After Dark

The Jericho Tavern, Jericho After a major refurbishment two years ago, The Music Room, the upstairs venue where bands such as Radiohead and Supergrass cut their teeth, has reasserted itself as one of Oxford's most important music venues.On a normal week, Thursday night is Crosstown Traffic for local up-and-coming bands and Friday is The Music Box, for guitar-based bands. Every other Saturday the venue stages The Melting Pot for new bands, mostly picked up from MySpace. On nthe second and last Saturday of the month The Coo Coo Club (8pm -12pm) takes over featuring an eclectic mix of indie and alternative bands.

Tel: 01865 311775, website www.thejerichotavern.co.uk

Port Mahon, St Clements Live music here most nights of the week. Friday nights (except bank holidays) are usually given over to the Oxford Folk Club. Local singer/songwriters often feature.

Serves food and Greene King ales. Big beer garden.

Tel: 01865 202067

The Carling Academy, Cowley Road Oxford's main music venue - the Carling Academy Oxford has a maximum capacity of 900. The Zodiac (keeping the famous Oxford venue name alive) is the second space (capacity 436) and the third area is Bar Academy (capacity 280), which operates as a stand-alone venue or as an additional room for club nights.

For more information, visit the website: www.oxford-academy.co.uk

Freud, Walton Street Live music every night, usually jazz. There is an entry fee of £4 at weekends after 10pm.

Tel: 01865 311171

The Bullingdon Arms, Cowley Road There is music almost every night at this much-loved Cowley Road venue. The usual schedule is blues on Monday night and jazz on Tuesday night, both from around 9pm to midnight.

Wednesday night's music starts slightly earlier, and varies in style from brand-new local artists to established names. Thursday night is student disco night. On Fridays they have Soul and Funk Backroom Boogie nights. Past bands include JJ72, Toploader, Hugh Cornwell and Geno Washington. Saturday nights vary - it could be DJs or live music.

Sunday nights also vary, but the last Sunday night of the month is usually an acoustic open mic session, starting at 8pm.

Tel: 01865 244516

The Regal, Cowley Road It is too early to say what impact this newly opened venue will have on the city's live music scene as it only opened its doors at the end of April. This magnificent venue was designed by renowned cinema architect Robert Cromie and opened in 1937. The Old Lady of Cowley Road, as it is affectionately known by locals, was converted to a bingo hall in the 1970s and, when it closed in 2004, was saved from demolition and awarded a Grade II listing. Adam Marsh, Charles McCreedy and resident DJ Kieran Hayes have led the restoration of The Regal to its former glory to create an entertainment venue that is true to its Art Deco origins, yet fully-equipped as a state-of-the-art venue for any types of performance, from live music to disco, theatre, conferences and parties.

Tel: 01865 241 261, website www.the-regal.com

CLUBS AND LATE BARS

Ocean & Collins, 42 Park End Street Named after Miami's exclusive main drags, this is a £500,000 venue with a cool atmosphere - expect great cocktails and sushi, good wine and premium beers, resident DJs and bespoke designer fittings, state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems.

You can pre-book tables and waiter service and there are occasional theme nights.

Tel: 01865 241144

Po Na Na Souk Bar, 13-15 Magdalen Street Po Na Na is part of a small chain of bars with live music, cocktails, and a young, buzzing atmosphere. This branch has a Happy Hour every night from 9pm until 10.30pm. They also accept NUS cards as proof of student status.

Tel: 01865 249171

Purple Turtle, Frewin Court Monday night is indie and rock night, while Tuesday nights focus on hip hop and R'n'B.

Wednesday night is a mix of indie, rock, hip hop, R'n'B, funk and soul, while Thursday is back to indie and Friday hosts a cheesy chart dance night.

Saturday is a mix of funk, house, breakbeats, hip hop and drum'n'bass. Sunday night is live music night.

Tel: 01865 247007

Park End Club, 37-39 Park End Street Chart music, some biggish name DJs, relatively cheap drinks, but often prohibitively long queues. During the week doors open at 9.30pm, and the club closes at 2am (Friday and Saturday 10pm until 3am).

Tel: 01865 250181

CIMEMAS

Vue Multiplex Cinema is on Grenoble Road, opposite the football stadium. Shows mainly new films and also some Bollywood.

Tel: 08712 240 240, website www.myvue.com

Odeon - there are two in Oxford, one on George Street and one on Magdalen Street. A 24-hour telephone line covers programme information and ticket booking for both cinemas.

