Oxford Science and Ideas Festival

Oxford Science Science and Ideas Festival, also known as IF Oxford, is an annual science festival held in October in Oxford, England, and produced by an independent charity, the Oxfordshire Science Festival.[1] The festival runs annually for four weeks, involving over 100 events across Oxford and surrounding communities.

Origins

The festival dates back to 1992, when the Oxford Trust, a charitable organisation founded by Sir Martin and Lady Audrey Wood[2] put on a "Festival of Science" from 13 to 18 January.[3] The first event was hosted at Oxford's Old Fire Station arts centre. The festival became an annual event, and in its first ten years ran events at 48 venues, and attracted more than 75,000 visitors. [4]

For many years, the festival operated under the name 'Oxfordshire Science Festival', and in 2018 was renamed 'IF Oxford'.[5] The 29th festival, in 2020, was run entirely online due to the COVID pandemic.[6] It returned to an in-person festival in 2021.[7]

Over the years the festival has expanded both in terms of the number of venues, and duration. In the early 2000s, the festival ran in January and February,[8] and later, in June.[9] It has run annually in October since 2018.

Programme

Each year, the programme features hands-on activities, exhibitions, talks and tours, with an emphasis on making science accessible to all,[10] on exploring the intersections between art, creativity and science,[11] and a diverse programme with many events run in outlying communities of the city of Oxford.[12] The 2023 festival programme was launched over the August Bank Holiday weekend, with the festival running from 6 October to 29 October.[13]

The 2024 science and ideas festival ran across Oxford from 6 October to 3 November,[14][15] with 'Super Science Sunday' held at Science Oxford,[16] and over 100 other events held at more than 40 venues around the city.[17]

Festival directors

The festival's current director, since 2017, is Dane Comerford.[18]

Renée Watson was festival manager from 2008 to 2017. [19]

References

1. "OXFORDSHIRE SCIENCE FESTIVAL - Charity 1151361". register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk.
2. Ferry, Georgina (December 6, 2021). "Sir Martin Wood obituary" – via The Guardian.
3. "1992". The Oxford Trust. September 6, 2024.
4. "Trust toasts ten great years". Oxford Mail. February 8, 2001.
5. "Past Festivals". IF Oxford.
6. Box, Ox In A. (October 13, 2020). "Join this weekend's big family 'Explorazone Digital' 'day-out' with IF Oxford and inspire children about science".
7. "Make pink clouds and discover the chemistry of lemon meringue at science festival". Witney Gazette. October 9, 2021.
8. "Festival of science aims to be a blast". Oxford Mail. January 25, 2003.
9. "Oxfordshire Science Festival 2017 - Daily Info". Daily Info.
10. Box, Ox In A. (October 18, 2019). "Speed dating, physics in the pub, eating with dinosaurs, naked maths and soundscaping. How 'If Oxford' is making science accessible to all".
11. "Neon Dance steps out with robots for IF Oxford science festival". Oxford Mail. October 11, 2022.
12. "Super Science event sees children get stuck in". Oxford Mail. October 27, 2023.
13. "Science and ideas festival contributors celebrated". This is Oxfordshire. September 10, 2023.
14. "RDM researchers showcase at IF Oxford 2024 – book now". www.rdm.ox.ac.uk.
15. "Oxford science and ideas Festival: 100 events in October". IF Oxford.
16. "Hundreds attend science event as part of city-wide festival". Oxford Mail. October 27, 2024.
17. "Oxford science and ideas festival underway with over 100 events planned". Oxford Mail. October 17, 2024.
18. "PROFILE: Science festival director celebrates popular city event". Oxford Mail. November 7, 2019.
19. "First person: Renee Watson on science and the city". Oxford Mail. March 8, 2013.

External links

• IF Oxford Official website
• IF Oxford on You Tube