A GIANT Alice puppet dominated Oxford city centre on Saturday as people came together to celebrate a major anniversary.
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of Lewis Carroll’s Through The Looking Glass, with a range of events laid out for Alice’s Day.
Forced to go entirely digital last year due to Covid-19, Alice’s Day was able to return to the streets with a mixture of in-person and virtual events this year.
The day is coordinated by The Story Museum, which hosted an ‘UnBirthday Party’ in Broad Street.
A giant Alice made her way to Broad Street and the newly unveiled ‘Broad Meadow’, with games and prizes on offer.
The Red Queen rode her beloved pet dodo, while there was also a visit from Blackwell’s book shop’s White Rabbit.
The Story Museum hosted Alice-themed storytelling, while the museum’s exhibitions and galleries were open to the public throughout the day.
Museum director Caroline Jones said: “It was a complete delight to host this year’s Alice’s Day with many partners across the city offering a mixture of creative, fun activities for families outside and online.
“It was a particular pleasure to introduce our gorgeous, enormous Alice to families on the streets of Oxford and the new Broad Street meadows created by the city council.
“Alice was joined by some playful, talking flowers and together they enjoyed birthday games with the many children who had come to meet them.”
In terms of the online offering, there was a draw-a-long on the museum’s YouTube channel, while the History of Science Museum offered the chance to learn a ‘ghostly stage trick’.
Elsewhere, the Ashmolean hosted an in-person ‘curious bugs family trail’, while Blackwell’s organised ‘chess and looking glass activities’ for the Broad Street store.
At the Oxford Botanic Garden, there was Alice-themed craft activities.
The history of Alice’s Day dates back to July 4, 1862 when Charles Dodgson took Alice Liddell and her sisters on a boating picnic up the River Thames from Folly Bridge.
He told the children a story about a little girl, who found herself tumbling down a rabbit hole into a topsy turvy world called Wonderland.
Ten-year-old Alice enjoyed the story so much she begged Mr Dodgson to write it down.
The result was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, published in 1865 under the pen name, Lewis Carroll.
It would become one of the best-loved children’s books ever written, and to celebrate that first telling, Oxford turns into Wonderland once a year.
Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter starred in Disney’s 2016 film, Alice Through the Looking Glass.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel