This weekend, a touch of seasonal sparkle comes to Cowley Road as IRL Oxford transforms Manzil Way Gardens into a Winter Wonderland. The event is part of the team's ongoing mission to provide community events and opportunities for connection across the city: we caught up with founder Mitch Mallary to find out more...
Daily Information: Before we talk about Cowley Winter Wonderland, could you give us a bit of background about IRL Oxford and its values?
Mitch Mallary: IRL Oxford began out of my own person experience of loneliness in the UK. After finishing my PhD and getting a 9–5 job, I struggled deeply with the stark transition from university to the workforce. No one prepares you for how quickly your social life can disappear if you are not actively and intentionally trying to cultivate it.
So this past February I decided that I needed to put in some effort to build friendships and a social life outside of the workplace. From that initial effort, I developed a core group of friends who I get to see every week. Our initial gatherings, which revolved around pub quizzes, bon fire nights, and backyard bbqs quickly grew in size and in regularity. In just a few months, these informal gatherings turned into larger community events, which was the inspiration for IRL Oxford. I had found my people, and I wanted to help others do so as well.
We believe that everyone deserves connection and community, and we are doing this so that a transient city like Oxford where people come and they go can still provide a healthy and vibrant social life for newcomers and longtime locals alike.
While our core audience for our events falls between the ages of 24–45, we do events for students and people of all ages, and we plan to function as a regular source of community-building across the city of Oxford and beyond.
DI: To you, what stands out most about Cowley Road as a location for an event like this?
Cowley Road is such a beautiful and vibrant part of the city. It is the perfect intersection between the town and the gown, with some of the best food and the best people. This portion of East Oxford has been my home for the past 3+ years, and the staff at local businesses get to know you by name and really make you feel welcome.
That said, I have also heard all summer from Cowley Road businesses that they are not getting as much footfall as they would like, and some of the larger staple events that do attract people to this part of town do not happen as regularly as they used to. Bearing that in mind, we wanted to ensure that we hosted a large event like this in the heart of East Oxford to give back to the community who has shared so much with us over the past 5 months. They have shared their time and their lives by showing up to our events, and we want to say a big thank you by continuing to invest in this important segment of the city, even as we plan to spread to other regions of the city in the new year.
DI: What sort of attractions can we expect from this year’s event?
MM This year’s event is a launch-pad to grow into something bigger, bolder, and even more local-business supporting next year. That said, we do have a proper stage for live music, trackpads over the whole area, incredible decorations (including a tree!), 4 food vendors, dessert stalls, and an outdoor bar with mulled wine, cider, and other drinks.
The really fun part, though, is our interactive stalls and games. We have a designated photo area, a “hug your loved ones” circle, and much much more. We want this to be a place where people come together, and not just a place to go and buy things, because ultimately it is people, not things, that make us feel at home in this city.
DI: This is Cowley Road’s first ever Winter Wonderland - are there plans for more seasonal festivals from IRL Oxford in future?
MM: Yes! We plan to hold community-building street parties across multiple regions of the city in 2026, along with a larger Oxtoberfest, a live-music festival at South Park, and of course an annual Winter Wonderland. We want this seasonal festivals to be a core part of our identity here in the city, in addition to our much smaller events like pub quiz nights, karaoke, open mics, and more.
DI: Describe the Winter Wonderland in 5 words.
MM: Festive community in real life.
Cowley Road Winter Wonderland runs from Fri 5th - Sun 7th Dec, with free entry. Learn more at www.irloxford.co.uk and follow IRL Oxford on Instagram @irloxford.