If you're in the market for good times, curious for some weird science, or in need of a good laugh, you can find it all in this week's EP...

Dinosaurs, Bees and Discoveries

There’s a panoply of scientific curiosities on offer this week for the inquisitive explorer, beginning with some Jurassic residents of the Museum of Natural History. The Stegosaurian Dinosaurs, an hour-long talk by palaeontologist Susannah Maidment, digs deep into the anatomy, habits and behaviour of the stegosaur family.

Or get the buzz on a more modern Oxford resident - Introducing The Amazing Honey Bee! Organised by University of the Third Age, join Richard Rickitt, author, beekeeper and co-editor of BeeCraft Magazine, on a journey into the hive to learn about the secret lives of honey bees and what goes into making the honey on your table.

Science Oxford run weekly Family Days at their Science Centre, where children and adults can get involved with interactive exhibits as is all part of their Exploration Zone.

And for those who just want to, as a great man once said, ‘get real weird with it’, Discover Bucks has just the thing with, well, WEIRD. This display contains of some of the strangest items from the museum’s 130,000 strong collection, from mummified cats to unorthodox witch repellents. Expect the morbid, the occult and the just plain head-scratching.

The Stegosaurian Dinosaurs: Oxford Museum of Natural History, Tue 20th May, 6 to 7pm. Free, booking required.

Introducing The Amazing Honey Bee!: Rewley House, Thu 22nd May, 2 to 3.15pm. Tickets Oxford U3A members - free, other U3As - £2, visitors - £5.

Family Day: Science Oxford Centre, Sat 17th May, 10am, 12.30 & 3pm, £8 (under 3s free).

WEIRD: Discover Bucks Museum (Aylesbury), until Sun 8th Jun, museum opening hours. Tickets £8.50 adults, £5.50 children (under 3s free).

In the Market for Fun

With the balmy weather showing no signs of stopping, it’s an ideal time to get out into the greenery to eat, drink and be merry. Wood Festival returns to Braziers Park this weekend for three days of live music, workshops and talks to help get back to nature - look out for local acts like the Oxford Ukuleles, DJ Skylarkin and The Mighty Redox, as well as wildlife walks, yoga, upcycled fashion and much more.

Millets Farm hosts its Spring Artisan Market for two days of local art and craft from Oxford’s independent makers; whether you’re seeking unique home decor, handmade jewellery, or lip-smacking sweets, you’ll find what you’re after with over 30 exhibiting stalls to peruse.

Witney’s getting fed and watered at their Festival of Food and Drink; with over 60 stalls and cuisines running the gamut from France to the Philippines, you’re bound to leave with a full belly and a smile. Check out the chocolate workshop for the kiddos, book a wine tasting session for the grown ups, or take in live music, gym and martial arts displays from local clubs and performers.

On a smaller scale, but no less of a good time, Port Mahon’s Garden Parties are running every Saturday in May for those in need of a classic summer BBQ. This week, look forward to some succulent pulled pork and refreshing mojitos - check their socials for future menus!

Finally, if you’re watching Eurovision this year, do it in style at the Tap Social, where the bar will be playing into the cheesy glory all we know and love (and that’s not just the pizzas!). With all night drinks specials, prizes for the best-dressed and bingo cards for your Euro-predictions, this is an evening of camp chaos not to be missed - book a table to guarantee yourself a spot.

Wood Festival: Braziers Park, Fri 16th - Sun 18th May, all-day, prices vary.

Spring Artisan Market: Millets Farm, Sat 17th - Sun 18th May, 10am - 4pm. Free entry.

Witney Festival of Food and Drink: St Mary’s Church, Witney, Sat 17th May, 10am - 5pm. Tickets £3 pp (under 12s free).

Summer Garden Parties: Port Mahon, Sat 17th May, from 12 noon. Free entry.

Eurovision Watch Party: Tap Social Movement, Sat 17th May, 8pm. Free entry.

Theatrical Delights, Big and Small

This week, a quintet of cool theatre that hits all the emotional beats: with comedy via Coward and intergenerational communication, tragedy courtesy of Tennessee Williams and Shakespeare, and drama supplied by the meetings of two iconic figureheads: the Queen and the Iron Lady.

First up, over at Eynsham Village Hall, the Bartholomew Players will present Noel Coward’s classic Present Laughter. The comedy follows a self-obsessed ageing actor as he prepares for a trip amid a farcical series of complications.

Meanwhile, over at the Burton Taylor Studio, student troupe Moribayassa Productions will stage Shakespeare's tragedy Troilus and Cressida, in a sleek and inventive production they are calling an ‘anti-garden play’. The following week, Tennessee Williams’ dark classic Suddenly Last Summer will get an airing. A humid and disturbing Southern Gothic about madness, secrets and death, it promises to linger in the mind long after the curtain closes.

Just next door on the Playhouse mainstage, acclaimed play Handbagged is getting a new run courtesy of Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and Theatre Nation Partnerships. This wedge of historical fiction imagines the conversations between Queen Elizabeth and Margaret Thatcher during her time as Prime Minister. Fans of 80s culture, witty writing and sharp, pacy character studies will find lots to love here.

