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ALICE’S DAY: OXFORD CELEBRATED A FRABJOUS DAY ON SATURDAY 6TH JULY
THEMED ‘FABULOUS MONSTERS AND CURIOUS CREATURES’
‘O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!’
Oxford was transformed into a wonderland on Saturday for Alice’s Day, a city-wide, annual celebration organised by The Story Museum. Dedicated to the curiouser and curiouser world of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland , it’s an annual celebration of a story beloved around the world and synonymous with the city of Oxford. Set against the backdrop of Oxford’s world-famous cityscape, the annual Alice’s Day offers a variety of activities, including interactive storytelling, talks, and trails.
Christ Church, Oxford’s Covered Market, Oxford Botanic Garden, Bodleian Libraries and Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History all took part with a series of events and talks; visitors tried their hand at croquet at Christ Church; enjoyed a Curious Creatures Trail round the Covered Market and even met a Dodo at The Natural History Museum. And of course, there was the famous street theatre on Broad Street, with visitors encountering The Story Museum’s Giant Alice Puppet, and an appearance from the Jabberwock!
The 3-metre-high Jabberwock roamed the city, out and about with its musical wrangler. Crafted by the acclaimed theatre-makers and specialists in large-scale puppetry and magic, Rag and Bone, the Jabberwock was on the move in central Oxford, blinking its eyes, and snapping its jaws, raising up to its full height of three metres.
The Story Museum was buzzing with visitors taking advantage of the half-price entry offer, and where there was free Wonderland-themed facepainting in the Courtyard and other activities.
In addition to the Alice Day festivities, The Story Museum was also proud to participate in Sobell House’s OxTrail, Oxfordshire’s first ever sculpture trail, which also launched on 6th July. The Story Museum’s extra mini-herd of painted oxen is viewable on Pembroke Street in its temporary ‘Moo-Seum’ next to the Museum's long established Telephone Box ‘Mouseum’. The Story Museum is also delighted that an Alice-themed Ox, painted by Oxfordshire-based artist Caroline Ritson, also features as part of the main sculpture trail.
‘We are proud that Alice’s Day has become a firm fixture in Oxford’s annual cultural calendar, with both local people and visitors from around the world coming to celebrate it,’ says The Story Museum’s Head of Programme and Participation Ameneh Enayat. ‘With city-wide events and happenings, it’s a brilliant way to explore Oxford and get to know what inspired Lewis Carroll’s timeless tale.’
‘We want to extend our heartfelt thanks everyone who came along and to our fantastic partner venues who have worked so hard to make Alice’s Day such a success,’ says Ameneh.
For more information, including a detailed schedule of events and participating venues, visit www.storymuseum.org.uk or see updates on Facebook, and Instagram.