News

With the wonderful restoration work on the nine muses (originally lead statues, the work of Sir James Thornhill) on the top of Clarendon Building (architect: Nicholas Hawksmoor, a student of Christopher Wren) on Broad Street, it seems a most opportune moment for the festival of the city to celebrate this iconic building within Oxford, symbolically in its programming through the concept of a “muse”, or indeed, the nine muses, by inviting artists and creatives to Read more…

It was a pleasure to host a mini version of the Oxford Indie Book Fair at this year’s OFA Family Day, which fitted so aptly with our theme of People Stories Histories. We’re delighted to be supporting OXIB again this month for their fourth annual book fair on Sunday 26th November at the Oxford Examination Schools, OX1 4BG from 11am – 4.30pm. Entry is free. There’s lots on offer for book lovers of all ages; over Read more…

Saturday 8 July 2023, 7.30pmNew Theatre Oxford Oxford Festival of the Arts is hugely thrilled to be working with our friends at the New Theatre Oxford again this year to present something very special – the Welsh National Opera with their production of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide. Leonard Bernstein’s Candide is a supercharged wild ride in which 18th-century France crashes into 20th-century post-war America. Take a seat and strap in tight for a mind-boggling journey as Read more…

Saturday 15 July 2023, 7.30pmFestival Marquee Oxford Festival of the Arts is delighted to bring to the Festival Marquee this summer the internationally acclaimed BBC Big Band who will be joined by multi award-winning vocalist Claire Martin OBE, for a sensational evening of world-class music, inspired by the great Swing bands and legendary jazz vocalists of the twentieth century. Tickets are on sale now! Through a diverse repertoire arranged and curated by the BBC Big Read more…

We are excited to announce that the dates for Oxford Festival of the Arts 2023 are 23 June – 16 July. The theme for this year’s festival is People. Stories. Histories. We have a wonderful programme of events planned. We will be welcoming the BBC Big Band with brilliant jazz vocalist Claire Martin in a sensational evening titled Divas: The Story of Swing – tickets go on sale very soon. Watch this space for further Read more…

This week we were delighted when Michele Greene of the Bicester Sculpture Group presented Helen Pike, Master of Magdalen College School, with a cash donation for the Festival’s chosen charity, the Mustardseed School in Uganda. The sculptors exhibited their work on this year’s festival, in the Rose Garden, and it was a very successful and happy collaboration. It is gratifying to see how the Festival continues to support Mustardseed, which is now a fully fledged Read more…