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IF Oxford Science + Ideas Festival 2025
17 October 2025 to 02 November 2025
About IF Oxford Science + Ideas Festival 2025
IF Oxford Science + Ideas Festival returns in 2025 with events from 17 October to 02 November. The science and ideas festival is a high-profile opportunity for people to explore innovative ideas and creative research in and around our vibrant city.
Combining science, technology, engineering and mathematics with arts, humanities and culture, there’s something for everyone, with activities for young children and families and sessions for teenagers and adults to enjoy alone or as a group. It is very much a festival with a wide public appeal.
IF Oxford Science + Ideas Festival is a thought-provoking and interactive science and ideas festival that creates an opportunity to bring together hundreds of researchers with thousands of people every year – with science, ideas and creative activities for everyone to explore.
IF Oxford 2024 brought together a brilliant programme of events, including:
- Explorazone: Get hands-on with science and meet friendly inventors—an interactive pop-up of inventive wonders (schools.oxfordshire.gov.uk, Experience Oxfordshire).
- Super Science Sunday: Hosted at the Science Oxford Centre, this event gave families the chance to explore fusion energy, make stars on Earth, and watch science demonstrations up close (Science Oxford).
- The Science of Superheroes: A fun, family-friendly talk at Oxford Playhouse, revealing whether comic-book science could really be real (Science Oxford).
- TechWorks: Located at ARC Oxford, this hands-on zone offered tech-based learning and innovation through immersive pop-up setups (schools.oxfordshire.gov.uk, Experience Oxfordshire).
- BLAST!: A science explosion of activities at The Barn, blending humor, discovery, and hands-on fun (schools.oxfordshire.gov.uk, Experience Oxfordshire).
- Uchiwa science optical illusions exhibition: A highlight at multiple venues—including local libraries—this exhibit invited visitors to create their own mesmerizing illusions, combining art and psychology (Science Oxford).
- A Monstrous Discovery: Hosted at the Story Museum, this CSI-style challenge had participants solving mysteries through bone and footprint analysis (Science Oxford).
- Robot Racing: Held at Iffley Sports Centre, this playful event invited audiences to root for, and even try, racing robotic dogs along Oxford’s historic track (Science Oxford).
- Geology in a Cemetery Near You: Guided tours led curious minds through sobering yet fascinating geological and historical insights within Oxford’s graveyards (Science Oxford).
IF Oxford is a powerful way to bring people together – inspiring curious minds of all ages and backgrounds to access and help shape new ideas. It is organised by Oxfordshire Science Festival, with trustees and a small team that work year-round to produce the Festival, which began in 1992.
IF Oxford Science + Ideas Festival 2025 programme
Download the festival programme
Pricing (2025)
IF Oxford uses Pay What You Decide (PWYD) ticketing – so you can choose to pay whatever you want or can afford. You can make your donation during booking or after the event, and the amount you pay is up to you. A suggested donation from £5.00 to £50.00 per person for each event enjoyed will help secure the future of the festival.
Venue details
The IF Oxford programme of activities takes place at various venues across the city. Kindly visit the festival website for further details about dates, times and locations for individual activities.
