Daily Info's recommended events for the week ahead, Thursday 18th December - Wednesday 24th December
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In the final week of Advent (and our final EP of 2025!), we bring you a stocking stuffed with ideas to celebrate your Christmas and New Year break.
It’s one week until the big day, and with that in mind, the EP this week consists of two bumper-packed sections for Christmas and New Years’ to see you through while the DI staff are home for the holidays.
Beginning on the stage, Beauty and the Beast premieres at the Cornerstone Arts Centre, an all-singing, all-dancing panto version of the unlikely love story with some whacky new additions (say hello to Dolly Doughnut and Fairy Fabulous!); at the Story Museum, a son searches for the perfect gift for his folklore legend dad by following in his fairytale footsteps in the original musical A Present for Jack; and at the Beacon, you can see Jack’s daring exploits in person with TaleGate Theatre’s rendition of Jack and the Beanstalk - how will Jack and Dame Trott get out of this one?
Christmas music lovers can enjoy a Georgian Christmas with The Oxford Waits, going all out in 17th century fashion (literally) with both period-accurate costume and instruments to mark the Yuletide. And there’s more Messiah than you can Handel, as two renditions of the composer’s legendary Christmas oratorio take place this weekend, one with Oxford Consort of Voices at the church of St Mary the Virgin, and the other with the Orchestra of St John’s in the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building.
Or maybe you’re looking for the real meaning of the season, togetherness. There are plenty of days out and community gatherings going on both in the run up to Christmas and on the day itself. Millet’s Farm’s Illuminate light trail runs until 4th Jan to set the whole family aglow, while Oxford City Farm’s Winter Warmer offers a roaring bonfire, mulled wine and toothsome dumplings to keep the cold at bay. And Oxford Trans Social brings together chosen family for a Winter Meal on Saturday at Ark-T - it’s pot luck, so bring your favourite dish to share.
And when the 25th rolls around, communal lunches are on hand for anyone wanting to spend Christmas with their community. The King’s Centre will be hosting their free slap-up three course lunch for over 500 diners with the Oxford Food Hub, while the Porch Community Café will be serving Christmas lunch on Christmas Eve, and breakfast on Christmas Day and Boxing Day to those experiencing homelessness or vulnerable housing, providing a full roast dinner with all the trimmings, as well as necessities like blankets, hot water bottles, thermos flasks and torches.
Beauty and The Beast: Cornerstone Arts Centre, Thurs 18th Dec - Wed 31st Dec, timings vary. Tickets £21 - 26 (£17 concessions and children).
A Present for Jack: The Story Museum, Sat 20th - Tue 30th Dec, 11am & 2:30pm. Tickets £14.
Jack and the Beanstalk: The Beacon Wantage, Fri 19th - Mon 22nd Dec, 11am (5pm Fri, additional 2:30pm showing Saturday). Tickets £12.
The Oxford Waits - A 17th Century Christmas: Holywell Music Room, Sat 20th Dec, 2pm - 4pm. Tickets £17.
Handel’s Messiah: Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Sat 20th Dec, 4pm. Tickets £16 - £50.
Handel’s Messiah: Jacqueline Du Pre Music Building, Sun 21st Dec, 7pm. Tickets £25 - £35.
Illuminate Light Trail: Millet’s Farm, daily until Sun 4th Jan, time slots available from 4pm - 7.15pm. Tickets £17.50 adults, £14.50 under 16s, free for under 2s.
Oxford City Farm Winter Warmer: Oxford City Farm, Sat 20th Dec, 10am - 1pm. Free, spaces must be reserved.
Trans Social Winter Meal: Ark-T@The Venue, 242B Barns Road, Sat 20th Dec, 5:30pm. Free.
Oxford Christmas Lunch: The King’s Centre, Osney, Thu 25th Dec, 12:30pm - 4pm. Free, booking required.
