When I was a kid this was the Oxford Apollo. It was the first place I ever saw a concert. When I…read morewas 3 or 4 years old, I was a massive fan of Nik Kershaw - I still am, actually, he's one of my top 10, if not top 5. I dragged my mother to the concert. I was so tiny, they put me up on stage briefly. Good memories, although I mainly only recall it by looking at pictures. Hazy and foggy and just a little bit out of reach, buried in my subconscious. Over the years, I saw other bands here when I was older, such as a very memorable Erasure concert. But nothing will ever compare to being 3 or 4 years old, being picked up and put onstage because I was so tiny, watching my hero Nik Kershaw on stage when he was at the height of his popularity. It's a lovely theatre... it's changed a lot, but is still well worth the high ratings that it gets. And this is review #1983 that I have written.

I went to see Stomp here and was looking forward to a bit of luxury compared to the more casual…read moreperformances of the Old Fire Station Theatre, Burton Taylor studio and various college theatres. It's certainly a cut above the rest, with ushers, several bars, a grand interior and a huge stage. However, it feels a little more like going to the cinema than a night out at the theatre. We joined a disorganised queue of people trying to get in, then dodged our way to our seats. There was no comfy reception area to chat in, and it was very croweded, so we went straight in. The ushers were helpful and our seats had a good view. They had binoculars in the stalls so it caters well for the short-sighted, although the stalls don't slop quite enough for the short-bodied to see over tall people in front. There was no interval, so I didn't sample the bars, but I've heard they're not fanastic. Still, I enjoyed the show and as the others have said, it really does have an amazing line-up every year. It gets big shows in at reasonable prices and is well worth going to.

Neither fancy nor run down, I'd not shy away from another performance at The Oxford Playhouse - and…read moreneither should you - but I'd set my expectations accordingly. Having bought advance tickets to a very good, creative, evening performance (Moby Dick) I was surprised to see how casual the Playhouse's interior looked and felt. It wasn't just the presence of a lot of children in the audience but also the sale of ice cream in the theater at intermission. This is not a theater experience that one should feel the need to dress up for; it's sort of the opposite of that. If ancient yelp reviews are accurate, The Oxford Playhouse is an attractive option for Oxford students. As a visitor to the town, I'd not call this a "must" but after a day of doing "whatever" it offers a comfortable finale.

I really love the Optin program and it's a great way for students to see good theatre for a…read morereasonable price. It's near the Ashmolean Museum which makes it a great way to end an evening of sightseeing.

This is a fine bar, not more than fine as it is not that special…read more The student nights are a great succes and not too expensive. Its not too big on the inside as it can get pretty crowded, usally combined with an intense heat and sweaty people. Therefore I prefer to spend my night elsewhere, but ofcourse, I know lots whod love the place. Once been there when Jordan (aka Katie Price) came to visit, and made a group of guys strip in front of the audience. Lots of fun! Although, as you can understand, most of the crowd where guys..only having eye for Jordan, waiting for her to show off her bodyparts, instead of the naked guys on stage...

Not to be confused with the theatre, The Old Fire Station bar (OFS) is famous for it's Tueday…read morestudent nights. The drinks are pretty cheap and it attract a good looking bunch of people. DJ's are hit and miss and the place isn't huge compared to the Bridge or Park End, but it's fun and has a god atmosphere. Monday nights at OFS is 'Flirt', a gay night. So if you are not of that persuasion head over to one of the other student nights!

OK, this is a delayed review as I went to see a play in this Open Air Theater in the summer. We…read morewere watching "The Merchant of Venice" and it was amazing. The actors (most of them rather young) were fully involved in the play and the stage set was designed ingeniously. I was amazed to see how so few props and such small crew of actors made up a play with so many different characters. Outstanding. Sadly last years summer was one of the wettest ever and many of the shows had to be cancelled and the open air theater as a whole did not attract enough business. They are now lacking the means to produce shows for this year. So far no plays have been announced. Very sad ... very sad indeed.

From the owner: Think about those books, the ones that you'll always go back to, those moments in life where you…read morethink 'that's a bit like that chapter' or 'you're just like that character', those are the stories we love. We don't just want to leave those books on the shelf though, we take them down, hand them around, share them out and bring them to life. All over Oxford we find unusual spaces - these stories aren't set in theatres so we don't put them there. Castles, antique mirror tents, college gardens, bookshops and factories... we'll go wherever the stories take us, and so far we've taken over 500,000 people with us. Our shows are eccentric, unexpected, fun, lively, quirky, fast and definitely not like any version you've seen before. From the thousands of children who've told classic stories in new ways through our education programme, to our professional actors and directors, you're always most likely to find us lost in a good book. 18 years, 54 shows, half a million audience members aged 5-95...we are Oxford's own Creation Theatre Company.

