Bucks &amp; Oxon

<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-eat-amp-drink">EAT &amp; DRINK </h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/IMG_6369-1000x667.jpg" alt="Table top BBQ" class="wp-image-161401" /></figure>



Scoff, quaff and be merry this bank hols at <a href="https://www.feast-events.com/feast-over-flame" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Feast Over Flame</a>&#8216;s picturesque riverside supper club. The alfresco dining experience serves up five courses cooked at your table on a Big Green Egg BBQ and front row views of the Thames. (<a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/pop-up-restaurants/review-feast-over-flame-marlow/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read our review here</a>). By some miracle, at the time of writing <a href="https://www.tickettailor.com/events/feastevents/998958?" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">there are still tickets for Thurs 23 May</a> but if you miss it, <a href="https://www.feast-events.com/feast-on-cloud-9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Feast on Cloud 9</a>&nbsp;is popping up at The Grove Hotel in Herts this Saturday (25 May). 



Oxmoor Farm is also biting into the foodie fun with the return of its hugely popular <a href="https://oxmoorfarm.co.uk/wild-feasts/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wild Feasts</a> supper club (Sat 25 and Sun 26 May). This season, it&#8217;s Eleanor Henson, head chef of Skye Gyngell’s Michelin-starred Spring restaurant, heading up the kitchen. 



Prefer taste-testing a variety of cuisines? Make a beeline to the&nbsp;Blenheim Palace&nbsp;<a href="https://www.blenheimpalace.com/whats-on/events/food-festival/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Food Festival</a>&nbsp;for this year’s all-star chef lineup. Drumroll, please – give a big hand to Raymond Blanc, TikTok’s kitchen whizz Sam Way (<a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/life/people/tiktok-chef-sam-way-interview/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">read our interview with Sam here</a>) and&nbsp;MasterChef Professionals&nbsp;finalist Olivia Burt. Now in its tenth year, the foodie weekend (Sat 25&nbsp;–&nbsp;Mon 27 May) is all about eating your way around the palace grounds and hoovering up artisan treats to gift (or sample) – and learn a trick or two from the cooking demos to boot.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-get-outdoors">GET OUTDOORS</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/07/Oxford-Wet-n-Wild-Jungle-Jim.jpeg" alt="Kids playing on inflatable obstacle course in a lake." class="wp-image-147246" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/07/Oxford-Wet-n-Wild-Jungle-Jim.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/07/Oxford-Wet-n-Wild-Jungle-Jim-800x534.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/07/Oxford-Wet-n-Wild-Jungle-Jim-400x267.jpeg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/07/Oxford-Wet-n-Wild-Jungle-Jim-787x525.jpeg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Take the plunge! <a href="https://www.oxfordwetnwild.com/">Wet n Wild</a> is *finally* back from Sat 25 May at Queenford Lakes near Dorchester with its inflatable obstacle courses, kayaks and paddleboards – plus a spot of wild swimming.



If wild swimming&#8217;s your thing, grab your wet-suit and join swim expert Jo Jones (she’s swum The Channel!) at The Swan at Streatley on Sun 26 May for an <a href="https://www.coppaclub.co.uk/whatson/wild-swim-sauna/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">introductory class</a>. You&#8217;ll cover cold water swimming safety and preparation, then be coached through a dip followed by a sauna and hot drink. (There&#8217;s brunch too if you fancy it&#8230; and get your table booking in early enough).



Back on dry land, the <a href="https://www.chilterns.org.uk/whats-on/walkingfest/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chilterns Walking Festival</a>&nbsp;is running until Sat 1 Jun, with a bumper schedule of different routes to get you and yours exploring the local area. This weekend you&#8217;ll take on the <a href="https://www.chilterns.org.uk/whats-on/walkingfest/5102/">Amersham Drovers&#8217; Walk</a> &#8211; starting outside Amersham Museum and taking the drovers’ track towards Wycombe Heath.



