With half term kicking off this week, there is so much going on to enjoy! Here are out top picks of things to do, see and enjoy!
- Surprising Science, Pegasus Theatre Sat 28 October, 11am and 2pm There are stunts, puzzles and illusions galore as professional science magician Dr Matt Pritchard brings his family show packed with science tricks, stunts and puzzles. Discover scientific secrets behind gravity-defying illusions and impossible-looking balances to flex your scientific enquiry and creative thinking. Learn new science tricks, using household objects, that you can use to amaze your friends! Suitable for age 6+. BOOK HERE
2) Nest, North Wall, 28 October 11am & 2pm. This brand-new family show from M6 Theatre depicts two birds decide to make the city their home and soon their cosy nest contains two very precious eggs. Filled with clowning, original song and beautiful shadow play, this highly physical show uses minimal language to tell a tale about taking care, discovering what’s important and learning how to fly. For ages 3+ BOOK HERE
3) Peppa Pig, Oxford Playhouse Wed 25 – Thu 26 Oct. Peppa Pig is back in her oinktastic brand new live show, Fun Day Out! Join Peppa, along with her family and friends as they go to the zoo and also the beach for a special party- it’s going to be an exciting and fun packed day. Prepare to sing and dance with colourful scarecrows, feed the penguins, build big sandcastles, and even swim in the sea! BOOK HERE
4) Breakdance: introducing the Solar System, Museum of Oxford, Oxford Town Hall. October 27. 4pm. This dance workshop gives a brief overview of our Solar System and what makes it special. Watch breakdancing and push against the Earth with your own hands and feet to explore the identity of home and our neighbour planets and understand why they all are so different! Suitable for ages 7 – 12.
5) Ashmolean, FREE volunteer-led family gallery tours. Mon 23-Friday 28. Listen to stories and hunt for history while you explore the galleries. There will be craft activities and you can take home your creations. The family gallery tours will last around one hour. Tours include the Ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece galleries. https://www.ashmolean.org/family-tours
6) Or go on The Ashmolean’s Adventure – a digital guide for families as you explore some of the Ashmolean’s most intriguing objects. Featuring 11 objects and paintings through a variety of multimedia activities., play games and quizzes, enjoy sounds and stories, try out your design and drawing skills – each activity is different because each object is different! BOOK HERE
7) Spook-tacular new trail at Blenheim Palace for Halloween (20-29 Oct) including a headless horseman, werewolves and a vampire’s crypt. When darkness falls, a chill descends in the Palace grounds in which ghosts, ghouls and witches emerge to deliver a host of tricks and treats along a spook-tacular trail. BOOK HERE
8) Robot Racing, Iffley Road Sports Centre, 29 October, 11am is entertainment for all the family! Control mini robots in races and watch bigger machines tackle obstacles. Scientists and engineers will be on hand to tell you why and how. BOOK HERE
9) Join Creation Theatre to Put on a Play in a Week, 23 – 27 October at Wolvercote Primary School. Choose from a Halloween inspired classic text or Shakespeare play (think Brothers Grimm, Macbeth, The Witches or maybe even Dracula which you’ll bring to life through drama games, exercises and rehearsals all whilst having A LOT of fun, ready for a performance to friends and family at the end of the week. Places are available for 6-8’s and 9-12’s. BOOK HERE
10) NW Inventors: Whodunnit? North Wall, 23 October – 25 October Discover characters, solve mysteries and crack the case! We will spend three days learning how to build tension in a story, create mysterious characters and surprise the audience! The week will culminate in a sharing to family and friends. BOOK HERE
11) The Great Big Dinosaur Show, Oxford University Museum of Natural History, 23 and 24 October. Join poet Simon Mole and musician Gecko for a family show full of poems, raps and songs. Learn about your favourite prehistoric protagonists, and some you haven’t heard of yet! Expect spine-tinglingly funny scares in this fun show and get your groove on to Jurassic Classics! Suitable for 3 – 11 years. The show is free but book here
12) Star Soup, The North Wall Arts Centre, Tue 24 October, 11am and 1pm. The UK Atomic Energy Authority shares the recipe for making a real star on stage. The UKAEA fusion machine has the power to make a real star just south of Oxford. This family science show shares the recipe, using spectacular demonstrations, with a chance to help perform experiments on stage. Set the temperature to 150,000,000°C and let’s get cooking. Ages 6–12. BOOK HERE
13) Museum of Oxford family-friendly events and workshops for half term. Monday 23 October and Friday 27 October The events will include workshops on spooky storytelling, breakdancing and medieval medicine.
14) Braintastic! Science: Your Irrational Brain, Oxford Playhouse Fri 27 Oct. This interactive game show uses demos, experiments and quizzes to show how brains trick us into making irrational decisions every day. Get your voting device ready and navigate the quirks of your brain to make smarter choices? Age 13+ BOOK HERE
15) Playground – Playful Games in the Museum! Pitt Rivers, Wednesday 25 & Thursday 26 October, 1pm-4pm. Drop in and enjoy a fun-filled time of exploring playground games from all around the world in the Museum by exploring the games, toys and musical instruments in the collection. Suitable for school-age children and free. No booking is required.
16) This Halloween half-term, Oxford’s authentic Sri Lankan restaurant The Coconut Tree will help families entertain children with delicious free food and spooky family-friendly activities from October 23 to November 3. As the weather gets chilly and ‘spooktacular’ seasonal festivities begin. BOOK HERE
17) Mined Over Matter, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, 27 October, 1.30pm. Join Chris Toth from STFC’s Boulby Underground Laboratory for a family-friendly guide to the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell campus, Didcot. A light-hearted talk with questions and exciting hands-on activities for all ages BOOK HERE
18) Pumpkin Patch Adventure, October 26 – 31. Cotswold Farm Park’s Pumpkin Patch plus facer painting and pumpkin carving BOOK HERE