I came here a few weeks ago to watch a fav band of mine…read more It was easy to find and once the Queue outside started moving it didnt take long to get in and the Usher outside was very friendly and chatty. As no food or drink is allowed in there was a little confusion as to whether my apple was allowed in! ha ha Once inside there are obviously toilets and 2 bars. The drinks were expensive but that was to be expected really. The cloakroom situated at the back of the room was a pound per item and ran smoothly.

A complete make over from it's predecessor The Zodiac. The Carling Academy is an awesome venue for…read morelive music and DJ club nights. I went to see Hot Hot Heat and the venue was brilliant. The sound quality was superb and the lighting really contributed to the atmosphere and the performance on stage. Went on a club night to see Judge Jules and the atmosphere was awesome. A really great venue to party hard. The drinks are cheap too and there are plenty of loos so you don't have to be stuck in the queue. Queues for the bars are small too so no need to drink from the water tap. Only not 5/5 as the floor gets a bit slippery with all the sweat.

This is one of my favourite places to go for a night's entertainment - there's a good helping of…read moredecently put together student productions on and the tickets are usually about the same price as a cinema ticket, so it's good value. The theatre is very comfortable and is only a small one so you can see everything that is going on no matter where you sit. Watch out for the tickets at the front though as you'll end up sat on the same level as the stage, which can be a bit uncomfortable when the actors are right in front of you. The productions I've seen here have been good - the theatre has quite a few seats so if the play wouldn't pull in the crowd, they wouldn't put it on here. Worth a visit.

My favorite bar / place to party in Oxford!…read more This is a super spacious, BEAUTIFUL building. It was originally an old church that's since been refurbished. You can still admire the beautiful stained glass windows, though. There's a ton of space to mingle with friends or strangers. When we came at night it tended to be dimly lit with loud music playing, definitely a club type atmosphere, so you could get lost in the crowd pretty easily. Of course, they may have since changed that vibe since it's been a few years since I visited...but I loved it at the time. The friendly bar staff also fixed me the best White Russian I've ever had, too, so that definitely helps with the nostalgia factor. :)

A church converted into a pizza and beer and wine spot, this spot made a tasty thin crust pizza…read more There's come cool, hopefully, local art adorning the walls. At 7 p.m., the place was empty. Man, if this was the states, everybody and their mother would be waiting for a table. One pizza is about medium size and just enough for one person. My only small complaint was that it was extra oily but take a napkin and sop it up. Indoor and outdoor seating available.

The venue is really excellent and quaint. It does get warm inside (so quaint there's no air…read moreconditioning?) but the value for what you pay and the quality of the performance makes this pretty irrelevant to the lovely music here.

Tucked away in a quiet street this venue is a must to visit and attend concerts. The acoustics are…read moreoutstanding, and it's just a lovely place to be. Very private and intimate and creates a warm atmosphere for music lovers. Lovely decorated interior.

We had a great time exploring the Pitt Rivers Museum! There is SO much on display it's almost hard…read moreto take it all in. If you're an anthropology buff, this is your place. So many neat things to see and everything you can imagine, too many to list. From clothing to masks to weapons to toys all from different cultures and different times. We even saw a Totem Pole! Overall a fascinating place to visit, just wish we'd had more time to explore!

What you think of Oxford's Pitt Rivers Museum likely depends on how you like your museums. With…read moremore than 500,000 objects on display, Pitt Rivers is ripe for exploration. There's multi-level display cases everywhere, each seemingly containing more than the last. And don't get me started on the drawers; they're everywhere too, and when you pull them out you'll find hundreds more items in each. So if you like your museums with a few paintings on each wall this might not be your jam but you'll still probably be happy you went. You've likely never seen anything like this. A young woman in a shop mentioned, several days before my visit, that she particularly liked this museum and the way she described the entrance intrigued me. As it should: the entrance to this museum is found when you're already inside another museum (The Museum of Natural History; both are free of charge). Officially, the Pitt Rivers Museum displays both the archeological and anthropological collections of the University of Oxford. But unofficially, it's like entering someone's giant garage, very well organized but also packed to the rafters. One could spend months in here and only skim the surface.

I came here for evensong and was not disappointed. The chapel is beautiful inside and despite being…read moreornate, it manages to avoid the rather flamboyant decorations that many have. The wall in front of you as you walk in is breathtaking and if you go in during the day, the stained glass windows really give light to the room. The seats are pretty uncomfortable, so elderly visitors may find it helpful to bring a cushion. They face each other, so the choir is on the same level, just nearer to the altar. This creates a fantastic effect with the two parts of the choir singing at each other and the sound echoing from the walls. The men stand at the back providing the tenor and bass, whilst the boys stand at the front looking rather angelic. The choir is world-famous and specialises in Renaissance and Baroque music. Service sheets and books are provided and the services are Anglican. The lighting is subtle lamps which give the place a wonderful, peaceful glow. It's all very welcoming to guests, whether you're used to this sort of thing or not.