THE QUEEN of hearts rampaging round on a dodo and white rabbits hopping up all over the city can only mean one thing - Alice's Day has returned to Oxford.

Curious looks puzzled shoppers as crowds of families, complete with rabbit ears, took a trip down the rabbit hole to join in celebrations of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

The annual festival has been staple in the city's calendar for several year's marking Oxford's link to the childhood favourite as the birthplace of Alice's adventures.

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The Story Museum once again helped stage events right across the city, this year on the theme of 'time' - providing nobody was late for the very important date.

Activities included a meet and greet with the Queen of Hearts and her royal companion the Dodo bird, from Dizzy O'Dare, running riot at the Oxford University of Natural History.

The Covered Market once again provided the perfect maze of excitement for families to get stuck into the Alice Day trail among traders for the fourth year running.

Oxford Mail:

Families could also get stuck in to creating the giant white rabbit model at The Story Museum

Families could join in the dress up as Alice, mad hatters, or the queen of hearts, solves the riddles at Alice's Shop, as featured in Through the Looking Glass, and dance the Lobster Quadrille outside the Natural History Museum.

The White Rabbit was also spotted dashing around the Museum of Oxford at the Town Hall, while others opted to try out croquet in the Christ Church Master's Garden.

Oxford Mail:

The Cake Shop put out an impressive Alice display in the Covered Market

For anyone hoping to delve more into the making of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland were invited to the Weston Library for lectures from the Lewis Carroll Society, and The Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock hosted an afternoon tea while an Alice exhibition is set to run through to September 18.

David Gibb, of The Story Museum in Pembroke Street, said: "This year our building is under redevelopment with plans to reopen fully in 2020. This means that for Alice's Day there are much more events across the city this year.

"We have the trail at the Covered market for the year running which has become a staple for the festival and something lots of people come back each year for.

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"Then we also had the giant dodo running round, plus the bouncing white rabbits around the city which has been very exciting.

"We have been fundraising for the transformation project this year too with a suggested donation of £1 for rabbit ears, so it has been great to bring Alice into the city and see the weird and wonderful costumes everywhere you look."

Organisers said the day looked set to bring in more crowds than ever this year.

Mr Gibb added: "Oxford is the home of stories and the home of Alice as it was written at Christ Church. how many children's books from the 1800 are still being enjoyed and made into films today.

"Alice's Day is a great way to celebrate this and engage new people with the story of Alice as an Oxford story, but also an international story that so many enjoy."