Oxford was transformed into a wonderland for Alice’s Day, a city-wide annual celebration organised by The Story Museum.
Dedicated to the curiouser and curiouser world of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, it’s an annual celebration of a story beloved around the world and synonymous with the city of Oxford.
Set against the backdrop of Oxford’s world-famous cityscape, the annual Alice’s Day offered a variety of activities, including interactive storytelling, talks, and trails for the event held on Saturday, July 6.
Christ Church, Oxford’s Covered Market, Oxford Botanic Garden, Bodleian Libraries and Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History all took part with a series of events and talks.
Visitors tried their hand at croquet at Christ Church, enjoyed a Curious Creatures Trail around the Covered Market and even met a Dodo at The Natural History Museum.
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There was also the famous street theatre on Broad Street, with visitors encountering The Story Museum’s Giant Alice Puppet, and an appearance from the Jabberwock.
The 3-metre-high Jabberwock roamed the city, out and about with its musical wrangler.
Crafted by the acclaimed theatre-makers and specialists in large-scale puppetry and magic, Rag and Bone, the Jabberwock was on the move in central Oxford, blinking its eyes, and snapping its jaws, raising up to its full height of three metres.
The Story Museum was "buzzing" with visitors taking advantage of the half-price entry offer, and where there was free Wonderland-themed face painting in the Courtyard and other activities.
In addition to the Alice Day festivities, The Story Museum was also proud to participate in Sobell House’s OxTrail, Oxfordshire’s first ever sculpture trail, which also launched on 6th July.
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The OxTrail will see more than 130 sculptures taking over the city this summer.
The Story Museum’s extra mini-herd of painted oxen can be found on Pembroke Street in its temporary ‘Moo-Seum’ next to the Museum's long established Telephone Box ‘Mouseum’.
The Story Museum is also delighted that an Alice-themed Ox, painted by Oxfordshire-based artist Caroline Ritson, features as part of the main sculpture trail.
The Story Museum’s head of programme and participation, Ameneh Enayat, said: "We are proud that Alice’s Day has become a firm fixture in Oxford’s annual cultural calendar, with both local people and visitors from around the world coming to celebrate it.
"With city-wide events and happenings, it’s a brilliant way to explore Oxford and get to know what inspired Lewis Carroll’s timeless tale."
She added: "We want to extend our heartfelt thanks everyone who came along and to our fantastic partner venues who have worked so hard to make Alice’s Day such a success."
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