If you&#8217;re walking with kids (ages 3-10) in tow, Stowe Gardens in Buckingham has an engaging trail starting this Sunday (26 May). Made in collab with Stowe School, the <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/oxfordshire-buckinghamshire-berkshire/stowe-gardens/events/3ae6c791-4b8b-4664-aa56-843b46093f39">Ickle Owl Augmented Reality Trail</a> introduces an app that kids can download on their phones, which generates 3D animals for them to interact with along the trail. It&#8217;s great outdoor learning (shh, don&#8217;t tell them!). If you go on the launch day, there&#8217;ll also be a falconry display with a real owl on show.



Or head over to the Roald Dahl Museum in Great Missenden for its <a href="https://www.roalddahlmuseum.org/event/may/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">guided Roald Dahl countryside walk</a> on Sun 26 May (ages 6+). Ramble through the woods while hearing excerpts from Dahl&#8217;s final book, My Year. 



Last (but definitely not least), the <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/world-poohsticks-championship-tickets-528592322867?aff=oddtdtcreator" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">World PoohSticks Championship</a>&nbsp;is back for the 41st year on Mon 27 May at Oxon’s Sandford Lock. If you aren&#8217;t already clued up, contestants drop their sticks into the Thames in the hope of winning the race (it&#8217;s all in the wrists). Sticks are provided with the £4 entry fee, and over 90% of proceeds go to charity. 



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-listen-to-this">LISTEN TO THIS </h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/Candlelight-Concerts-Victoria-Hall_GENEVE_.jpg" alt="Man playing a piano surrounded by candles. " class="wp-image-161927" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/Candlelight-Concerts-Victoria-Hall_GENEVE_.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/Candlelight-Concerts-Victoria-Hall_GENEVE_-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/Candlelight-Concerts-Victoria-Hall_GENEVE_-400x267.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



For the first time ever, the <a href="https://www.discoverbuckingham.uk/whats-on/buckingham-live-24-music-festival">Buckingham Live</a>&nbsp;music festival is taking place over three whole days (instead of the usual one). Kicking off from Friday 24 &#8211; Sun 26 May, there&#8217;s one night dedicated to acoustic music and another to rock. If you&#8217;d rather party like it&#8217;s 1989, the multitalented Spandau/EastEnder Martin Kemp is spinning the decks at the&nbsp;O2 Academy in Oxford&nbsp;at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.academymusicgroup.com/o2academyoxford/events/1469859/martin-kemp-ultimate-back-80s-dj-set-tickets">his lively annual 80s night</a> on Friday (24 May).



Or take your pop hits with a high-brow sheen as Oxford Town Hall&nbsp;is lighting up on&nbsp;Sat 25 May&nbsp;with the return of Candlelight Concerts. The night kicks off with&nbsp;<a href="https://feverup.com/m/150314" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">A Tribute to Coldplay On the Strings</a> (pack your tissues), followed by&nbsp;<a href="https://feverup.com/m/139276?" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Best of Hans Zimmer</a>. And don’t miss the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.englishmusicfestival.org.uk/2024-may-festival/programme.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">English Music Festival</a>&nbsp;in Dorchester-on-Thames (Fri 24&nbsp;–&nbsp;Mon 27 May). Each concert takes place in the stunning Dorchester Abbey and the goal here is to platform masterpieces you’ve never heard before, alongside classical showstoppers.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-watch-this">WATCH THIS </h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/John-Lawsons-Circus-.jpg" alt="Women and Man on a bike at Gifford circus. " class="wp-image-162100" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/John-Lawsons-Circus-.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/John-Lawsons-Circus--800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/John-Lawsons-Circus--400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/John-Lawsons-Circus--500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



We’re all thinking about the Roman Empire (you win this time, TikTok) and the&nbsp;Chiltern Open Air Museum&nbsp;has just the fix. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coam.org.uk/events/roman-gladiators" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Roman Gladiators</a>&nbsp;are back in battle this May bank holiday weekend (Sun 26&nbsp;–&nbsp;Mon 27 May) in a fierce re-enactment that sprinkles in key historical facts.



