Brilliant things to do in and around Oxford this weekend (31 July to 02 August)

Our Man in Havana follows the hilarious exploits of James Wormold, a British vacuum cleaner salesman in pre-revolutionary Havana, Cuba. Jack Ashton, Bob Barrett, Leon Ockenden, and Jodie Steele play over 30 characters to bring 1950s Havana vividly to life in this wonderfully funny and fast-moving romp!

Catch Overtone, an intimate, funny and unflinching new play about love and getting older – the adventures we were promised, the choices we think we made, and the cost of finally being honest.

The remarkably talented participants of the Oxford Piano Festival receive masterclasses from acclaimed pianist Marios Papadopoulos and fellow piano masters.

The remarkably talented participants of the Oxford Piano Festival receive masterclasses from acclaimed pianist Marios Papadopoulos and fellow piano masters.

Acclaimed pianist Richard Goode presents a compelling programme featuring Beethoven’s Sonata No. 27, Schoenberg’s Six Short Pieces, Brahms’s Op. 118 and Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze. The recital explores contrasting musical worlds, rich emotional depth and remarkable artistic innovation across four master composers.

Van Gogh & Me is a compelling new play starring Jack Ellis, examining the turbulent relationship between Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. Blending art, history and personal reflection, the production explores creativity, rivalry and the human cost of artistic ambition.

The remarkably talented participants of the Oxford Piano Festival receive masterclasses from acclaimed pianist Vanessa Latarche and fellow piano masters.

The remarkably talented participants of the Oxford Piano Festival receive masterclasses from acclaimed pianist Richard Goode and fellow piano masters.

Mozart’s beloved comic masterpiece The Marriage of Figaro is filled with sparkling melodies, mistaken identities, clever disguises and laugh-out-loud comedy, bringing one of opera’s greatest love stories vividly to life in period costume.

Oxford Piano Festival Participants take to the stage with fresh guidance from the world’s most esteemed pianists echoing in their ears.

The remarkably talented participants of the Oxford Piano Festival receive masterclasses from acclaimed pianist Arie Vardi and fellow piano masters.

Enjoy Oxford Coffee Concerts with Huw Watkins, Ben Baker, Emma Wernig and Tim Posner performing Watkins’ String Trio No. 2 and Brahms’ Piano Quartet No. 3.

Out of the Deep is a family-friendly specimen handling and exploration of the underwater world of marine reptiles.

Join Family-Friendly Sundays for free sessions including nature-themed activities, creative crafts, family-friendly trails and more, all provided by the museum’s volunteers.

Science Oxford Centre Family Days offer hands-on science experiences for all ages, with interactive indoor exhibits, outdoor nature exploration, and sensory-friendly sessions designed to support accessibility and inclusion.

The Oxford Festival Fringe Preview Comedy Festival (Oxford Comedy Festival) is a month-long comedy festival that takes place in Oxford throughout July. The festival brings the best comedians headed to Edinburgh and other large festivals to the Oxford community, with a particular focus on amplifying traditionally underrepresented voices.

The Oxford Piano Festival was founded in 1999 by Marios Papadopoulos, renowned pianist and Music Director of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra. Each year, the Festival welcomes piano players and pedagogues, experts and enthusiasts, to some of Oxford’s most historic venues, such as Sir Christopher Wren’s Sheldonian Theatre, the Holywell Music Room, and Christ Church Cathedral.

Daily drawings by the two artists Cally Trench and Tineke Bruijnzeels: Tineke Bruijnzeels’ project ‘One more line a day’ using a wide variety of materials and Cally Trench’s ‘Left Hand, Right Hand’ drawings in ink reveal the passage of time, and focus on the most important measure of time in our lives, the unit that governs our routines of waking, sleeping, eating and work.

Modern Art Oxford is delighted to present Little Fennel’s Complaint, a major solo exhibition by Olivia Plender (b. 1977, London), exploring historic and ongoing inequalities in women’s healthcare, from early modern witchcraft to contemporary debates on reproductive rights and medical authority. Plender developed the exhibition through research with leading Oxford institutions, including the Bodleian Library, Oxford Botanic Garden and John Radcliffe Hospital.

The exhibition displays a collection of work created using foraged plants, transformed through ancient techniques such as cordage and weaving, to reflect the raw beauty and cyclical nature of the natural world, that is both ephemeral and enduring.

In Bloom: How Plants Changed Our World at the Ashmolean Museum uncovers the hidden histories behind Britain’s most beloved blooms. Explore over 100 artworks and objects that reveal how plant exploration and trade shaped landscapes, cultures, and economies – from roses and tulips to camellias and peonies.

The Oxford Shakespeare Festival is back for its 16th year! This outdoor theatre experience that takes place in the castle yard of Oxford Castle & Prison will see Wild Goose Theatre, BMH Productions, Siege Theatre, and Greensleeved will be putting on marvellous performances of Shakespeare’s finest classics.

Anna Ridler’s A Perfect Language of Images is a digital artwork created with Oxford’s Dr William Poole, exploring systems of classification through AI. Inspired by John Wilkins and Jorge Luis Borges, it reflects on how machine learning both organises and destabilises knowledge.

As part of The Muddle of the Muses, three of the statues will be on display in Blackwell Hall: Clio representing History (original lead statue), Calliope representing Epic Poetry (lead reproduction) and Polyhymnia representing Rhetoric (original statue). 

Developed through research into the Bate Collection of Musical Instruments at the University of Oxford, the exhibition brings together sound, video and photography to consider what is revealed and concealed through the collection, preservation and display of musical instruments. At its centre is a new sound work created using recordings of historic instruments from the collection.

Pets & their People draws on depictions of pets in stories, imagery and poetry in the Bodleian’s collection – from one of the earliest recorded depictions of an assistance dog for the blind to a rare copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland that has never been displayed in the UK before.

Join Science Saturdays to investigate real natural history specimens including insects, fossils, skeletons and microscopes with scientists.

The Bodleian Libraries’ Wonder of Birds exhibition explores art, science and culture through the lens of avian life. Featuring rare archives, manuscripts and immersive sound, it invites visitors to reflect on both the beauty of birds and their decline.

This major new exhibition at Oxford University Museum of Natural History examines the 34 raw materials considered essential to the UK’s future, revealing the global supply chains, ethical challenges and scientific innovations behind the minerals that underpin everyday technology — from smartphones and batteries to medical equipment and jet engines.