May Morning Festivities 2009
This year, May 1st falls on a Friday (click here to get one of our free Year Planners for keeping track of important dates such as this).
Singing from Magdalen Tower will be at 6.00 am for 7 minutes, as ever.
Click here to see where and when you can get champagne breakfasts and sausage butties.
This year, Magdalen Bridge will be officially closed from approx 4am - 7.30am, although the police will hope to reopen it sooner if all is well and calm after the choristers have finished. Check local radio for last minute details. This closure usually includes the area from the east side of Magdalen College Tower to the Plain. This is due to people having jumped off it into the deceptively shallow water in previous years and broken themselves. There’s usually access (from the city centre end) for 8000 people to a “Controlled Zone” (probably Magdalen Bridge - Longwall Junction) within earshot of the choristers. This tends to be getting full by around 5am.
Longwall Street, the High Street and Merton Street may be closed to vehicles for any portion of the time between 4am and 8.30am.
Buses from Cowley and Headington usually reach the city via the Iffley Road- Donnington Bridge- Abingdon-Road route.
St John's College Choir will sing Madrigals from the tower in Front Quad, St John's, St Giles, "somewhere about 7am ".
This year’s Morris Dancing will begin about 6.10am in Radcliffe Square, then will move, when the bell-ringing starts in St Mary’s, to the end of New College Lane and to Broad Street. At about 7.30am there will be a further move to a spot outside St John’s, where dancing will continue until about 8.30am. There will then be a break for breakfast. The City and University sides will be dancing at St Ebbe’s school some time between 11am and noon and other sides may be found around the City Centre.
Morris Dancing at Aristotle Lane will commence at 6am - and there’s usually a May bull involved.
At 12 noon dancing will resume in North Parade, from both Oxford City Morris and The Ancient Men, with guests from Long Crendon Morris and Charlbury Morris, aided by a barbecue and sword-dancing.
You can check Friday's weather here.
For May Ball details, have a look at our Balls, Festivals and Gigs events pages. You can list your own - it's free!
4.00am |
The New James Street Tavern, 47-48 James Street. Open 4am-8am for alcohol and Full English breakfast. |
|---|---|
5.00am |
Quod, 92 - 94 High Street, 202505 RJ at 21, 21 Cowley Road, 201120 Combibos Coffee, Gloucester Green The Grand Café, 84 High Street, 204463 Patisserie Valerie, 90 High Street, 725415 Queens Lane Coffee House will also open at 5am, for normal service. |
5.30am |
The Vaults & Garden Café,
University Church of St Mary High Street,
279112 St Giles Café, 52 St Giles |
6.00am |
The Anchor Inn, 2 Hayfield Road, 510282 The King's Arms, corner of Parks Rd & Holywell Street, 242369 The Cricketer’s Arms, 43 Iffley Rd, 427505 The Royal Blenheim, corner of St Ebbes & Pembroke Street. The Turf Tavern, down Bath Place, off Holywell Street, 243235 The Big Bang, Walton St, Jericho, 511441 The Mission Mexican Grill, 8 St Michael’s Street, Café Coco, 23 Cowley Road, 200232 The Grand Café, 84 High Street, 204463 G & Ds, Little Clarendon Street, 516652, St Aldates and Cowley Road, 727111 The Grapes, 7 George Street, 793380 Will be open 6am - 9am for full fried breakfast, and then reopen at 11am. |
| 6.30am |
The Corridor, corner of Cowley Road and Princes Street, will be open all night, and will do breakfast "at dawn." |
If you’re doing something interesting for May Morning you can list
the details instantly and for free by clicking HERE,
or, to be listed on this very page, call us on 01865 241133, or email [email protected]
Events with a May Day theme (the morning of and the night before):
The Days, Picnic Now, Nominees / The Devon quartet hit the road following the success of their EP, 'No Ties'. /
7pm £5 / O2 Academy Oxford , 190 Cowley Road, OX4 1UE / Box Office: 0844 477 2000
The Hand, Ichi, The Joe Allen Band, Ally Craig / Acoustic acts / Backroom @ The Bully, 162 Cowley Road; Tel. 244516; Fax: 202457.
The Corridor, corner of Cowley Road and Princes Street, will be open all night and through into the next day without even a hint of closure. DJs and drinks promos.
The Cricketer’s Arms, 43 Iffley Rd, 427505. Murray Free / Murray Torkildsen + Nick Breakspear (Black Hats) / 9pm, free.