Call 0871 2244007 and state which cinema you require

The Ultimate Picture Palace (UPP) is on Jeune Street, off Cowley Road. It has cult status in Oxford, partly because it shows a wide range of art films, cult classics and mainstream cinema, but also because it is endearingly non-commercial.

There is no plush and no popcorn, the tickets are ripped out of a book of raffle tickets and the seats aren't tiered. The UPP usually shows new releases a few weeks after they appear in other cinemas.

Tel: 01865 245288

The Phoenix Picture House is on Walton Street, and shows a mixture of new releases and cult films. Tickets - Monday-Friday performances commencing before 5pm: Full price £6.40, members £4.50, child £5, concessions £5, family (of four) £21. Performances commencing at or after 5pm: Full price £7.40, members £5.50, child £5.50, family (of four) £21, concessions £6. Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays: Full price £7, members £5.50, child £5, concessions £6. Members Tuesday £5.50 for guests. Silver Screen (Fri first performance) £3.50. Big Scream £4.50. Kid's Club: members £3, non-members £4, accompanying adults: first one goes in for free, £5.50 for each additional adult.

Tel: 08707 583218, website www.picturehouses.co.uk

PUBS

No self-respecting city would be the same without a wide variety of watering holes, and Oxford seems to have hit the jackpot in this department, with enough pubs and bars to drown in - probably something to do with the huge student population and all those thirsty brains!

From the famous historical venues, where drunken revellers have worn the boards bare over the centuries, to the new and fashionable places to be seen, there will always be somewhere to whet your whistle.

THE OLD FAVOURITES

Eagle & Child, St Giles, is famous for being where a group called the Inklings, including C S Lewis and Tolkien, used to meet for their literary gatherings.

Drinks available vary, but usually include Bass, Hancocks and Hook Norton ales.

Tel: 01865 302925

Kings Arms, Holywell Street, is one of Oxford's best-known pubs. It is popular with both students and theatre-goers. It is often very busy, especially in term-time.

Serves a selection of guest beers which change every two weeks.

Tel: 01865 242369

Lamb & Flag, St Giles, is across the road from the Eagle & Child. The building used to be a 15th-century coaching inn.

It serves London Pride, Spitfire, Skinners, Lamb & Flag Gold and a guest ale, which varies.

Tel: 01865 515787

The White Horse, Broad Street, by Blackwells, is tiny, secluded and cosy, but it can get very crowded.

Tel: 01865 728138

The Turf Tavern, Bath Place, off Holywell Street, could be the oldest pub in Oxford - its foundations probably date from before the 13th century - and it may also be the most famous.

It is very popular with tourists as it featured in TV's Inspector Morse. And it is one of the most popular places for students to celebrate after exams.

Tel: 01865 243235

The Star on Rectory Road, off Cowley Road, may be off the beaten track, but is welcoming, comfortable and has a huge beer garden.

Tel: 01865 248011

The James Street Tavern is also a drinking beacon that welcomes thirsty punters from miles around. This friendly, busy pub is another Cowley Road staple and is full of students who never make it home after doing their shopping in Tesco.

Tel: 01865 247127

The Brickworks, Cowley Road, has a well-kept secret - not only is it a bar but it also turns into a late-night-drinking den where students flock to continue partying until the early hours.

Tel: 01865 245999

You can't beat The Head of the River, at Folly Bridge, on a hot sunny day. Sitting on wooden benches watching the rowers in action, it is a great place to sit down and soak in Oxford's atmosphere.

Tel: 01865 721600

The Bear Inn is on Alfred Street, not far from Christ Church Cathedral. It claims to have been an inn since 1242, but it is probably most famous for the large collection of ties which decorate the walls, some once owned by celebrities.

Tel: 01865 728164

The Kite Inn is on Mill Street, just off Botley Road. Outside there are picnic benches, inside are televisions usually showing music or sport. The food is good value and served in large portions.

Tel: 01865 248546

TRENDY

Baby Love in King Edward Street, is a cool bar with large cocktail selection, twinned with Baby Simple on the Cowley Road.

They are places for beautiful people to mingle and down cocktails, shaken all night long.

Tel: 01865 200011/07803 078033

Raouls is on Walton Street. Known for its award-winning cocktails, although more straightforward drinks are available too. This has been a staple with the in-crowd for years now, but is not too intimidatingly trendy.

Tel: 01865 553 732

Café Baba, on Cowley Road, is always heaving, but this never seems to put anyone off. It's not cheap but, then, cocktails never are. Tel: 01865 203011

All Bar One is on the High Street and is just as trendy as it looks. Not a place for a quiet pint, more somewhere to see and be seen. Over-21s only.

