Katherine MacAlister looks at what’s on offer for young and old around the county

There are several family friendly festivals hitting Oxfordshire in the next few weeks.

Set up to provide quality shows and activities for families across the country, the Family Arts Festival has spread right across Oxfordshire this year with an amazing assortment of live performance, workshops, exhibitions, concerts, art, theatre, dance, music, literature and more.

“It’s about bringing them all together under one umbrella to show families what there is on offer,” said Gill Jaggers, of Pegasus.

Our local theatres, museums, galleries and libraries are keen to let everyone know what’s going on for families throughout the year, judging by the line-up, and Pegasus is one of several Oxfordshire-based organisations involved in the festival with a particularly diverse programme including a one-man digital production of Macbeth (October 16-18) and Around The World in Eighty Days from The Theatre, Chipping Norton (Oct 23).

Other venue offerings include drop-in family art workshops at Oxford University’s Mathematical Institute (Oct 25-26), a superheroes musical concert at the Oxford Town Hall (Oct 26), arts and craft activities inspired by paintings at the Ashmolean Museum (Oct 29-31), ballet at the New Theatre (Oct 28-30), drawing classes at Cutteslowe Community Centre (Oct 23), carnival music-making at The North Wall (Nov 1-2), hedgehog trails at Oxford University’s Harcourt Arboretum (Oct 28), family learning drop-in sessions at the Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock (Oct 28 & 30), and Horrible Halloween Half-Term activities at the Story Museum (Oct 25-Nov 2), while The Mill Arts Centre in Banbury has theatre and music performances for all ages (Oct 22- Nov 1).

Dancin’ Oxford’s involvement swallows their autumn line-up from Saturday, October 25 until Sunday, November 2, offering a great mix of discos for toddlers, performances, dance on film and workshops.

Expect romance, humour, politics and books colliding in Shhh!, a new show from C-12 Dance Theatre. Expect books flying overhead and performers free-running over shelves in this fast-flowing, feel-good show on October 25 at Pegasus. A dance workshop with dancers from the company in the Central Library is also on offer for eight to 16 year olds, no experience necessary.

The popular Baby Boogie is back with workshops and DJ-driven discos for the fives and under at Didcot’s Cornerstone (Oct 26), Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre (Oct 27), Barton Neighbourhood Centre (Oct 29) and Pegasus (Nov 2).

Joelle Pappas, from Tau-au-Tac Dance Theatre, is running two workshops at Pegasus for the fives and over on October 26.

Oxford’s Body Politic will be holding street dance workshops in Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre on October 27 and in Barton Neighbourhood Centre on October 28. They will be joined by UNITEUK, the top Urban Dance Community Pioneers, to run workshops aimed at experienced dancers, at Pegasus on October 29. On November 1, Body Politic will be offering free Street Dance workshops at the Visitor Centre at MINI Plant Oxford, open to all ages with or without experience.

There is also the opportunity to relive a classic dance film at the Ultimate Picture Palace – Footloose – on October 31 perfect for a family outing. The Urban Playground then returns with a rare opportunity to try Parkour with the experts at Pegasus on November 8.

SEE IT
For details of the Family Arts Festival see familyartsfestival.com
For Dancin’ Oxfordsee dancinoxford.co.uk

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