Over 30 events and 13,000 tickets! Oxford Botanic Gardens 400th Anniversary celebrates with food, music, concerts, workshops and art!

Oxford Botanic Gardens 400th Anniversary is being celebrated in style with two weeks of family-friendly activities, talks, tours, and performances, all celebrating plants and nature.

With over 30 events and 13,000 tickets, the anniversary fortnight is the Botanic Garden’s most ambitious public-facing project to date and you can join in. With concerts, food, poetry, family-friendly events, celebrities, music and so much more, now it the time to book and get involved. Here are some of the top #mustsee events:

• Tonight (July 19) Oxfordshire’s very own Raymond Blanc OBE, one of Britain’s most respected and renowned chefs, will welcome guests for a memorable evening exploring numerous links between cooking, gardening and wellbeing, followed by a Q&A session with the audience (Oxford Botanic Garden, 19 July). Book here https://www.obga.ox.ac.uk/event/raymond-blanc

• Seasons of Enchantment, Oxford Town Hall, 25 July. A spectacular concert of 17^th and 18^th century music performed by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment on period instruments. The programme includes Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, Francesco Geminiani: The Enchanted Forest and soloist Matthew Truscott. The programme will feature performances with dramatic text, and music performed on period instruments with a modern reimagining. Part of Oxford Festival Of The Arts. https://www.obga.ox.ac.uk/event/oae-oxford-town-hall

• Plant-based Street Food Fair, Friday 29 – Saturday 30 July – two days of delicious plant-based food from around the world, with demonstrations, talks, music, and drumming workshops, delivered by the community groups themselves. Featuring food from East African Network, Iraqi Women Art and War, the Leys Community Development Initiative (CDI), Damascus Rose Kitchen and Sole Luna Pizza. Tantalise your taste buds with dishes from Iraq and the Middle East, East Africa, the Caribbean and Italy and find inspiration for new ingredients, recipes, and dishes at home. https://www.obga.ox.ac.uk/event/400-week-2

• Capturing Nature, An exhibition featuring stunning botanical prints from the 15^th–19^th centuries curated by Pia Östlund and Matthew Zucker (Zucker Books), will run until August 31 in The Herbarium Room at Oxford Botanic Garden.

• Live Music. Friday 29 – Saturday 30 July. Eight local musicians and bands will be performing at Oxford Botanic Garden from 3pm – 6pm. Bring a blanket, kick back and relax with some delicious food and enjoy listening to an eclectic range of music in the stunning 400-year-old Walled Garden. The Line Up on Friday July 29 includes Esskay, Jen Berkova, Luke McCarthy and headliner Catgod. On Saturday enjoy In-spire Sounds, DeSide, Sara Silveira and headliner Tiece.

• 400^th Finale Week runs from 25-30 July, a week of themed days and free family-friendly activities, all included in the cost of a standard entry ticket, including performances, live music, arts, crafts, and a birthday party finale.

Oxford Botanic Garden Director, Professor Simon Hiscock says: ‘We are thrilled to be able to share this historic moment with everyone. The Botanic Garden is much-loved by Oxford residents and visitors from around the world. The fortnight’s celebrations, coming after such a challenging couple of years, offer people the chance to enjoy the Garden’s beautiful spaces and world-class collections in the height of summer, and hopefully in the sunshine.”

For the full programme of events and ticket details, please visit: https://www.obga.ox.ac.uk/400th-anniversary-celebrations