This year, May 1st falls on a Saturday (click here to put an advance order in for one of our free Oxford Year Planners, useful for keeping track of important dates such as this).

Singing from Magdalen Tower by the college choir will be at 6.00am for 7 minutes, as ever. Find out about what they sing, and why, here.

St John's College Choir will sing Madrigals from the tower in Front Quad, St John's, St Giles, at 7am.

This year's Morris Dancing will begin about 6.10am in Radcliffe Square and continue for the next few hours. It moves, when the bell-ringing starts in St Mary's, to the end of New College Lane and to Broad Street. At about 7.30am there will be a further move to a spot outside St John's on St Giles, where dancing continues until about 10am. There will then be a break for breakfast. The hardy will head to North Parade for 12noon, where there may also be a barbecue and sword dancing. There is dancing in other locations around the city too (dancing at Aristotle Lane/Port Meadow commences at 6am - and there's usually a May bull involved, and dancing in Botley commences at 11am) - and there will be dancing across the rest of the county if you know where to look! If you know of any dancing near you, let us know and we'll add it to the Morris Dancing page.

For a comprehensive list of which morris sides (teams) will be where when, see our Morris Dancing feature, here.

Click here to see what other May Eve / Day events are happening.

Click here to see where and when you can get champagne breakfasts and sausage butties. Be aware that Oxford will be very busy and it might be advisable to try to book your breakfast slot in advance.

This year, it looks like Magdalen Bridge will be officially closed (mainly to prevent people jumping off into the deceptively shallow water and breaking themselves) from 4.30-7.30am for vehicles and from 5.30-6.30am for pedestrians (though it may open earlier if it looks quiet). Check local radio for last minute details. It's worth getting there for nearer 5am if you can, as the "Controlled Zone" in earshot of the choristers contains 8,000 people and may well fill up. So if you're heading into town from east Oxford and aiming to hear the choristers, make sure you get over the bridge in time! If you fail, you can try coming in via
a) the Iffley Road- Donnington Bridge- Abingdon-Road route: buses from Cowley and Headington are usually diverted this way
b) the river - head over Donnington Bridge from east Oxford, then walk/cycle up the towpath to Folly Bridge and back up into the city centre
c) via the Marston Road/Marston Ferry Road/Banbury Road to the city centre - probably the longest route in

If you oversleep, how about trying the Marston Road / King's Mill Lane / Mesopotamia / Parson's Pleasure / St Cross Road or South Parks Road route, on foot/bike? It's very scenic and you might see some bits of Oxford you've never seen before! The gate at the foot of King's Mill Lane opens at 7.45am. Have a look here on Google Earth for full info (and find more scenic Oxford walks on our Riverside Walks page).

Longwall Street, the High Street and Merton Street may be closed to vehicles for any portion of the time between 4am and 8.30am.

You can check Friday's weather here.

In 2010, there are several Oxford University May Balls, though most will be sold out by this point and are only open to Oxford University students or alumni and their friends. Find full details on our Balls page. The traditional 'town' (rather than 'gown') alternatives, events wise, for May Eve/Day have traditionally included all-night free parties, bonfire gatherings, club events and 6am pub gigs (notably by local punk legend John Otway - see below). This year Modern Art Oxford is opening early too. Have a look at our list of selected events below and check for any others as they come in on our Gigs and other events pages. (If you're running an event, you can list it there online for free).

May Eve, Fri 30 April

Oxford May Music
5.30pm onwards, Holywell Music Room, Holywell Street (01865 305305)
Festival of concerts, interdisciplinary lectures and discussions (runs 28 Apr - 3 May). Free - £17

Queen of Clubs Cabaret's Beltane Belter
9pm-5am, Baby Simple, 213 Cowley Road (01865 202506)
All night alternative ball with 2 floors of live bands & cabaret, plus 5am procession into town. £6 adv/£10 door

East Oxford Community Centre Fundraiser
9pm-3am, East Oxford Community Centre, 44b Princes Street
Reggae night with The Mighty Champion MC, Steve Downbeat & Crew, Dani & Addis Ababa. £5

300
10pm-6am, The Regal, 300 Cowley Road
Student night extends its licence for May Eve. £5

Alternative May Day Ball
10pm-4am, O2 Academy, 190 Cowley Road (0844 477 2000)
Local promoters Free Range & Eclectricity bring you a night of heavy dubstep, grime & d&b.

May Day, Sat 1 May
Morning/daytime:

I Did It Otway
6am, The Bear Inn, 6 Alfred St (01865 728164)
Book launch & traditional May Morning gig from punk guitar hero & his band. Free

Hurly Burly Whirly Earl-i in the Morning Band
6amish, Sheldonian Steps, Broad Street
Oxford's current folk music stars join up to form a rousing, green-bedecked street band. Free

May Day Wake-Up
6.30am, Modern Art Oxford, 30 Pembroke Street (01865 722733)
MAO & Oxford Contemporary Music present musical breakfast. Free (breakfast extra)

Jousting Tournament
11am, Blenheim Palace, Woodstock (0800 849 6500)
“The Knights of Royal England” and their mighty steeds battle for glory. Also falconry displays. Continues Sun & Mon. £10 ish

May Day Bazaar
10.30am-4.30pm, Wesley Memorial Hall, New Inn Hall Street (01865 245398)
Books, cakes, tombola, face painting, refreshments & more to fundraise for Cruse Bereavement Care Oxfordshire. Call them if you'd like to help or donate bric-a-brac. Free entry

Oxford Castle Arts Market
11am-5pm, Oxford Castle, New Road
Handmade arts and craft items.

Eglesfield Musical Society
1.30pm, Queen's College Chapel, High Street (01865 279125)
Lunchtime recital. Free

Evening:

Oxford May Music
5.30pm onwards, Holywell Music Room, Holywell Street (01865 305305)
Festival of concerts, interdisciplinary lectures and discussions (runs 28 Apr - 3 May). £2.50 - £17

Schola Cantorum 50th Anniversary Concert
8pm, Sheldonian Theatre, Broad Street (01865 305305)
Bach, Handel, Emma Kirkby & the Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment. £10-£26

The Levellers
6.30pm, O2 Academy, 190 Cowley Road
Anarchic folk-punk legends. £19.50

Pete Tong
10pm-4am, The Regal, 300 Cowley Road
It's all gone a bit...May Day! Radio 1 DJ and local support. £10-£15