Meanwhile&#8230;. the Big Top is back! <a href="https://giffordscircus.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Giffords Circus</a>&nbsp;will roll into town this weekend for its 2024 show, called&nbsp;Avalon, at&nbsp;Blenheim Palace&nbsp;(Thurs 23 May – Mon 3 June). If Giffords’ prices are a bit steep (up to £40 for adults, eek!) then check out the more low-key&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milletsfarmcentre.com/john-lawsons-circus/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">John Lawson’s Circus</a>, which will pitch up at Millets Farm Centre for six nights from&nbsp;Sun 26 May. It’s a comparative snip with a flat rate of £9.50pp and under-twos go free.



For classic stage fare,&nbsp;the New Theatre&nbsp;in Oxford is hosting a musical adaptation of the 80s Oscar award-winning movie&nbsp;<a href="https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/an-officer-and-a-gentleman-the-musical/new-theatre-oxford/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">An Officer and a Gentleman</a>&nbsp;(Mon 27 May&nbsp;–&nbsp;Sat 1 Jun). It takes the original’s timeless love story and sprinkles in a soundtrack from the likes of Madonna, Bon Jovi and Cyndi Lauper. 



And don’t be spooked – but the&nbsp;<a href="https://oldfirestation.org.uk/whats-on/ghost-huns-podcast-live/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ghost Huns Podcast</a>&nbsp;is coming to Oxford’s&nbsp;Old Fire Station&nbsp;on&nbsp;Sat 25 May. Hosted by comedian (and&nbsp;Traitors&nbsp;winner) Hannah&nbsp;Byczkowski with Suzie&nbsp;Preece, the duo will be talking ghost and ghoul stories. They might even bring out a ouija board.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-join-an-arty-party">JOIN AN ARTY PARTY</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="744" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/Snapinsta.app_445437481_1136183064293612_1276648513062428400_n_1080-1000x744.jpg" alt="Oxfordshire Artweeks" class="wp-image-162202" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/Snapinsta.app_445437481_1136183064293612_1276648513062428400_n_1080-1000x744.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/Snapinsta.app_445437481_1136183064293612_1276648513062428400_n_1080-800x595.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/Snapinsta.app_445437481_1136183064293612_1276648513062428400_n_1080-400x297.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/Snapinsta.app_445437481_1136183064293612_1276648513062428400_n_1080.jpg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">@moragconwayartist</figcaption></figure>



This weekend marks the finale of a great display of local talent in <a href="https://www.artweeks.org/festival" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oxfordshire Artweeks</a>&nbsp;festival (until Mon 27 May). Over 400 venues across the county took part, exhibiting everything from sculptures to paintings and ceramics. It&#8217;s also near the end of the <a href="https://modernartoxford.org.uk/whats-on/frieda-toranzo-jaeger" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frieda&nbsp;Toranzo Jaeger: A future in the light of darkness</a>, exhibit at&nbsp;Modern Art Oxford, (until&nbsp;Sun 26 May). You have just a few days to catch them. Go, go, go! 



More arty fun has been unfolding in the <a href="https://artsfestivaloxford.org/whats-on/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oxford Festival of the Arts</a>. This year&#8217;s programme includes some jaw-droppers like the&nbsp;<a href="https://artsfestivaloxford.org/events/lightshadow-johannes-von-stumm/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Johannes von Stumm sculpture</a>, which takes up residence in the stunning setting of the cloisters at New College&nbsp;until 27 Aug. Check it out for exhibitions, performances, workshops, talks and more.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pawty-time">PAWTY TIME</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="999" height="999" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/pexels-Dog-Party.jpg" alt="Two dogs with party hats on." class="wp-image-162101" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/pexels-Dog-Party.jpg 999w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/pexels-Dog-Party-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/pexels-Dog-Party-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/pexels-Dog-Party-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 999px) 100vw, 999px" /></figure>



Ain&#8217;t no party like a doggy party! <a href="https://thedogsspot.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Dog&#8217;s Spot</a> in Abingdon is a cool one-stop-shop for pooch pampering, treats and even health checks. This weekend marks its first birthday (Sat 25 and Sun 26 May) and you&#8217;re invited in for party games and free treats. Plus, there&#8217;s a 10% discount over the bank holiday.

Long weekend, hurray! 22 things to do in Bucks & Oxon this May bank holiday

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