How do you celebrate NYE? Downing 12 grapes? Fireworks? A quiet sherry by the fireside? Reviewing the year and predicting the next? Or just tucked up in bed? We’ve got some fabulous options to tempt you out from under your duvet, whatever flavour of culture you fancy, plus one to prolong the fun and give you a second chance to pin down those resolutions…
Party like it’s 1929 at Tap Social’s Secret Speakeasy! The booze will be Tap Social’s great beers rather than illicit moonshine, but suits and suspenders are thoroughly encouraged, passwords abound, and you can dance yourself across the threshold of 2026 in true flapper style. Come early (6-8pm) for a swing dance class or pop up at 8pm for the main do.
The Jolly Farmers are staging their annual NYE extravaganza, The Big Queer Party . It’s like a house party but cooler, like pub nights used to be. Oxford Pride endorse this one, so come as you are and start 2026 in style.
Dancing is definitely a theme so far, which bodes well for next year. This next event is very family friendly, as dancers of all ages are invited to the Family Party on the River at the Isis Farmhouse. There’s a carvery for anyone getting hungry, with child-menu too, and three live bands, DJ and folk session for you to get your groove on. If you’ve been meaning to take the family out more this year, this is your last chance!
We’re not sure OSJ would like you to get up and dance, but with waltzes and polkas galore it might be hard not to. Their New Year’s Eve Concert fills Dorchester Abbey with a wide array of joyous music by Faure, Khachaturian, Puccini, Grieg, Handel, and (of course) Strauss. As well as the Orchestra themselves the concert features Hannah Davey, soprano, and Laurie Hill, composer, singer and organist. We’ve no idea how they cram it all into two hours.
And last but not least, Oxford Philharmonia give you another chance to celebrate, with their Viennese New Year concert on Sunday 4th Jan. Heading even further back in time than Tap Social’s speakeasy, you’re invited to party like it’s 1899! Strauss’s elegant waltzes will ring round the ornate interior of Oxford Town Hall. They’re also featuring Glazunov’s Violin Concerto, a secret gem of the romantic repertoire, played by sensational prodigy Paloma So.
However you choose to mark its arrival, we wish you a very happy 2026!
Tap Social's Secret Speakeasy NYE Party: Tap Social Movement (North Hinksey), Wed 31st December, 6pm - 2am. Entry: £10-£15.
The Big Queer Party: The Jolly Farmers, Wed 31st December, 7pm - 1am. Entry £2.
NYE Family Party on the River: The Isis Farmhouse, Wed 31st December, 7pm - 12:30am Tickets: £19.50 (£12.50 under-12s).
New Year’s Eve Concert: Dorchester Abbey (nr Wallingford, OX10 7HH), Wed 31st December, 6-8pm. Tickets: £15 - £25.
A Viennese New Year: Oxford Town Hall, Sun 4th January, 4.30pm. Tickets from £5 - £48.
Since it’s our final EP of the year, we have triple the And Finallys to bring to your attention, beginning with a name you’ve seen earlier in this roundup. As well as preparing a hearty Christmas meal for all who need it this year, the Porch Day Centre provides frontline support all year round for people experiencing homelessness, from basic necessities to mental health support and community inclusion. The team’s annual Homeless Winter Appeal will go towards hot meals, showers, laundry services, housing and employment guidance and work skills sessions to anyone in need; head to their community fund page and give what you can!
It’s not quite the 31st yet but we’ve already got our minds on New Year’s resolutions, and yours might be to finally get that novel idea you’ve been thinking about on paper. Megan Kerr’s Writers’ Greenhouse is running free online sessions through January to boost your imagination and hone your writing style, with guided reflections and Q&As to help clear away the cobwebs and demystify the creative process. Hop on for a session this month and make 2026 your creative writing year.
Which brings us to our last shoutout, US! The Daily Info team be sledding off for Christmas from the 19th, but if you want to place an ad or make changes to your event listing, fear not! Staff are on rotation, working a couple of hours a day over the holidays (minus the 25th!), so you can still get in touch with us over the Christmas break at info@dailyinfo.co.uk and get a response as soon as possible. We wish you and your loved ones a festive and relaxing holiday season, and we’ll see you again on Jan 5th.
Image credits: Martin Stranka, Orchestra of St. John's, Porch Day Centre
