Social and Leisure Life

Students at Oxford put almost the same amount of energy into creating and participating in clubs, societies, the arts and sports teams, as they devote to their academic pursuits. In addition, the city of Oxford offers a wide variety of restaurants, bars, clubs, music venues and theatres. This section gives you a brief overview of the vibrant social and leisure life at Oxford.

Bars

For most students, their social life in Oxford begins at their college bar. It will only be a matter of time before you find the bar at your college and sample the delights it offers. Every college bar is different, but most offer non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks (and some also serve snacks) at very reasonable prices. In addition, a number of Common Rooms host regular parties, or ‘bops’, on weekends in their college bars. These are normally themed parties and people are often enthusiastic about dressing up, going for a dance and having a few drinks with friends. You may find it an ideal way to unwind after a hectic week of work.

British drinking culture has gained a bad name for itself in some parts of the world and you may be surprised by the amount of alcohol some students can consume! However, you don't have to drink if you don't want to, or if you're not used to it. Non-alcoholic beverages are also available in every bar, and they are in most cases cheaper, too.

Outside college, the city centre is full of bars of various sizes and atmospheres to suit almost any occasion. More recently, the Oxford Castle complex on New Road has added a collection of swankier establishments to Oxford's nightlife. If you're feeling a bit more adventurous, the neighbourhood of Jericho is home to several cocktail bars, though be warned, prices are likely to be steeper!

Clubs and live music

People clubbing.You are almost certain to visit one of Oxford's nightclubs during Freshers' Week. OUSU organises several club nights especially for Oxford students. If you haven't come across the word ‘cheese’ before, let us give you a hint: it has nothing to do with what's in your sandwich! ‘Cheesy’ music sums up one of the University's most popular nights held on Wednesdays at Park End on Park End Street. Be prepared to learn some lyrics, so you can shout along with the rest of us! More of the same could be beating into your eardrums on Fridays at Filth in the Westgate centre. For something a little bit different, Zoonanas held at Ponanas on Magdalen Street offers up a blend of indie tunes for all you rockers every Thursday.

As you may or may not know, Oxford is home to a second university, Oxford Brookes, located east of the city centre in Headington, and it, too, offers a similar variety of student nights. Try the Oxford Brookes Student Union (OBSU) for Foo Bar on a Wednesday and Pleasure Dome on a Friday. Fuzzy Ducks at the Zodiac (now Carling Academy) on Cowley Road every Wednesday is another one you may want to look out for. Finally, don't forget to visit the Bridge (on Hythe Bridge Street) at least once; many Oxford students will proudly declare it to be the best club that has ever graced the local clubbing scene.

A bop.If you're a party animal, you should definitely sign up to RockOxford's mailing list. The RockOxford team sends out frequent newsletters to advertise the latest happenings and promotions in Oxford's nightlife.

The Carling Academy on Cowley Road is Oxford's premiere venue for live music and many famous bands grace its two stages. Live music can also be usually found at the Oxford Brookes Student Union. Check out and for further details at their respective websites.

Eating out

If sampling the delights of bangers and mash or toad-in-the-hole over a pint of real ale isn't your thing, Oxford has an enormous variety of restaurants, one of which is certain to have something you like. It has a particularly impressive range of international eateries. If your chopstick skills are getting rusty, many of Oxford's best Chinese restaurants are located along George Street and Hythe Bridge Street. Whether you're hungry for Thai, Japanese, Indian or Italian, the town centre will give your appetite a run for its money whilst sparing your wallet. Most meals, depending on the restaurant you choose, cost between £5 and £20 for a main meal.

If the restaurants in the town centre do not appeal to you, head up to Cowley Road in the east. With a diverse collection of bars, Cowley is Oxford's most culturally varied district that offers the adventurous eater anything from Japanese sushi to Polish and Spanish tapas.

