed a natural choice for myself and a couple of…read moreboard-gaming friends. Proper treasure for geeks, the place offers a vast selection of games to choose from! Moreover, the staff is extremely helpful and offers you games to play depending on your preferences. It's especially cool that they are happy to explain the rules! Lovely food and drinks and relaxed atmosphere. Make sure you book - the place is always busy!

This is a wonderful quirky space. Like the attic of your eccentric uncle who travelled widely,…read morebrought back whatever he could carry, then carefully catalogued everything (idiosyncratically) and then left it for you to go through--that is, if your uncle was the entirety of the British empire. Can't say enough. You can spend days here and still be saying "did you see THAT?"

We had a great time exploring the Pitt Rivers Museum! There is SO much on display it's almost hard…read moreto take it all in. If you're an anthropology buff, this is your place. So many neat things to see and everything you can imagine, too many to list. From clothing to masks to weapons to toys all from different cultures and different times. We even saw a Totem Pole! Overall a fascinating place to visit, just wish we'd had more time to explore!

My favorite bar / place to party in Oxford!…read more This is a super spacious, BEAUTIFUL building. It was originally an old church that's since been refurbished. You can still admire the beautiful stained glass windows, though. There's a ton of space to mingle with friends or strangers. When we came at night it tended to be dimly lit with loud music playing, definitely a club type atmosphere, so you could get lost in the crowd pretty easily. Of course, they may have since changed that vibe since it's been a few years since I visited...but I loved it at the time. The friendly bar staff also fixed me the best White Russian I've ever had, too, so that definitely helps with the nostalgia factor. :)

A church converted into a pizza and beer and wine spot, this spot made a tasty thin crust pizza…read more There's come cool, hopefully, local art adorning the walls. At 7 p.m., the place was empty. Man, if this was the states, everybody and their mother would be waiting for a table. One pizza is about medium size and just enough for one person. My only small complaint was that it was extra oily but take a napkin and sop it up. Indoor and outdoor seating available.

I came here for evensong and was not disappointed. The chapel is beautiful inside and despite being…read moreornate, it manages to avoid the rather flamboyant decorations that many have. The wall in front of you as you walk in is breathtaking and if you go in during the day, the stained glass windows really give light to the room. The seats are pretty uncomfortable, so elderly visitors may find it helpful to bring a cushion. They face each other, so the choir is on the same level, just nearer to the altar. This creates a fantastic effect with the two parts of the choir singing at each other and the sound echoing from the walls. The men stand at the back providing the tenor and bass, whilst the boys stand at the front looking rather angelic. The choir is world-famous and specialises in Renaissance and Baroque music. Service sheets and books are provided and the services are Anglican. The lighting is subtle lamps which give the place a wonderful, peaceful glow. It's all very welcoming to guests, whether you're used to this sort of thing or not.

The Ashmolean was a wonderful surprise during our stay in Oxford. I had heard of the museum and did…read morea little research so I knew what to focus on, but it far surpassed my expectations. There's archeological artifacts, art, and so much more from so many varying parts of the world and times. Best of all, it's FREE! If you're planning a visit to Oxford, carve out some time and be sure to visit the museum. (Great rooftop restaurant to boot)

Another great free museum in Oxford so worth the price! A great place to dive into art, culture and…read morehistory. The ceramics exhibits dazzled us all. We enjoyed learning about currency and there was a lot to spend time on. The cafe was also nice. The facilities were clean and the staff was helpful and kind.

Its free, so it must be tough relying on generosity and grants alone. Only two rooms were open when…read moreI rocked up in early February (not their peak months granted - apparently there are more upstairs in Summer), the rooms were about Victorian England and its history and how self sufficient peasants were, how long Victoria kept on reigning for and the essential shards of roman pottery etc etc etc All felt like a bit of stale wool that I could have dug up on wikipedia, saying that they had put on a really good show in the Art Garden, exhibiting Valentines cards from the past 300 years strongly endorsed and circulated by Shell fuel company (who knew!). The exhibition was well thought out and intricately put together, a really regal effort for such a dainty museum in the middle of nowhere, hence 4 stars and I'd give it a shot on your way home from Blenhiem palace.

This museum is small and tells the story of Woodstock and Oxfordshire. Its claims to fame include…read morethe oldest piece of bread in Britain. It is a small museum but the way things are exhibited has been well thought out with things to touch and do, as well as things to look at in glass cases. There are special exhibitions. I've been to interesting ones on the 1960s, African arts and crafts, paintings of cattle, recycling and local crafts people. There are backpacks for children to borrow and trails for them to follow. In the school holidays there are always special activities and workshops for children. The really great thing about this museum is its garden. It is completely enclosed and so is good for small children. It was landscaped fairly recently and has a lawn, lovely spring flowers, and benches. There are always some statues and often there are special sculpture exhibitions. The cafe is OK but again it is the garden that makes it. There is decking just outside the cafe where you can sit, drink coffee and send your children off to play in the garden. What more could you want? Perhaps you'd like free car parking or regular buses to Oxford? Woodstock has both. The number 20 bus goes every half hour during the week from outside Borders - it is less often on Sundays. Parking is free though if you park on the main streets check how long you are allowed to park for - it may only be an hour or two. There is a free car park with no time limit.

Pretty cool cinema. I saw a documentary at the cinema and it was very interesting. Buying my ticket…read morewas quite simple and the movie went over quite well. The coffee shop made it feel very welcoming and snug. I enjoyed that there weren't too many screens.

Was at Oxford University for an exchange MBA program thing, had to watch iron man 3 on opening day…read more(it wasnt going to open in the US for another 2 weeks)... came here, its familiar like any other theater on this planet. seat are comfy, place is clean, and this place is deceptively large for what i thought it would look like from the outside... i mean, how the hell did they find this much space for a theater?? from the outside it looks like a small piece of crap... *** LIKES: youre in oxford... do you really have a choice for another theater? DISLIKES: nothing OVERALL: you dont have a choice.... youre going to come here if you want to watch a new movie.