THE STORY MUSEUM

10:00-17:30 Half Price entry to The Story Museum Galleries and Small Worlds
Booking in advance essential.

CURIOUS CREATURES TRAIL

Where: The Covered Market – starting and ending at The Story Museum
When: 10:00-16:00
Tickets: FREE

Pick up your trail map from The Story Museum information desk and head to Oxford’s beautiful historic Covered Market and spot the Curious Creatures. Spot 10 creatures and then return to the museum to collect your prize between 14.00-16.00.

With thanks to: Auto Models, Cardews of Oxford, Crystal Spirit Emporium, iScream, Jemini Flowers, John Gowing Jewellers, Next to Nothing, Soctopus, Space Store, The Garden of Oxford, The Woolhound, OxUnboxed, Wicked Chocolate

JABBERWOCK GIANT ART & STORYTELLING

Where: The Story Museum
When: 11:00-16:00
Tickets: FREE with Museum entry

Join in the fun and help us make a giant Jabberwock sculpture and listen to a reading of Lewis Carroll’s famous nonsense poem and other tales of curious creatures and fabulous monsters.

Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

WONDERLAND FACEPAINTING

Where: The Story Museum
When: 12:00-14:00
Tickets: FREE drop-in

Get in the Wonderland mood with our free facepainting – just drop into our beautiful courtyard and we’ll do the rest!

LEARN TO PLAY CROQUET

Where: Christ Church (meet at The Story Museum)
When: 13:45-14:30, 14:30-15:15 & 15:15-16:00
Tickets: £3 per person. Booking in advance essential. Click here to book

A rare opportunity to learn croquet in the beautiful setting of the Masters Garden at Christ Church, a setting that remains unchanged since Lewis Carroll’s time. Times to be announced. Sessions will be led by the Eynsham Croquet Club. Booking essential. £3 per person

BROAD STREET WONDERLAND WITH THE STORY MUSEUM

Where: Broad Street
When: 11:30-16:00
Tickets: FREE

Join us on Broad Street and meet giant Alice – but watch out for the Jabberwock! The fabulous monster will be out and about with a musical wrangler. Dress up as your favourite Wonderland character and take a picture at our Selfie Station. With Smoking Apples and Rag and Bone.

Approximate timings for the appearance of the puppets:
11:30. 13:00, 14:30 Alice
12:15, 13:30, 15:15 the Jabberwock

TEA TIME WITH HATTER AND HARE

Where: Oxford Botanic Garden, in partnership with WhatNot Theatre
When: 10:30, 12:30, 14:30
Tickets: £22 (family ticket 2 adults, 2 children), £13 (family ticket, 1 adult, 2 children), £13 adult, £7 concession, under 3s FREE
Click here to book

Join WhatNot Theatre for a fizzing new adventure as we take a tumbling down the rabbit hole to find our absurd Hatter & Hare still sipping tea and swapping seats. Wander through Wonderland as our eccentric yet charming pair re-tell the tales of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland…with more costume changes than you could shake a croquet stick at! Encounter our curious creatures; the grinning Cheshire Cat, the furious Queen of Hearts, a nervous White Rabbit, an all-knowing Caterpillar, the melancholy Mock Turtle, a ridiculous Dodo and a questionable Lobster. This is a relaxed performance, accessible and suitable for all the family involving audience participation from the comfort of your own picnic blanket. Bring a blanket, a picnic (Hatter particularly enjoys jam sandwiches) and your curiosity.

Tickets also include:
The Sensorium: a family-friendly scent-matching activity
Immerse yourself in a scented trail with stops throughout the Glasshouses. Can you match the scents?
Alice’s Trail
Discover some of the plants (and animals) from Lewis Carroll’s famous stories with this self-guided trail. Pick up a copy at the Welcome Centre.
Through the Looking Glass
Share your best Cheshire Cat grin with our Wonderland selfie frame.

ALICE’S SHOP

Where: Alice’s Shop
When: 10:30-17:00
Tickets: FREE

Visit Alice’s Shop and collect a free limited edition ‘Curious Creatures Postcard Puzzle’. Two will be given out per child. You can write and post a card to a friend and keep one for yourself!

