What's on in Oxford, United Kingdom through the year

Busy — Christmas holidays in United Kingdom, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Port Meadow under water (1 Dec – 28 Feb (usually))

Busy — February half-term in United Kingdom, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Port Meadow under water (1 Dec – 28 Feb (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in March.

Busy — Easter / spring holiday in United Kingdom, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Closure

  Colleges shut for exam term

  20 Apr – 20 Jun · usually

  Through Trinity term most colleges close their quads to visitors or cut the hours hard, and the ones that stay open charge. Christ Church and Magdalen publish their own days; check before you queue. Source ↗

Peak crowds — May Morning, Late-May half-term in United Kingdom

• Festival

  May Morning

  1 MayMajor festivalCrowded

  Magdalen choir sings from the top of the tower at six in the morning on 1 May and several thousand people stand on the High to hear it. Pubs open early; the bridge is closed to jumpers. Source ↗

• Festival

  Summer Eights

  27–30 MayMajor festival

  Four days of bumps racing on the Isis at the end of May, watched from the college barges and boathouses. Crews chase each other rather than race in lanes, which is why it is worth an afternoon. Source ↗

Still on: Colleges shut for exam term (20 Apr – 20 Jun (usually))

Busy — Late-May half-term in United Kingdom, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Colleges shut for exam term (20 Apr – 20 Jun (usually)), Summer Eights (27–30 May)

Peak crowds — Language schools and coach season, Summer holidays in United Kingdom

• Holiday

  Language schools and coach season

  1 Jul – 31 AugSchool holidaysCrowded

  Summer schools take the empty colleges and the coach tours take the centre, so Broad Street and the Bodleian queue are at their worst exactly when the colleges are most open. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Language schools and coach season, Summer holidays in United Kingdom

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Language schools and coach season (1 Jul – 31 Aug)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Busy — October half-term in United Kingdom, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Busy — Oxford Christmas Market, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Oxford Christmas Market

  21 Nov – 31 DecChristmas & New YearCrowded

  Wooden huts down Broad Street from late November to the new year, with the Sheldonian behind them. It is one street, so it is congested rather than large. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Oxford Christmas Market, Christmas holidays in United Kingdom

• Hazard

  Port Meadow under water

  1 Dec – 28 Feb · usuallyFlood season

  The Thames spreads across Port Meadow most winters and the towpath north of Walton Well goes under. It freezes some years, which is the only time Oxford skates. Source ↗

Still on: Oxford Christmas Market (21 Nov – 31 Dec)