You can find a complete listing of restaurants (including reviews) in Oxford at the website of the Daily Information. We also suggest browsing through The Oxford Handbook, which if you don't receive it before you should be able to pick up at the Freshers' Fair.

Sports and societies

Whether you play football or poker, or if you are into drama, Star Trek, yoga, or simply looking for your compatriots, the University has a team or student society for it. The easiest way to find out about them is to visit the Freshers' Fair organised by OUSU during Freshers' Week. It offers the perfect opportunity to peruse stalls of more or less every society and sports team all under the same roof. Missing Freshers' Fair isn't, however, a disaster. You can also find web links for different societies and teams on the University website. For information about national and cultural interest-related socieites, you may also want to peruse the list on the web pages of the International Students' Campaign. Finally, you will not fail to see the numerous flyers and announcements on various noticeboards in your college and/or department, advertising the range of student society-organized events —from speaker events to film nights to parties— that are going on that week and term.

If you are interested in music, there are many University and college based choirs and orchestras. Some college choirs and orchestras are more than happy to take on members from other colleges that don't have their own. Drama works in much the same way.

If you're a keen sportsman or sportswoman, you'll probably want to try to make into one of the University's varsity teams. However, if you want to play sport under less intense pressure, most colleges have their own college teams. College sports are somewhat of a passion in Oxford, especially if you decide to brave the early mornings and row.

A number of colleges also hold their own Freshers' Fairs, which are a great way to find out what your college has to offer. You will find that most freshers simply add themselves to the mailing lists of ALL societies that even remotely interest them at Freshers' Fair (primarily because they're overwhelmed by choice and have too little time to decide!), as you can always unsubscribe yourself from mailing lists afterwards should you choose to do so.

Theatre and cinema

The range of cinemas and theatre venues in Oxford is pretty impressive. For mainstream cinema, the Odeon on George Street and the Odeon on Magdalen Street are your best bet, but for the more serious movie buffs among you, one of the town's independent cinemas might make for a more interesting night out. The Phoenix Picturehouse on Walton Street in Jericho and the Ultimate Picture Palace on Jeune Street off Cowley Road show a range of independent and foreign films in addition to mainstream productions.

If you are a big fan of drama, check out the Oxford Playhouse and the associated Burton Taylor Theatre and the Oxford University Drama Society. The dramatics scene at Oxford is a vibrant one. You will find no fewer than ten student productions of all genres each term, with venues ranging from cosy theatres to college gardens in the summer. It will be very hard for you not to come across someone involved in drama during your time at Oxford!

Miscellaneous

A ball.So, is there anything else to an Oxford student's social life? Yes! For instance, going punting in Trinity term is a must-do for everyone. There are two extremely popular punting boathouses (Magdalen Bridge Boat House, at which you will punt along the Cherwell; and one at the Head of the River along St Aldate's, at which you will punt along the Isis), although several colleges have their own punts. This is a great way to relax with friends and over a glass of Pimms. Don't be deceived by the short daylight hours in Britain when you arrive and especially during Hilary when the sun sets as early as 4pm! In Trinity you will find that the sun sets way past 8pm, giving you ample time to enjoy the sights and sounds along the riverbank for most of the day.

Many colleges and societies organise balls, most of which take place in Trinity term. These range very widely in terms of popularity and price (from £30 to £150), and are often black-tie events in true Oxford style. They are all essentially about an evening of delightful merry-making and you will no doubt hear more about them when you arrive here. Alternatively, if you would rather not spend so much money but would like to explore other colleges in a more economical way, ask your friends from other colleges to invite you over for Formal Hall. Most colleges have at least two Formal Halls per week, though some like Wadham have none and others like Christ Church and Merton have them almost every day. During formal halls, you can enjoy a three-course dinner (starter, main course, dessert) in a formal setting. The dress code at each college is different; some will require you to wear full sub-fusc, while others will not be fussed at all, but in all cases, look out for the grace in Latin at the start of the meal!