Entertainment in Oxford
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Zodiac
Oxford's best live music venue is a wonderfully grubby place that attracts an eclectic crowd with its proudly indie vibe and unpretentious attitude. Live gigs upstairs feature anything from singer-songwriters to guitar-thrashing rockers, while the club downstairs plays anything from funk, soul and disco to reggae, glam rock and punk.
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City of Oxford Orchestra
With a host of spectacular buildings with great acoustics and two orchestras, Oxford is an excellent place to attend a classical concert. You'll find the widest range of events at www.musicatoxford.com or www.oxfordtickets.com. Also contact Oxford Contemporary Music (www.ocmevents.org) and Oxford Philomusica (www.oxfordphil.com)
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Living Room
The best of the new set of chain pubs that have blown in to the castle development, this one is all neutral tones, deep leather sofas, low lighting and lads on the pull. There's live blues on the baby grand from Tuesday to Saturday nights, a lengthy cocktail menu and the best outdoor seating in Oxford.
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Jericho Tavern
Chilled out and super cool with big leather sofas, tasselled standard lamps and boldly patterned wallpaper, this hip bar also has a live music venue upstairs. Adorned with giant portraits of John Peel, Supergrass and Radiohead, it's supposedly where the Abingdon boys played their first gig.
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Turf Tavern
Hidden away down narrow alleyways, this tiny medieval pub is one of the best loved in town. Packed with a mix of students, professionals and the lucky tourists who manage to find it, its low-ceilinged bar and outdoor courtyards host regular poker nights, pub quizzes and acoustic sets.
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Po Na Na
Still one of the best bets in town for a night out, Po Na Na is a small cave-like place with plenty of Moroccan lanterns, drapes and candles, a hip crowd and, in between the regular club nights, some big-name DJs and live events. Expect funk, indie, Old Skool, house and reggae.
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Raoul's
Packed to the gills on weekends and serving some of the best cocktails in town, this trendy retro-look bar is one of Jericho's finest. Guest DJs play chilled funky jazz as effortlessly cool punters try hard not to look impressed by the pestle-wielding bar staff.
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Eagle & Child
The so-called Rabbit Room of this atmospheric old pub, with its snugs and Ganymede-like ‘Bird & Baby’ pub sign, is where JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis and other members of the Inklings literary society met for lunch on Tuesdays.
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White Horse
More a large cupboard than an actual pub, this tiny olde-worlde place was a favourite retreat for TV detective Inspector Morse. It gets pretty crowded in the evening, but is good for a quiet afternoon pint and intellectual conversation.
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Kazbar
This funky Moroccan-themed bar has giant windows, low lighting, warm colours and a cool vibe. It's buzzing most nights with hip young things sipping cocktails and filling up on the Spanish and North African tapas.
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King’s Arms
This sprawling place with its nooks and crannies and photographs on the walls of famous guests (including the Queen Mum pulling herself a pint) is the place to get lost in on a chilly winter’s afternoon.
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Freud
A boho hangout in a crumb-ling desanctified church, with distressed pews, stained-glass windows and modern art on the walls, this cerebrally named venue is especially popular with students.
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Creation Theatre
Performing in a variety of nontraditional venues including city parks, the BMW plant and Oxford Castle, this theatre company produces highly original, mostly Shakespearean shows featuring plenty of magic and special effects. If you're in town when a performance is running, don't miss it.
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Burton Taylor Theatre
Just around the corner from the Oxford Playhouse, the Burton Taylor Theatre hosts quirky student shows.
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New Theatre
Blockbuster productions and ageing pop stars strut their stuff at the New Theatre.
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Pegasus Theatre
The Pegasus Theatre features alternative independent productions.
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Oxford Playhouse
The city's main stage for quality drama is the Oxford Playhouse.
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Frevd
Once a neoclassical church, now a happening bar, Frevd is a cavernous place with soaring ceilings, distressed walls, quirky art and a mixed bag of barflies. It's popular with a young style-conscious crowd and cocktail-sipping luvvies by night.
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Eagle & Child
Affectionately known as the 'Bird & Baby', this atmospheric place dates from 1650 and is a hotchpotch of nooks and crannies. It was once the favourite haunt of Tolkien, CS Lewis and their literary friends and still attracts a mellow crowd.
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