YOUR SUMMER GUIDE TO OXFORD

For many alumni, summer is a special time to return to Oxford. Whether you're revisiting old haunts, reuniting with friends or bringing family along to explore the city, there's plenty to enjoy. Here are just a few of the events, activities and experiences you can get involved in over the coming months.

Don’t forget: many colleges offer their alumni favourable rates for accommodation, some with dinner packages and even punting too.

Celebrate nature in Oxford and the people working to protect it

What: The Nature Festival

When: Sunday 21 June to Saturday 27 June

Where: Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Oxford Botanic Garden, Wytham Woods, the School of Geography and the Environment and more.

Admission: Free

Oxford’s new nature festival brings together researchers, artists, community groups, environmental organisations and nature enthusiasts for a week of events showcasing the inspiring work happening across the University, and throughout Oxfordshire more widely, to protect and restore nature. A full programme will run from Sunday 21 June and culminate in a free, full-day festival on Saturday 27 June, during which visitors can:

• Learn about moths, butterflies, bees, aquatic life and plants through bioblitz-style drop-in activities at the Oxford Botanic Garden.
• Browse stalls, listen to talks and music, join walks, watch films and get hands-on with art and craft activities that celebrate nature at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
• Join a science and poetry walk at Wytham Woods with conservator Nigel Fisher and former writer in residence Charlie Lee-Potter.

View the Nature Festival programme and plan your visit.

Enjoy live sport in a beautiful setting

What: Oxford University Cricket Club (Men’s Blues) vs. Cambridge University Cricket Club (1st XI)

When: Tuesday 30 June to Friday 3 July, 11am

Where: University Parks

There can be few better places in Oxford to spend a sunny summer's day than University Parks. This year, why not combine a visit with some live sport and watch Oxford University Cricket Club Men's Blues take on Cambridge? OUCC has played in the parks since 1881, and the annual multi-day Varsity Matches remain a highlight of the University sporting calendar. Whether you're a cricket fan or simply looking for a relaxing morning outdoors, it's a chance to soak up the atmosphere and revisit one of the city's most beloved green spaces.

And get to know the trees while you're there

While you’re visiting University Parks, why not take the opportunity to try out Oxford’s brilliant new online tree map? The parks are home to over 1,900 trees ranging from native English plants – some endangered and rare – to exotic specimens from around the world. Find a tree you’re curious about and use the map to reveal its size, planting information and ‘eco benefits’, including the estimated volume of carbon it sequesters, stormwater it intercepts and airborne pollutants it removes annually. The map, which has been made possible through the dedication of passionate local volunteers, can be accessed via your smartphone.

Read more about the Arboretum Explorer Map in our recent feature.

Take in an exhibition

There are some excellent exhibitions taking place across Oxford this summer. Here are just a few of our favourites.

In Bloom: How Plants Changed our World

When: Until 16 August

Where: The Ashmolean Museum

Admission: Timed tickets are in operation. Visitors are recommended to book in advance to guarantee entry

In Bloom takes visitors on a journey from Oxford to the farthest corners of the world and back, uncovering the global stories behind some of Britain’s most beloved blooms – from roses and tulips to camellias and peonies. This major exhibition features over 100 artworks and objects, including drawings, paintings, rare prints and ceramics, and has been awarded four stars by The Guardian and The Times.

Climate Culture Care

When: Until 1 November

Where: The Ashmolean Museum

Admission: Free, no ticket required

If you're visiting for In Bloom, why not also check out one of the Ashmolean Museum’s free exhibitions and displays? In Climate Culture Care, Bangladeshi artist Soma Surovi Jannat draws inspiration from the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world, and the Ashmolean collections to address the climate crisis. The exhibition, which features around 40 objects, marks Surovi's debut solo show in the UK and also the first solo exhibition of a Bangladesh-based artist in a museum in the UK.

Pets and their People

When: Until 27 September

Where: The Weston Library

Admission: Free, no ticket required

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? Drawing on depictions of pets in stories, imagery and poetry in the Bodleian’s collections, Pets and their People explores how the special bond between owners and their pets has evolved over time, and what that evolution tells us about who we really are. Items on display include one of the earliest recorded depictions of an assistance dog for the blind and a rare copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Wonder of Birds

When: Until 3 January 2027

Where: The Weston Library

Admission: Free, no ticket required

Continuing the animal theme at the Weston Library is Wonder of Birds, an exhibition celebrating the splendour of the birds around us at the same time as recognising the steep decline in bird populations across our skies in recent decades. Inspired by The Book of Birds by Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane, the exhibition brings together Oxford ornithological research, items from the Bodleian’s collections and a sound environment created by sound artist and nature beatboxer Jason Singh to explore the beauty and mystery of these extraordinary creatures.

Go for a run on the iconic Sir Roger Bannister Running Track

Alumni are eligible for concessionary membership of the Iffley Road Sports Centre, so if you have the urge to exercise while you’re in Oxford then why not drop in? Follow in the footsteps of Sir Roger Bannister on the newly resurfaced running track, swim lengths in the eight-lane Rosenblatt Swimming Pool, join a fitness class or book a session on the racquet court. Find out more about the membership options here.

Explore the stories of Oxford’s magnificent musical instruments

What: The Bate Collection of Musical Instruments

When: Open on Mondays and Thursdays from 2pm to 5pm

Where: Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities

Admission: Free

You can kill two birds with one stone this summer with a visit to the Bate Collection – not only will you discover one of the most extraordinary and extensive collections of musical instruments the world, but you’ll also be able to explore its brand-new home, the magnificent Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities. More than 1,000 instruments are on display here, some made by the most important English, French and German makers. Highlights of the collection include a military serpent (one of the most unusual instruments ever conceived), a very fine 18th-century recorder that was rescued from the rubble during the Blitz, and the earliest known English-made violin in the world.

Discover the magic of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

What: Alice’s Day

When: Saturday 4 July

Where: Venues across Oxford including Oxford Botanic Garden, the History of Science Museum and the Weston Library

Admission: Free (except for the lantern walk)

Each year on the first Saturday in July Oxford transforms into a wonderland for Alice’s Day, a city-wide festival celebrating Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and its creator Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson – Christ Church, 1850). This year’s theme is ‘snarks, rhymes and riddles’, marking the 150th anniversary of Carroll’s nonsense poem The Hunting of the Snark.

An exciting programme of events is planned, including open-air performances of ‘Teatime with Hatter and Hare’ at Oxford Botanic Garden; a white rabbit gallery trial at the History of Science Museum; a magic lantern walk at Christ Church; and storytelling, creative crafts and flamingo croquet at the Weston Library. The library will also be hosting a series of talks on nonsense poetry from the Lewis Carroll Society, and a special screening of the film The Hunting of the Snark by Simon DaVison.

Learn about crafting across cultures

What: With these Hands: Crafting a Shared Humanity

When: Ongoing

Where: Pitt Rivers Museum

Admission: Free

If you’re planning a visit the Pitt Rivers Museum this summer, make sure to check out the With these Hands gallery trail. Co-curated by a multicultural team of volunteers as part of the Multaka-Oxford project, the trail invites you to learn more about the way we craft and make in different cultures, and discover how crafted objects hold meanings beyond their uses. Download the trail map here.

And if you can’t make it back to Oxford this year…

Even if you can't visit the city in person this year, you can stay close to the University wherever you are in the world through your local alumni network or special interest group. With around 170 different groups, all run by dedicated volunteers, our global alumni community is always delighted to welcome you back. Find an alumni group near you.