LEWIS CARROLL SOCIETY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BODLEIAN LIBRARY

Where: The Weston Library
When: 10:45, 11:30, 12:15, 16:30
Tickets: FREE

10:45 The Oxford Dodo – real and imagined
With Mark Carnall, Collections Manager, Life Collections, Oxford University Museum of Natural History
The cultural resonances, extinction, conservation and human interpretation of the Dodo, plus references to the Carrollian links with specimens at the Museum.
11:30 Alice’s Adventures Under Water
With Lenny de Rooy, author and ‘Alice in Wonderland’ expert
The inspirations for her humorous book, including the ‘fabulous monsters and curious creatures’ which feature, their parallels with the original ‘Alice’ books and references to modern culture, and some surprising revelations about real marine life.
12:15 From the Jabberwock to the Snark
With Brian Sibley, Lewis Carroll Society Chair
The frabjous story of how an Anglo-Saxon Stanza, a Monster from the Tulgey Wood and a Beamish Boy with a Vorpal Blade helped ‘Jabberwocky’ become Lewis Carroll’s most celebrated poem.
16:30-18:00 Lewis Carroll Society get together
At The Three Goats’ Heads, 3a St Michael’s Street, OX1 2DR: a pub the same age as The Snark! Outside if fine, but do also inspect the decorative interior. All are welcome.

OUT OF THE DEEP

Where: Oxford University Museum of Natural History
When: 11:00-13:00 & 14:00-16:00
Tickets: FREE

Join us for a family-friendly specimen handling session exploring the underwater world of marine reptiles.
For all ages.
Drop-in, no booking required.

MEET THE DODO!

Where: Oxford University Museum of Natural History
When: 12:00-15:00
Tickets: FREE drop-in

Join Charles Dodgson (better known as Lewis Carroll), author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is said to have drawn inspiration for the dodo character in the story from the dodo specimens kept at the museum. Find out more about this flightless bird and make a craft inspired by the Oxford Dodo!

For all ages. Drop-in, no booking required

MULTAKA’S FABULOUS MONSTER TRAIL

Where: Museum of the History of Science
When: 12:00-17:00
Tickets: FREE

Uncover Fabulous Monsters and Curious Creatures from around the world at the History of Science Museum with our new trail, created by young people from our Multaka group. Discover Chinese dragons, Greek monsters and other figures from myth and legend among our unique collection of scientific instruments.

CATERPILLARS, RABBITS AND BIRDS: A FAMILY WORKSHOP WITH WILDLIFE AND WORDS

Where: Museum of Oxford
When: 13:00-16:00
Tickets: £3 per child

Oxford Poetry Library is delighted to bring you this family-friendly workshop all about poetry and nature, inspired by the flora and fauna of Alice in Wonderland! Spend time exploring the magical and sometimes mysterious world of nature, gather ideas on a wander through Christ Church meadow and return to MOX to write your own poems.

Book tickets here

ALICE’S DAY AT THE BODLEIAN LIBRARIES

Where: Bodleian Libraries
When: 10:30-15:00
Tickets: FREE

Families can:
• Print a keepsake on our historic printing press
• Explore the Kafka exhibition with a ‘Curious Creatures’ inspired trail
• Play inflatable flamingo croquet
• Relax and read our Alice-inspired books
• Try their hands at animal origami
• Create a mad-hatter’s hat…
…and more! All activities are free and drop-in.

CURIOUS CREATURES STORYTELLING

Where: Weston library
When: 12:00

Where: History of Science Museum
When: 13:30

Tickets: FREE

Join Isy Mead for tales of curious creatures and fabulous monsters.

CURIOUS CUSHION CONCERT WITH HANNAH BRIERLEY

Where: Museum of Oxford
When: 10:30-11:00 & 11:15-11:45
Tickets: £3 adults free

Join local musician Hannah Brierley for a wonderful woodwind concert for children, with music inspired by familiar stories and terrific tales you may not have heard before. Get curious and creative, hearing from a variety of instruments with plenty of chances to sing-a-long. This workshop is suitable for children 3 to 7.

10:30 concert Book Tickets here
11:15 concert Book Tickets here