Finally over at The Watermill, feel-good dramedy Three Hens in a Boat is set to put a fresh spin on Jerome K Jerome’s humorous novel. The play follows Claudette, Gloria and Jay on a hen-do with a difference, as the grandmother, mother and daughter attempt to navigate the River Thames by boat. The trio are beset by comic misadventures - and forced to reflect on what it means to be part of a family.

Present Laughter: Eynsham Village Hall, until Sat 17th May, 7.30pm. Tickets £14.

Troilus and Cressida: Burton Taylor Studio, until Sat 17th May, 7.30pm. Tickets £8/£6 concessions.

Suddenly Last Summer: Burton Taylor Studio, Tue 20th to Sat 24th May, 7.30pm. Tickets £8/£6 concessions.

Handbagged: Oxford Playhouse, Tue 20th to Sat 24th May, 7.30pm (Tue & Wed), 2.30 & 7.30pm (Thu & Sat), 8pm (Fri). Tickets from £14.

Three Hens in a Boat: Watermill Theatre (near Newbury), Thu 22nd May to Sat 7th Jun, Mon - Sat 7.30pm (plus 2.30pm on Thu and Sat). Tickets from £15.

Laugh Track

One of the best things about Oxford comedy is how many different venues play home to it. And this week is no different, with laughs to be found in both cosy cafés and literal castles.

At the Oxford Castle, Jericho Comedy brings their curating skills to Comedy at the Castle, with a quartet of stand ups that are sure to make you chortle. This is followed a few days later by Infinite Jesters, a medieval inspired comedy show from the merry band of improvisers, the Oxford Imps. So whichever your preferred style you’ll find it at these events.

The Old Fire Station is a more traditional home for comedy, acting as a perfect locale for touring stand-ups. And this week Kate-Lois Elliott brings her critical smash hit, How to Belong Without Joining a Cult, to the venue’s theatre. Take a look at our interview with Elliott on our blog.

You can also find an interview with Alex Kealy, who tours his Edinburgh Fringe hit The Fear to Common Ground. Daily Info dug it when we caught it at last year’s Oxford Comedy Festival and Kealy is one of the best comics around. And speaking of Oxford Comedy Festival, make sure you enter our Father's Day competition to be in with a chance to win tickets to this year's festival's opening night.

Comedy at the Castle: Oxford Castle, Fri 16^th May, 6.30pm, £17 to 19.

Infinite Jesters: Oxford Castle, Wed 21st to Fr 23rd May, 7pm, £10.

How to Belong Without Joining a Cult: Old Fire Station, Fri 16^th May, 8pm, £10 to 16.

Alex Kealy: Common Ground, Sun 18th May, 6pm, £12.

Cinema To Die For

The blockbuster season is properly here, which brings with it sequels and remakes aplenty. First up is the return of the Final Destination franchise with a sixth instalment. Some 14 years after the last, Bloodlines brings back the elaborate, Rube Goldberg-esque kills as another group try and outwit Death.

Also approaching with a sense of finality is Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, the eighth film in the spy series. Pitched as the last adventure of Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, it remains to be seen if this is one mission too far for the hero. But what is certain is there will be a whole heap of elaborate action sequences that will look particularly good on the big screen.

Younger fare can be found with Lilo & Stitch, the latest animation to get the live-action Disney remake treatment. And if you’ve spent any time with children you’ll know that 23 years later, the original Stitch is as popular as ever.

Final Destination, Lilo & Stitch and the new Mission: Impossible are all screening at the Oxford Cinema and Cafe, the city's newest venue, which opens on Magdalen Street to replace the Odeon that stood there until recently. This venue will also be showing both a Cinema Under the Stairs screening of Flash Gordon (you can read our interview with the team) and 28 Days Later (perfectly timed for the sequel coming next month). Welcome to the party, Oxford Cinema!

Final Destination Bloodlines: Curzon Oxford, Vue, The Oxford Cinema and Cafe

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning: Curzon Oxford, Vue, The Oxford Cinema and Cafe

Lilo & Stitch: Curzon Oxford, Vue, The Oxford Cinema and Cafe

Flash Gordon: The Oxford Cinema and Cafe

28 Days Later: The Oxford Cinema and Cafe, Vue, Phoenix Picturehouse, Curzon Oxford

And Finally

Do YOU like discovering new theatre, music, and art? Do you enjoy writing? Final question: do you like free tickets to top shows? If all three of those were an easy yes, you might be one of our new reviewers! We’re always on the lookout for articulate and enthusiastic Oxfordshire locals to join our roster of reviews. While it is an unpaid role, we offer free tickets to a wide range of local shows, gigs and concerts, and the satisfaction of seeing your name in print.

Interested? Email reviewers@dailyinfo.co.uk with your name and a sample of your writing.

Image credits: Discover Bucks Museum, Witney Festival of Food & Drink, the Watermill Theatre, Alex Kealy, Niamh Simpson