
What’s on in Oxford and across Oxfordshire this April
Hello and welcome to your invaluable guide to the best events, exhibitions and things to do throughout April 2022 in Oxford and across Oxfordshire.
Aside from celebrating Easter (and we’ve a separate guide coming for what to do this Easter in Oxford and across Oxfordshire), April brings with it longer and occasionally mild and sunny days. So it’s time to start planning an amazing April 2022 with our selection of the best events and things to do in Oxford and across Oxfordshire.
From exhibitions to live music, there’s a myriad of fun things to do packed into our April events calendar. There’s also heaps of comedy, musicals and dance, plus not one, but two operas by Opera International’s award-winning Ellen Kent Production.
And speaking of mild and sunny days, take advantage of days like this by checking out some of the best parks, open spaces and nature reserves in this neck of the woods as the flowers and trees start to bloom. And we’ve even put together a list of some of the best places to enjoy the sun in Oxfordshire – because we’re good like that!
As you very well know, this is nothing but a curated list of things to do in Oxford and across Oxfordshire this April. Do take a look at the What’s on section of the website where you’ll find a full list of events in Oxford and across Oxfordshire as well as unmissable events beyond the county that would make for a great day out.
Got an event that should be on the list? List your event on The Oxford Magazine and reach our growing audience of people who live, work or place in Oxfordshire. Once again, welcome to your invaluable guide to what’s on in Oxford and across Oxfordshire this April.
Camille Pissarro (1830–1903) is one of the most celebrated artists of 19th-century France. This major exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum draws on works from the Ashmolean’s collections as well as international loans and spans Pissarro’s entire career.
Discover more: What’s on at the Ashmolean Museum
In 2019 Ali Kazim, one of the most exciting contemporary artists working in Pakistan today, became the first South Asian artist-in-residence at the Ashmolean Museum. This exhibition is informed by the time spent in the Ashmolean.
Drag Queen Story Hour UK wants to show the world that being different is not a bad thing and will engage your child’s creativity and love for reading stories by giving them a brand new, positive experience, one page at a time… all the while learning and communicating.
Discover more: Kids & family-friendly events
The Oxford Literary Festival is a world-class literary event that brings together leading authors and public figures in a magnificent setting in the central university area of Oxford each year.
Discover more: Literary Festivals in Oxfordshire
The Boat Race, the annual rowing contest between crews from Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Clubs, will take place on Sunday 03 April 2022 at its celebrated Championship Course on the River Thames in London. Not quite in Oxfordshire! You can catch all of the action on television.
The quick-thinking queen of ventriloquism brings you her pioneering new dating show. She’ll be like Cilla Black with masks. Derailed. Not so much a Blind Date as a re-voiced one. There’s no promise that true love will be found, but a firm guarantee that big laughs will be had.
Discover more: Comedy & Spoken Word events in Oxfordshire
Drag Royalty will Ru-Turn in 2022 for the UK’s biggest ever RuPaul tour. Join the queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK for an evening of endless eleganza extravaganza. Witness the Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent of your favourite queens LIVE on stage.
Discover more: What’s On at New Theatre Oxford
In a brand-new show, Cruising Through Menopause, the hysterical sequel to the smash-hit show Menopause the Musical®, fast forward five years to catch up with the same four characters as they set off on the high seas for tales of their lives, loves and losses.
Discover more: Musicals & Dance

Julie Bennett, Josie Clouting, Michael Restrick and Lu Willis: Myth
The folktales of the Nordic lands, the spell of the ancient Greeks, the charms of Imperial Japan, and the allure of the classical goddesses…Myth offers a new visual perspective on these perennial tales, by four artists who met by chance.
This most popular of operas is a heady mixture of true love, torture and treachery, with two of the best roles for tenor and soprano, plus a truly blood-curdling villain. It’s sure to delight with its tender, moving arias Vissi d’arte and E Lucevan le Stelle.
Discover more: Classical Music, Opera & Ballet
This dazzling production with orchestra features Bizet’s unforgettable melodies, including The Toreador’s Song, Carmen’s enticing Habanera, and Don José’s lyrical Flower Song in a setting evoking the stunning architecture of Seville and its main square with Roman and Moorish influences.
Now in its 18th successive year, this stunning 100% live show combine’s first-class music together with slick choreography and an amazing band. Truly outstanding, this is the best Motown experience you will ever have seen!
Discover more: Concerts & Live Music
In Jimmy Carr – Terribly Funny, comedian Jimmy Carr knows that terrible things happen in life – but he believes the best way to cope is to make jokes about those events and not to worry about political correctness. You have been warned.
Since 2012 Chipping Norton has held its Literary Festival each April and it has earned its reputation as one of the friendliest and most innovative festivals, bringing a wide-ranging array of writers, poets, public figures and creative people to the town and drawing large and lively audiences from a wide area.
This critically acclaimed comedy-drama play by Lucy Danser about the sexual experiences of young adults in a world of information overload and weaponised language heads to Oxford for one night only.
Strictly Come Dancing Champion 2021 Giovanni Pernice is back in 2021 with his hit show THIS IS ME! The showman is set to light up the stage, along with his cast of professional dancers, for his fifth year of touring.
Meet Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams of some happiness in her life. When a hot new doctor arrives in town, life gets complicated. With the support of her workmates Becky and Dawn, Jenna overcomes the challenges she faces and finds that laughter, love and friendship can provide the perfect recipe for happiness.