ONE golden afternoon on July 4, 1862 Charles Dodgson, an Oxford don, took Alice Liddell and her sisters on a boating picnic up the River Thames from Folly Bridge in Oxford.

To amuse the children he told them a story about a little girl who finds herself tumbling down a rabbit hole into a topsy-turvy world called Wonderland.

Nearly 150 years later, his creation is being celebrated, with a whole day being dedicated to Alice In Wonderland, thanks to the book written under the pen name of Lewis Carroll.

Alice’s Day is back and bigger than ever with many of Oxfordshire’s great institutions taking part.

For a whole day, Oxford will be overrun by Alice in Wonderland-related shows, talks, theatre, story-telling, music, walks, plays and picnics.

And it’s all free.

You won’t be able to escape from Alice’s Day, which is the intention of the organisers The Story Museum, which aims to bring Oxford’s most famous novel to life, encourage children to read, and create some much-needed publicity for their dream of opening a book museum amid the Dreaming Spires.

Bond Square will be as good a place to start as any tomorrow, white rabbits performing there at 11am, noon, 1pm and 2pm.

Then there are talks at the Natural History Museum, The Bodleian and the Museum Of Oxford, The Mad Dogs Theatre Company performing in the Botanical Gardens followed by a spot of jazz, and a towpath walk concluding at the Perch, where the Oxford Playhouse Young Company will perform, accompanied by tea and jam tarts at the Mad Hatters Tea Party.

As if that wasn’t enough, Borders is running a Dodo race course, art activities provided by Modern Art Oxford led by artist Kate Lockhart, and author Helen Oxenbury is in the store for the day, holding Alice-related workshops, reading and illustrating.

Blackwell’s is also holding an Alice-themed family day.

Add exhibitions on Lewis Carroll, surprises at the Covered Market, events in other bookshops around the county, a picnic at Harcourt Arboretum on the Sunday, and you could even make a weekend of it.

Organiser Esther Browning says: “With Tim Burton’s film coming out next year, starring Johnny Depp, we want to inspire children to read the book and enjoy the story because it’s part of Oxford’s heritage and fun for both children and adults.”