Broad Street's food festival opens 9 October, the Oxford Half is on the 11th and Ghost Fest runs to Halloween. Every listing to mid-November, re-checked 6 Oct.

The Oxford diary for the next six weeks has two anchors. Broad Street turns into a ten-day food and drink festival from Friday 9 October, and two days later the Oxford Half closes much of the city on Sunday 11 October. In between, the Ashmolean opens its big exhibition of the year, Aphrodite: The Making of a Goddess, on Thursday 8 October. After half term the city moves into bonfire night at South Park on 7 November and Remembrance Sunday in St Giles’ on the 8th.

Everything below comes from the organisers’ own listings: the Oxford Playhouse and Tickets Oxford box office, New Theatre Oxford’s ATG pages, the Ashmolean, Oxford Castle & Prison, Oxford United’s fixture list, LSD Promotions and Oxford City Council. All were re-read on 6 October 2026. Each entry links back to its source, so check it before you set off. For places that are open whatever the month, see things to do in Oxford.

This week

  • Dirty Dancing, Tuesday 6 to Saturday 10 October, New Theatre Oxford. Evenings at 7.30pm from Tuesday to Thursday; on Friday at 5pm and 8.30pm; on Saturday at 2.30pm and 7.30pm (New Theatre Oxford).
  • Aphrodite: The Making of a Goddess, from Thursday 8 October to 11 April 2027, Ashmolean Museum, Beaumont Street, OX1 2PH. The Ashmolean’s major exhibition follows Aphrodite from Cyprus, where she was worshipped over 3,000 years ago, to Roman Venus. A standard ticket is £16.80, or £19 with Gift Aid (Ashmolean).
  • Oxford 10 Day Food & Drink Festival, Friday 9 to Sunday 18 October, Broad Street, OX1 3AX. Stalls trade from 10am to 7pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 5pm on Sunday. It is the festival’s second year (LSD Promotions).
  • The Marriage of Figaro, Oxford Opera, Friday 9 and Saturday 10 October, 7.30pm, Oxford Playhouse. Mozart in a new English translation with the Oxford Opera Orchestra, plus a family matinee of no more than 75 minutes on Saturday at 2.30pm. Both evenings show the 14 to 25 ticket offer as sold out (Oxford Playhouse).
  • Verdi Requiem, East Oxford Community Choir, Saturday 10 October, 7.30pm, Oxford Town Hall. The choir, joined by Oxford Sinfonia and guest singers from Bonn, Dublin and Wroclaw; doors open at 7pm (Tickets Oxford).
  • Oxford Half 2026, Sunday 11 October, 9.30am, Mansfield Road, OX1 3SZ. It is sold out, and closures start at 9am on the Saturday. Our Oxford Half road closures page has every street (Oxford Half).
  • Katherine Jenkins, Sunday 11 October, 7pm, New Theatre Oxford (New Theatre Oxford).

Next week

  • Nigel Kennedy, Monday 12 October, 7.30pm, New Theatre Oxford. Nigel Kennedy in concert (New Theatre Oxford).
  • Once Upon a Time in Sokoto, Tuesday 13 to Saturday 17 October, 7.30pm, Oxford Playhouse. Inua Ellams’s award-winning play, for ages 14 and up, with a 2.30pm Saturday matinee (Oxford Playhouse).
  • Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of The Worlds, Saturday 17 October, 3pm and 8pm, New Theatre Oxford (New Theatre Oxford).
  • The food festival on Broad Street carries on until Sunday 18 October.

Later in October

  • The Silence of the Lambs, Monday 19 to Saturday 24 October, 7.30pm, New Theatre Oxford, with 2.30pm matinees on Wednesday and Saturday (New Theatre Oxford).
  • Oxford United v Wigan Athletic, Tuesday 20 October, 7.45pm, Kassam Stadium, Grenoble Road, OX4 4XP. League One (Oxford United).
  • The Seagull, Wednesday 21 to Saturday 24 October, 7.30pm, Oxford Playhouse. Chekhov, for ages 15 and up, with a 2pm Saturday matinee (Oxford Playhouse).
  • Oxford United v Bradford City, Saturday 24 October, 3pm, Kassam Stadium (Oxford United).
  • Potion Making Experience, Ghost Fest, Sunday 25 to Saturday 31 October, sessions from 10am to 2.30pm, Oxford Castle & Prison, 44-46 Oxford Castle, OX1 1AY. A one-hour Halloween workshop in the crypt for ages 5 and up, with a wand to take home. It is part of the castle’s Ghost Fest, which runs from 23 to 31 October (Oxford Castle & Prison).
  • Michael Palin: In the Philippines, Sunday 25 October, 7.30pm, Oxford Playhouse. Stories from nearly 40 years of travelling the world (Oxford Playhouse).
  • Spooky Tours, Ghost Fest, Tuesday 27 to Saturday 31 October, 6.30pm to 11pm, Oxford Castle & Prison. After-dark tours lasting about an hour, for ages 14 and up; £21, or £23 on Halloween night (Oxford Castle & Prison).
  • Oxford United v Stockport County, Tuesday 27 October, 7.45pm, Kassam Stadium (Oxford United).
  • The Gang of Three, Tuesday 27 to Saturday 31 October, 7.30pm, Oxford Playhouse. Robert Khan and Tom Salinsky’s political drama, with 2.30pm matinees on Thursday and Saturday (Oxford Playhouse).
  • Half Term Halloween Crafternoon, Wednesday 28 October, 1pm, New Theatre Oxford. A two-and-a-half-hour craft session for half term (New Theatre Oxford).
  • The Michael Portillo Show, Thursday 29 October, 7.30pm, New Theatre Oxford. Michael Portillo’s live talk show (New Theatre Oxford).

The schools are off that week: our October half term page has the dates, and our Oxford Halloween page covers Ghost Fest, the Blenheim trail and the pumpkin patches for Saturday 31 October.

November

  • Harry Enfield and No Chums, Monday 2 November, 7.30pm, New Theatre Oxford (New Theatre Oxford).
  • Oxford United v Reading, Wednesday 4 November, 7.45pm, Kassam Stadium (Oxford United).
  • Iphigenia at Aulis, the Oxford Greek Play, Wednesday 4 to Saturday 7 November, 7.30pm, Oxford Playhouse. The triennial Oxford Greek Play returns, for ages 14 and up, with 2.30pm matinees on Thursday and Saturday (Oxford Playhouse).
  • Oxford Round Table charity fireworks display, Saturday 7 November, South Park. Gates open at 4.30pm, the low-noise display is at 6.30pm and the main one at 7.15pm. Adult tickets are £13 and there is no bonfire. Our Oxford fireworks page has the prices and road closures (Oxford Round Table).
  • Oxford Remembrance Sunday service, Sunday 8 November, the war memorial in St Giles’. The council has not yet published the 2026 running order. Our Remembrance Sunday page has last year’s times (Oxford City Council).
  • Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, Sunday 8 November, 7.30pm, New Theatre Oxford (New Theatre Oxford).
  • Stewart Lee Vs The Man-Wulf, Monday 9 to Wednesday 11 November, 7.30pm, Oxford Playhouse. Three nights of Stewart Lee sharing his stage with a werewolf comedian, for ages 14 and up (Oxford Playhouse).
  • Oxford United v Cheltenham Town, Tuesday 10 November, 7pm, Kassam Stadium (Oxford United).
  • Tony Hadley: The Christmas Big Band Tour 2026, Thursday 12 November, 7.45pm, New Theatre Oxford. Tony Hadley’s Christmas big band tour (New Theatre Oxford).
  • Sindhu Vee: Swanky, Thursday 12 November, 7.30pm, Oxford Playhouse. Stand-up, two hours with an interval, for ages 14 and up (Oxford Playhouse).
  • Oxford’s Christmas Light Festival, Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November, venues across the city, free. The festival marks the switch-on of the Christmas lights; the Victorian Christmas Market is on Broad Street from Thursday 12 November, and the Light Bus, the Rose Hill Light Parade and the Cutteslowe Light Trail all return. Our Light Festival page has the details so far (Oxford’s Christmas Light Festival).
  • Micky Flanagan, Friday 13 and Saturday 14 November, 7.30pm, New Theatre Oxford. Stand-up; ATG lists both nights as sold out (New Theatre Oxford).
  • Seann Walsh: This is Torture, Friday 13 November, 7.30pm, Oxford Playhouse. Stand-up for ages 14 and up; the Playhouse warns of strong language and adult content (Oxford Playhouse).

The Christmas market opens on Broad Street on the 21st and the Playhouse panto on the 20th: see the Christmas market and the Playhouse panto.

Regular events

  • Gloucester Green Market, Wednesday to Saturday, 9am to 4pm (Saturday to 5pm), Gloucester Green, OX1 2BU. The next market day is Wednesday 7 October (LSD Promotions).
  • Oxford parkrun, every Saturday at 9am, Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park; the Harbord Road entrance is OX2 8NP. A free, timed 5k; the next run is on 10 October (parkrun).
  • Headington Market, every Saturday, 9am to 2pm, London Road and New High Street, near the Royal Standard (Oxford City Council).
  • East Oxford Farmers’ and Community Market, every Saturday, 10am to 1pm, East Oxford Primary School, Union Street, with local produce, crafts and a small cafe (Oxford City Council).
  • Summertown Farmers’ Market, every Sunday, 10am to 2pm, Banbury Road, Summertown (Oxford City Council).
  • The Leys Community Market, last Saturday of the month, 11am to 2pm, The Barn, Nightingale Avenue, OX4 7FX. The next one is on 31 October (Oxford City Council).

Getting there

The Playhouse, the Ashmolean, the New Theatre, Gloucester Green and Broad Street are all in the city centre. For Oxford United, the Kassam Stadium is on Grenoble Road, OX4 4XP, and the club publishes its own travel advice. Our parking page covers park and ride and the city’s traffic filters, and the roadworks and travel page lists what is dug up before a weekend trip.

This page is rewritten as organisers confirm new dates. Every listing was re-read on 6 October 2026. Dates can still change, so use the links before you travel. More in our What’s On section.

Send us your event

Running something in Oxford? Email hello@theoxfordpost.co.uk with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free: nobody pays to appear. We add your event to this page and to the diary on our What’s On section.

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