What’s on in Oxford and across Oxfordshire this Easter

The first bank holiday of the year (and it’s a double!) usually means parties, long brunches, vast lunches and opportunities to soak up spring – a chance to celebrate renewal and hope.

One of the best ways to celebrate Easter in Oxford and across Oxfordshire is to spend time discovering the beautiful countryside and the great outdoors. From blissful drinks in the park to some of the year’s biggest and best club nights.

When you’re not out hunting for Easter eggs and eating as much chocolate and hot cross buns as humanly possible, head over to see some of the county’s finest themed attractions or don your Sunday best, kick up your heels and enjoy some of the county’s culinary offering in the best places to dine.

And, just in case the weather is lousy, there’s plenty to do indoors too – from exhibitions and experience days to concerts and indoor egg hunts. We’ve even a handy guide to help you put together the ultimate Easter egg hunt.

Easter weekend this year runs from Good Friday on 07 April to Easter Monday on 10 April 2023. And, as always, here are our top picks of events and things to do in Oxford and across Oxfordshire this Easter, to keep you busy for those four days.

This is a curated list, and we’ll be updating our “What’s on” pages as more Easter events are announced. In the meantime, do get in touch if there’s an event that should be on the list, and we’ll do our best to include it here.

Easter trails & activities

Easter Trail at Tumblestone Hollow, Stonor Gardens

When: 01 to 16 April

Where: Stonor Park, Henley-on-Thames

The annual Tumblestone Hollow Easter Trail will run every day from 01 to 16 April. Follow the trail, exploring and playing as you go along. Solve the puzzle and receive a fantastic chocolate treat. Hear the stories of Tumblestone Hollow read by one of the woodland elves who might even give you a special Tumblestone washable tattoo.

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Easter at Blenheim Palace

When: 7 to 10 April

Where: Blenheim Palace

Visit Blenheim Palace for a fun-packed family day out during the Easter weekend. There will be lots of ‘eggcellent’ activities for all the family to participate in, including circus skills, street entertainment and a special appearance from the Easter bunny. All activities will take place in the Walled Garden.

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Theatre

St Matthew Passion

When: 06 April

Where: Sheldonian Theatre

Bach’s great depiction of Jesus’s arrest and crucifixion, the St Matthew Passion, was unprecedented when it was first performed on Good Friday 1727. The Orchestra is joined by The Choir of The Queen’s College, The Boys of Radley College Choir and front-rank soloists for this Passiontide performance under The Queen’s College’s Owen Rees.

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Discover more: Sheldonian Theatre
Test Match Special Live: The Ashes

When: 06 April

Where: New Theatre Oxford

Voice of Cricket Jonathan ‘Aggers’ Agnew will be joined by Aussie bowling legend Glenn McGrath – and a host of special guests – as the TMS team relive hilarious Ashes anecdotes, great memories of classic series past, as well as debating the hottest topics in cricket today.

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Discover more: Glenn McGrath looks ahead as Test Match Special Live tour heads to Oxford
Russell Howard

When: 07 April

Where: New Theatre Oxford

Russell Howard, “one of the world’s top comedians” (Sunday Times) is back for a brand new live tour of the UK in 2023. As we reel from one global crisis to the next, join Russell, ‘the uplifting Comedy King’, as he puts the world to rights in his own uniquely hilarious way.

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Exhibitions & displays

Art of World War II – A Personal Collection

When: From 25 February

Where: SOFO Museum

Art of World War II – A Personal Collection is an exhibition of diverse, original artwork – produced during and depicting scenes from the Second World War. The exhibition first went on display at the museum in March 2020 but was open for less than a week before national lockdowns were put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic – meaning many will now get the opportunity to see these historic pieces for the first time.

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Discover more: SOFO Museum
Dia al-Azzawi – Painting Poetry

When: Until 11 June

Where: Ashmolean Museum

This free exhibition presents artworks and ‘dafatir’ from Dia al-Azzawi, an internationally recognised Iraqi painter and sculptor who has been living and working in London since the late 1970s. Dia al-Azzawi is best known for monumental and colourful canvasses, and his work spans many genres, including a type of artist book known in Arabic as ‘dafatir’.

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Discover more: Exhibitions & Displays
Carey Young

When: 25 March to 02 July

Where: Modern Art Oxford

In this major new exhibition at Modern Art Oxford, Carey Young (b. 1970, lives and works in London) focuses her astute vision on female identity with works depicting women working in law and industry, which invite viewers into new perceptions of systemic power, gender and justice. An associated selection of Young’s compelling text and photographic works will connect law, power and visual culture.

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Discover more: Modern Art Oxford
About Labyrinth: Knossos, Myth & Reality

When: From 10 February

Where: Ashmolean Museum

The palace of Knossos, discovered and excavated over 100 years ago, was the centre of a Bronze Age civilisation of people we now call the Minoans, named after the legendary King Minos. This will be the first UK exhibition to focus on Knossos and will include over 100 objects that have never left Crete and Greece before, alongside discoveries from the Ashmolean’s Sir Arthur Evans Archive.

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Discover more: Ashmolean Museum