With the sun making a welcome appearance and spring in the air, it's time to forget about winter, and head out to your favourite theatre or music venue (or, if you're a dance fan, to the streets of Oxford) for one of these brilliant events...

Welcome to the weekend!

1. A 'Narstie' night out for grime lovers...

Big Narstie

Big Narstie is a giant of the UK grime scene (in more ways than one; he also happens to be a big lad).

The Brixton-based Brushman star has been nominated for strings of awards – including one for best grime act – and is set to be a very big name to be reckoned with.

 

2. Get dancin'

Dancin’ Spaces’

  • Saturday (12-4pm)
  • Bonn Square, Oxford

Dancin’ Oxford’s public launch event – always interesting and a lot of fun, this year features, among other things, dancing Body Guards complete with shades and Disco Grannies.

Jos Baker, Tomislav English, Sam Coren and composer Tommy Evans, who started dancing with Cecilia MacFarlane and Oxford Youth Dance now appear in dance companies all over the world and are reuniting in Oxford, for We Were Youth will be performed in the festival’s opening event Moving with the Times (Feb 26 & 27) alongside exciting new commissions by locally-based dance companies.

 

3. A night for heroes

Simon Weston: My Life, My Story,

  • The Theatre, Chipping Norton
  • Sunday
  • 01608 642350
  • chippingnortontheatre.com

Oxford Mail:

War hero Simon suffered horrific facial burns when his ship was targetted by Argentinian forces after their invasion of the Falkland Islands.

Told he was unemployable by the military, he set out to prove them wrong - and this weekend shares his inspiring story of triumph over adversity.

4. Sharp rockers

Little Brother Eli

  • Rocket, Witney
  • Tonight (Fri)
  • rocketwitney.com
  • Oxford Mail:

The dapper, waistcoat-clad bluesy rock and roll combo play a hometown show at this Corn Street venue, alongside Nicky Petherwick.

Expect strong vocals, loud guitars and a hip-hop sensibility to a gritty take on garage rock.

5. Hedonistic abandon

Fat White Family

  • O2 Academy Oxford
  • Sunday
  • Tickets £13.50 including fees, from ticketweb.co.uk

Oxford Mail:  

Outrageous, anarchic country-electro-rockers Fat White Family are THE most exciting band playing in the UK right now. Yes they are. Not that they care what we think - or anyone for that matter.

See them play what promises to be an incendiary show - possibly enlivened by their traditional nudity - and profanity elevated to a high art.

 

6. Hey Zumba!

Post work Zumba session

  • Tuesday (5-6pm)
  • Bonn Square, Oxford

After a hard day at work what could be better than a rigorous dance to wash away that work fatigue with some hi-adrenaline dance. And if you like that, why not also start the day doing something similar - with Wake ‘n’ Shake, on Friday, (8-9am) at Oxford Town Hall.

7. A right royal night out

King Charles III

Oxford Mail:

The Queen is dead and Charles is monarch in waiting, getting to grips with the job before his coronation. But his principles just won't lie down and he finds himself embroiled in a constitutional crisis.

This remarkable play - starring Jesus of Nazareth icon Robert Powell - is a believable and hugely enjoyable study of the dynamics inside the Royal Family and their relationship with the state. Go see!