Tel: O1865 258991

A LITTLE DIFFERENT

The Old Bookbinders Ale House is in the heart of Jericho. This charming back street pub introduces two new guest ales each week and regularly holds mini-beer festivals and special events, such as open mic nights, quizzes and bands.

For information about these and the guest ale timetable, visit the website: www.oldbookbinders.co.uk

For those who like their pint with some good old-fashioned conversation, head to the Rose and Crown, North Parade.

To maintain the intimate Victorian public house atmosphere, it has avoided introducing themes, loud music and games machines.

And it has taken the bold move of banning mobile phones. Anyone seen (or heard) using one has to put a donation in the pub's charity tin.

Website: www.rose-n-crown.co.uk

Far From the Madding Crowd, Friar's Entry, is making a stand against chain pubs and fruit machines by relying on good old-fashioned conversation and great beer to draw the crowds. A reliable place to visit when you tire of techno music, alco-pops and shouting. A great selection of beers too.

Tel: 01865 240900

THEATRES

New Theatre, George Street, Oxford Formerly the Apollo, The New Theatre has become even better since it reverted to its original name. There is now a bigger choice of shows, and facilities for disabled patrons have improved greatly. Types of show include ballet, comedy, musicals, opera and stage plays. The New Theatre also continues to be a magnet for big names. Tel: 01865 320760, website: www.livenation.co.uk Booking is through Ticketmaster on 0870 606 3500

Oxford Playhouse, Beaumont Street, Oxford This has a varied programme of plays, dance, opera, children's shows and some concerts. The foyer bar is open throughout the day for snacks and sandwiches. Tel: 01865 305305, website: www.oxfordplayhouse.com

Burton Taylor Theatre The Burton Taylor is owned by Oxford University and during term-time it is the venue for many student productions. Outside term-time, the Burton Taylor is open to both local and touring companies. Productions tend to be on a small scale to reflect the intimacy of the 50-seater venue. Advance bookings is through Oxford Playhouse on 01865 305305, website: www.burtontaylor.co.uk

The Old Fire Station Theatre, George Street, Oxford This is mainly a venue for student productions, especially in term time. There is a café-bar open from noon until 2am (the venue becomes a nightclub at 9pm). Tel: 01865 297170

Pegasus Theatre, Magdalen Road, off Iffley Road This is the headquarters of the Oxford Youth Theatre. It presents theatre, dance and other performing arts. It is due for a major redevelopment. Tel: 01865 722851, website: www.pegasustheatre.org.uk

Summer 2008 will see the Creation Theatre Company's most ambitious season to date - tripling the number of venues used in 2007. Oxford's own theatre company will stage four shows across three locations - Oxford Castle, Headington Hill Park and a brand new city centre venue, St Michael at the North Gate on Cornmarket Street. Creation will also be holding a wide variety of summer workshops to complement the shows. Creation will return to Oxford Castle for the first show of the season, performing Much Ado About Nothing (June 13-August 16) at the foot of the Castle Mound in the Unlocked Castleyard. Starring Amy Stacy and Caroline Devlin and directed by Charlotte Conquest, this raucous romantic comedy is bound to reflect the company's reputation for entertaining and accessible productions, in an equally elegant setting. Headington Hill Park will form the magical setting for an unusual promenade production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, opening on July 4. Zoe Seaton, the director behind Creation Theatre Company's landmark 2005 production of the play, reunites with visual consultant Paul McEneaney for an unforgettable new promenade production of Shakespeare's most enchanting play. Illusions, special effects, comedy and romance combine in this spellbinding production. Creation aims to give the show a fresh atmosphere, using this popular park venue in a completely new way. Shakespeare's Saints and Sinners (June 24-August 16) is a brand-new one-man show in a new venue for Creation, St Michael at the North Gate. This will be Creation's first indoor summer venue and houses the font where Shakespeare himself stood to become a godfather. Today the church boasts Oxford's oldest building; St Michael's Tower built in 1040, to which your theatre tickets will also allow access. Veteran actor Tom Peters and Director Heather Davies expose and explore Shakespeare's insights into the human condition with recreations of some of his most memorable characters - the good, the bad and the downright psychotic! Completing the season will be George Orwell's Animal Farm (July 18-August 30) adapted for the stage by Ian Wooldridge and directed by Joanna Read. The former exercise yard of Oxford Prison provides an atmospheric setting for this satire on power and idealism.

To book tickets call the box office on 01865 766266, or buy tickets online at www.creationtheatre.co.uk.