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Things to do in May in Oxford and beyond!
It seems to us that May is the first month when Oxford fully ditches hibernation-mode and springs into life with a flurry of activities. From heritage tours to bee awareness sessions, and from free classical concerts to interactive theatre, there’s something to float everyone’s boat. Best of all, the activities that we’ve picked below are all accessible by bus, making it easy to hop around the city or beyond, whether you’re with or without kids.
May your next adventure be a great one!
Arts and culture
If you’re a budding artist (but even if you’re not), you won’t want to miss Oxfordshire artweeks. Running from 3rd to 26th May, this festival of sculpture, ceramics, paintings and sculpture can be found popping up in galleries, local houses, potteries and ancient churches all across the county. You can also download these trail maps to help you plan your day along an easy-to-follow route.
Meanwhile, Modern Art Oxford will be hosting Creative Play on the 3rd, 6th, and 21st of May. This creative space allows the little people to explore, create, and get messy for just £4.50, with one accompanying parent or carer included.
Also at Modern Art Oxford, older children might enjoy the weekly Young Creatives Socials, where they can meet peers, work with professional artists, and develop their creativity—all for free.
Public transport: All the suggestions above are within walking distance from Carfax Tower, served by many Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel services, except for some of the venues listed in Oxfordshire artweeks.
Heritage and history
Oxford’s May Day traditions are centuries old, so if you can handle the early start, you could join the thousands of people who head to Magdalen College Tower to hear Magdalen College Choir welcome in spring at 6:00 am. The celebrations then continue across with city with dancing, music, food, and entertainment. The fun of it is that there is no set programme per se; it varies each year.
For something a little different, why not visit the rarely open Wheatley Windmill, which will be kicking off one of their open days on Sunday, 11th May, to celebrate National Mills Weekend? You’ll get to learn how the windmill works, and if the weather’s right, get to see the sails turn. There’s no admission charge for visiting the mill, but donations can be made to support the mill’s maintenance.
Back in Oxford, those unsung heroes at the Oxford Preservation Trust will be running a Medieval Merchant’s House Tour in Abingdon on Saturday, 17th May, and a drop in event at North Hinksey Conduit House just outside Oxford on 7th June.
And finally, if trains are how you roll, how about a meander through the South Oxfordshire countryside on a vintage diesel train? Hop on the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway’s Magical Express on 4th and 5th May, when a resident magician will be wowing passengers with his sleight of hand aboard a heritage diesel train. Then on 10th May, members of public will be invited to board The Wallingford Fryer for a fish and chip supper – another great British tradition. Advance booking for both events is essential.
Public transport: All the suggestions above are within walking distance from Carfax Tower and are served by a large number of local Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel bus services. However, there are a few exceptions: Wheatley Windmill, which is served by the 400 bus; the Medieval Merchant’s House, whose nearest bus stop is Bridge Street; and the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway, with the nearest stop at Wallingford Marketplace.
You can plan your journey to Carfax Tower or other locations by using the online Journey Planner available here. Simply insert your current location into the planner, and your most suitable bus journey will be calculated for you.
Music
Classical music lovers are likely to enjoy the finale of the popular SJE Arts International Piano Series on 14th May, featuring Elizabeth BrauB playing Bach, Beethoven, and Prokofiev, hosted at SJE Arts.
Meanwhile, Oxford May Music returns for its seventeenth season returns for its seventeenth season, exploring art, religion, philosophy, and science through talks and performances over the May Bank Holiday. SJE Arts will also be holding a My Lovely Postcards exhibition with proceeds raised from the auctioned artworks going to Beth’s Bursary Fund.
For those with a passion for choral music, the Intermezzo Chamber Choir’s spring concert at SJE Arts promises something a little different to the usual fare. The programme will feature a diverse selection of folk songs from around the globe, alongside a special arrangement of a South African pop song by the country’s leading choir. See their full May programme for details. Alternatively, on Wednesday, 7th May, you could immerse yourself in the vibrant sounds of Spain with a flamenco guitar performance by the talented Grisha Goryachev.
If you’re watching the pennies, you can enjoy free music with University Church’s lunchtime piano recitals held every Wednesday in May, culminating in a concert by The William Jewell College Concert Choir from Missouri.
Just down the road, The Jacqueline du Pré Music Building will also be hosting free weekly lunchtime recitals featuring a variety of genres from blues to classical.
Also at the Jacqueline du Pre Building are three family cushion concerts designed to introduce different styles of music and different instruments to children and their families. These concerts aren’t free per se but tickets cost a very reasonable £7 per person or £25 for a family of four.
And finally, St Michael & All Angels Church is again hosting the popular Bach to Baby concert on Saturday, 24th May, featuring a Cello safari that explores animals both big and small through the medium of music. Tots can wiggle, jiggle, dance and roam to their heart’s delight while their parents just enjoy some great music.
Public transport: All the Easter suggestions above are all within walking distance from Carfax Tower, served by a large number of local Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel bus services, except for SJE Arts with the closest bus stop being the James Street West stop. You can plan your journey to Carfax Tower or James Street west stop by using the online Journey Planner available here. Simply insert your current location into the planner, and your most suitable bus journey will be calculated for you.
