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Alice's Day
Join us Saturday 6 July 2024 for a frabjous day of delight!
Alice’s Day, Oxford’s city-wide celebration of all things Alice in Wonderland, is back on Saturday 6 July 2024. This year's theme is Fabulous Monsters and Curious Creatures. Scroll down to browse the full programme or click here to download the At A Glance Guide.
ALICE'S DAY 2024 - PROGRAMME
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: Collector's Corner, 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: 11:30-15:30
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:
12:15, 13:30, 15:15 the Jabberwock
13:00-13:30 & 14:30-15:00 Alice
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.
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
Sunday 7 July
Riverside Walk to Binsey 'Treacle Well'
Where: Riverside Walk
When: 14:00-15:30
Tickets: £5 minimum donation
A mainly riverside walk of about two miles with local historian, Lewis Carroll Society trustee, and author of Alice in Waterland, Mark Davies, following part of the route of the famous boat trip of 1862 during which the story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was first told. The walk will include a rare chance to view the impressive St Frideswide door carved by the real Alice’s sisters, and will encompass the area’s broader historical and literary importance. The route is flat, and will end at Binsey Church – where all's (Treacle) Well that ends Well – and where the Oxford Children’s Book Group will be hosting a range of activities that afternoon.
To reserve a place – minimum £5, please, in aid of OCBG and St Frideswide’s Church, Osney please email
Family Fun and Fables at the Treacle Well
Where: St Margaret's Church, Binsey
When: 14:00-15:30
Tickets: FREE
Enjoy activities and crafts with Oxford Children's Book Group in partnership with St Margaret’s Church, Binsey and St. Frideswide’s Church, Botley Road. Activities include: Storytelling; Monster-making; Queen Alice crown-making; Fishing in the Pool of Tears; Lucky dip; Book stall; Pinning a Tail on the Cheshire Cat; Jabberwocky cartoons with Clive Goddard; Dressing up; and more….
Free event. All children must bring an adult with them.
Limited parking is available but please try to avoid driving, if possible.
There are no toilet facilities on site.
Pictures, Parks and Pleasure Walk
Where: Oxford Botanic Gardens
When: 11:00
Tickets: £12/£10
The Oxford Festival of the Arts present Oxford in the footsteps of Lewis Carroll and his muse, Alice Liddell. The walk of approximately one mile will explore some less visited, quieter parts of the city, incorporating the resting place of two ‘Hatters’, University Parks (Pleasure and Delight guaranteed!), and a minute of cricket, to end at the ‘loveliest building of the plain’, the University Museum of Natural History, where some ‘curious creatures’ await.
SATURDAY 6 JULY |
ACTIVITY |
LOCATION |
10:00-17:30 |
Half price entry to The Story Museum |
The Story Museum |
10:00-16:00 |
Curious Creatures Trail |
Covered Market (starting & ending at The Story Museum) |
10:30-17:00 |
Curious Creatures Puzzles |
Alice's Shop |
10:30-11:00 |
Curious Cushion Concert |
Museum of Oxford |
10:30-11:30 |
Tea time with Hatter and Hare |
Oxford Botanic Garden |
10:30-15:00 |
Alice activities |
Bodleian Library |
10:45-11:30 |
Lewis Carroll Society Talk: The Oxford Dodo |
Weston Library |
11:00-13:00 |
Out of the Deep |
Oxford University Museum of Natural History |
11:00-16:00 |
Jabberwock Giant Art & Storytelling |
The Story Museum |
11:00-18:00 |
Curious Creatures Trail |
Covered Market & Around Town |
11:15-11:45 |
Curious Cushion Concert |
Museum of Oxford |
11:30-12:15 |
Lewis Carroll Society Talk: Alice's Adventures Under Water |
Weston Library |
12:00-16:00 |
Giant Puppets & Activities |
Broad Street |
12:00-12:30 |
Curious Creatures Storytelling |
The Weston Library |
12:00-14:00 |
Wonderland Facepainting |
The Story Museum Courtyard |
12:00-15:00 |
Meet the Dodo |
Oxford University Museum of Natural History |
12:00-17:00 |
Fabulous Monsters and Curious Creatures Trail |
History of Science Museum |
12:15-13:00 |
Meet the Jabberwock |
Broad Street |
12:15-13:00 |
Lewis Carroll Society Talk: From the Jabberwock to the Snark |
Weston Library |
12:30-13:30 |
Tea Time with Hatter and Hare |
Oxford Botanic Garden |
13:00-13:30 |
Meet Giant Alice |
Broad Street |
13:00-16:00 |
Caterpillars, rabbits and birds: Family workshop |
Museum of Oxford |
13:30-14:00 |
Meet the Jabberwock |
Broad Street |
13:30-14:00 |
Curious Creatures Storytelling |
History of Science Museum |
14:00-16:00 |
Out of the Deep |
Oxford University Museum of Natural History |
14:00-16:00 |
Learn to Play Croquet - times tbc |
Masters Garden, Christ Church |
14:30-15:00 |
Meet Giant Alice |
Broad Street |
14:30-15:30 |
Tea time with Hatter and Hare |
Oxford Botanic Garden |
15:15-15:45 |
Meet the Jabberwock |
Broad Street |
17:00-18:00 |
Lewis Carroll Society Get Together - all welcome |
The Three Goats' Heads Pub |
SUNDAY 7 JULY |
ACTIVITY |
LOCATION |
11:00 |
Pictures, Parks and Pleasure Walk |
Oxford Botanic Garden |
14:00-15:30 |
Riverside Walk |
Ending at Binsey 'Treacle Well' |
14:30-15:30 |
Family Fun & Fables |
St Margaret's Church, Binsey |
Alice and Talking Flowers on Broad Street
Lucy Walters performing in the Woodshed Theatre
The White Rabbit from Blackwell's Bookshop greeting families
Dizzy O'Dare and the Red Queen Dodo Rider
Alice playing Grandmother's Footsteps on Broad Street
How it all began
One golden afternoon on 4 July 1862, Charles Dodgson, an Oxford don, took the 10-year-old Alice Liddell and her sisters on a boating picnic up the River Thames from Folly Bridge in Oxford. To amuse the children he told them a story about a little girl, sitting bored by a riverbank, who finds herself tumbling down a rabbit hole into a topsy-turvy world called Wonderland.
The story so delighted Alice that she begged him to write it down – the result was the 1864 handwritten manuscript Alice’s Adventures Under Ground. This original manuscript, which was prepared as a gift for Alice Liddell, is now in the British Library and is available to view on their website. The following year the manuscript was published as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland under the pen name Lewis Carroll, with illustrations by Sir John Tenniel. A sequel, Through the Looking-Glass, was published in 1871.
Alice’s Day commemorates an important moment for children’s literature and for Oxford. Alice became one of the most popular, most widely quoted and most widely translated children’s book ever written, with editions even in Esperanto and shorthand. It marked the birth of modern children’s literature. After Alice, children’s books became less stuffy and more entertaining. Oxford became a world centre of children’s stories and inspirational home to many authors and illustrators including Kenneth Grahame, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien and Philip Pullman.
VIP Wonderland Tea experience
Enjoy an exclusive Wonderland tea experience, 3 & 4 August
Alice's Day 2024 is sponsored by Great Western Railway.
Travel to Oxford with GWR and you’ll be in Wonderland in no time
There are two direct trains from London per hour, and frequent services across the network with a change at Reading or Didcot Parkway. Don’t delay, book your tickets now and make sure you’re on time for the White Rabbit!
Or hop on a bus to dive down the rabbit hole
For local bus information visit the Oxford Bus Company journey planner or use the Park & Ride service