Nature and the great outdoors
Oxford is connected by many green spaces, some of which you may not have heard of, so why not try a new walk on your doorstep?
If you’re looking for a walk that will engage the little people, you could try one of Oxford Preservation Trust’s series of Green Space Walks, all bus-accessible and featuring activities for the children.
Dogs also in tow? There are a number of green spaces in Oxford that accept dogs on leads, including Port Meadow, Christchurch Meadow, Hinksey Park, Seacourt Nature Reserve and Cutteslowe Park, but if you’re looking for a great coffee, great company and scenic walks, you could nip over to the Dog Spot in Abingdon, which holds weekly Chatty Walks for dogwalkers on Tuesdays and Sundays.
If you love exploring gardens, you could search for private gardens that are opening near you as part of the National Garden Scheme. You’ll not only get to uncover some hidden gems, but you’ll be helping to raise money for nursing and health charities while you’re at it. What’s not to like about that?
Short on space but want to grow some veg this year? Why not head down to the wildlife gardening talk at Sutton Courtenay Environmental Education Centre on Thursday, 8th May, where you’ll learn be shown how to grow veg in small spaces and containers. Hot drinks and biscuits are provided on the day, and donations are welcome.
And finally, for something a little different, Bishops Court Farm is running the first of its Bee Awareness Sessions between 10.00am and 12:30pm on Friday, 2nd May with the opportunity to look inside an active honeybee colony, learn how the farm’s flora helps honeybees, and try the local honey. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
Public transport: All the suggestions above are within walking distance from Carfax Tower, served by a large number of local Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel bus services, except for Sutton Courtenay which is served by buses to the Milton Park Estate and Bishops Court Farm which is served by the River Rapids buses. You can plan your journey to Carfax Tower, Dorchester or Bishops Court Farm by using the online Journey Planner available here. Simply insert your current location into the planner, and your most suitable bus journey will be calculated for you.
Theatre
Children’s entertainment group, The Wiggles will be returning to the New Theatre as part of their global Bouncing Balls tour on Tuesday 13th May. Also at the New Theatre, Tim Rice will be reflecting on his life in musicals, from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to Evita with music from theDuncan Waugh Band and the West End Singers on Thursday 15th May.
For those of us old enough to remember Margaret Thatcher (ahem), The Playhouse will be staging Handbagged from the 20th to 24th of May. This sharp and humorous exploration delves into the hypothetical private encounters between Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher behind closed doors.
Also at The Playhouse is Little Women, an adaptation of Louisa Alcott’s much-loved classic, following the March sisters’ journey into adulthood, against the backdrop of the American Civil War. Little Women takes place from 27th to 31st May with tickets available from £14.
And finally, for something a little more interactive, you could try Creation Theatre’s Sherlock in Summertown from 18th to 27th May where you’ll follow a trail of clues around Summertown, bumping into characters from the story as you go.
Public transport: All the suggestions above are within walking distance from Carfax Tower, served by a large number of local Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel bus services. You can plan your journey to Carfax Tower by using the online Journey Planner available here. Simply insert your current location into the planner, and your most suitable bus journey will be calculated for you.
On the water (or in it)
If punting is on your bucket list, why not head down to Magdalen Boat House where you could attempt (and hopefully succeed) to glide down past Oxford’s Botanic Gardens and through Christ Church College Meadows without a mishap.
Further downstream, Salters Steamers offers motorboats for hire, as well as public boat trips to Iffley Lock, Port Meadow, and Marlow, subject to the weather.
For those looking to take the adventure further, Super Saver tickets are available if you want to combine punting or a boat trip with an open-top bus tour.
Prefer to get your toes wet (but not from punting)? Hinksey Outdoor Pool is now open for the 2025 season, the pool includes a beach area for infants and wheelchair users, as well as a poolside café for aqua fanatics and spectators alike.
Further afield, Dorchester-on-Thames, Wet ‘n’ Wild Watersports Centre is also offering open water swimming (in a more natural lakeside setting), as well as paddleboarding, kayaking and an inflatable obstacle course. And if that looks all too energetic, you could just sit and relax at their lakeside café for some coffee and cake. No one needs to know.
Public transport: All the suggestions above are within walking distance from Carfax Tower, served by a large number of local Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel bus services. You can plan your journey to Carfax Tower by using the online Journey Planner available here. Simply insert your current location into the planner, and your most suitable bus journey will be calculated for you
Exclusive discounts for bus travellers: Fancy a pitstop? Colombia Coffee Roasters, Oxford Town Hall Cafe, George & Davis and Modern Art Oxford café and shop, and The Story Museum based in Oxford are all offering discounts when you show them a mobile bus ticket as part of App Benefits*.
For the full list of discounts available (including discounted admissions to attractions in Oxfordshire) visit oxfordbus.co.uk/benefits.
Looking to explore further? Try this further reading:
Adventures along the 400 route