Science & Art
Anna Dumitriu, BioArt: Infusoria
Art made with bacteria, DNA and felt during a residency with Oxford microbiologists. Free at the John Radcliffe Hospital.
Oxford's community for researchers, founders and culture-makers
Guides to the city and a calendar of events worth planning around, from Oxford's concert halls to the triathlon at Blenheim Palace. An independent initiative of BGTC.
See upcoming eventsOur Purpose
To convene the world's brightest minds in a trusted, confidential forum to address the critical challenges and opportunities of our time.
Global Leadership
Convening established and emerging leaders from policy, finance, and industry to address critical global challenges.
Academic & Scientific Frontiers
Bridging the gap between groundbreaking academic research at Oxford and its real-world application and impact.
Cultural & Intellectual Discourse
Curating world-class debates, lectures, and cultural salons that challenge thinking and inspire new perspectives.
Oxford A–Z
The local words you hear in your first months in Oxford, explained in plain English.
Upcoming Events
Exhibition
Aphrodite: The Making of a Goddess
The Ashmolean follows the goddess of love from a Bronze Age cult on Cyprus to Botticelli and Yves Klein.
Talk & Debate
The Breakup Monologues: Artificial Intimacy?
Rosie Wilby and Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska on love and heartbreak in the age of ChatGPT and Claude, live at The Bullingdon.
Sport & Community
Supertri Blenheim Palace 2027
Triathlon at Churchill's birthplace: Sprint and SuperSprint races, relays and the Weekend Warrior, with spectator tickets for both days.
Member Guides
Where to go in Oxford and what to look for when you get there.
Member guide
Rainy day activities in Oxford – free museums, library tours, markets and cinemas
On a wet day in Oxford, the best plan is to string together the free university museums, which sit close together in the city centre: the Ashmolean, the
Member guide
Legal and accounting for Oxford founders – setting up, staying compliant and choosing advisers
Most Oxford founders incorporate a private limited company online with Companies House, which costs £100 and is usually done within 24 hours, after every
Member guide
Oxford science heritage - a walking guide
From Halley's observatory to penicillin: the science that happened inside the old city.
Member guide
Punting and rowing in Oxford – where to hire a punt, watch the bumps and learn to row
Punting in Oxford happens mainly on the River Cherwell, where you can hire a self-drive punt at Magdalen Bridge Boathouse for £35 an hour or at the
Member guide
Pitt Rivers and Natural History Museums in Oxford – a visitor's guide
The Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the Pitt Rivers Museum share one building on Parks Road (OX1 3PW), one front door and a free admission
Member guide
Oxford event calendar 2026 – festivals, exhibitions and key dates for the rest of the year
The Oxford event calendar for the rest of 2026 is anchored by the Christmas Light Festival on 13 to 15 November, with the free Victorian Christmas Market
Member guide
Bookshops in Oxford - a member's guide
One of the world's great bookshops, and the smaller rooms around it.
Member guide
Cost of living in Oxford in 2026 – rent, bills and a realistic monthly budget
The cost of living in Oxford is driven above all by rent: the Office for National Statistics puts the average private rent in the city at £1,957 a month
Member guide
Cotswolds day trip from Oxford – trains, buses and three routes that work
The easiest Cotswolds day trip from Oxford without a car is the train along the Cotswold Line to Moreton-in-Marsh, then the daily Pulhams 801 bus to
Member guide
Hiring talent in Oxford – a practical guide for founders and employers
Hiring talent in Oxford works best when you combine the city's free university channels (the Oxford University Careers Service and Oxford Brookes'
Member guide
Independent cinema in Oxford - screens, festivals and arts venues
Where Oxford watches film properly: independent screens, repertory programming and festivals.
Member guide
Day trips from Oxford - a member's guide
Where to go when you have a day and want it to count: real destinations within reach of Oxford.
Member guide
Free things to do in Oxford
Four free museums, free exhibitions at the Bodleian, three open green spaces and a church service with one of England's great…
Member guide
Historic pubs of Oxford
The Inklings' two pubs, one of them closed until its restoration is finished, a tavern against the medieval city wall, and a…
Member guide
Markets and food culture in Oxford
A covered market that has traded since 1774, an outdoor market four days a week, and two streets where Oxford eats out: a…
Member guide
Oxford parks and green spaces
A meadow grazed since the Domesday Book, Britain's oldest botanic garden, the University's own park and the most photographed…
Member guide
The Oxford theatre scene
From an 1,800-seat Art Deco house to a 50-seat studio, and a company that has never had a theatre of its own: where to see a…
Member guide
Classical music in Oxford
The oldest purpose-built music room in Europe, two of England's great choirs and a professional orchestra at the Sheldonian:…
Member guide
Oxford architecture: the buildings that matter
Six buildings that explain the city, from a fifteenth-century vault to Victorian striped brick: who built them, what to look…
Member guide
A cultural weekend in Oxford
Two days of colleges, libraries, museums, music and the river, built around what is actually open this autumn.
Member guide
Literary Oxford
Where Alice began, where the Inklings met, the bookshop room in the Guinness Book of Records and the library that gets a copy…
Member guide
The best museums and galleries of Oxford
Six museums worth your time, most of them free: what each one is for, when to go, and what has changed recently.
Member guide
Inside Oxford's innovation and spin-out cluster
How Oxford turns research into companies: the University's technology transfer office, a patient-capital investor, the science…
Sport & active life
Clubs, races and outdoor swimming for people settling into the city. Dates and details are checked against organisers' and clubs' own pages.
Member guide
Running and triathlon clubs in Oxford
parkrun, town clubs checked against their own pages, triathlon, and routes to try first.
Member guide
Oxford race calendar, winter and spring 2027
County cross-country, local 10Ks and half marathons from November 2026 to June 2027, dates from organisers.
Member guide
Outdoor swimming in Oxford
Port Meadow and Wolvercote, Hinksey Outdoor Pool, lakes within an hour, and what the water-quality data says.
Membership Tiers
Student & Academia
£95/year
For students, researchers and faculty.
- Member newsletter with guides and event picks
- Invitations to member events
- Discounted tickets where organisers offer them
Professional Fellow
£295/year
For founders, professionals and leaders.
- All Academic benefits
- Free entry to member events
- Member directory
- Priority booking
Patron
Contact Us
For organisations that want to support the community.
- All Fellow benefits
- Branding at events
- Host events
- Personal introductions
The Oxford Ledger
Stories from Oxford, and reporting on its events from the BGTC network of publications.
Debate
When an AI Argued at the Oxford Union
In 2021 Oxford researchers put Nvidia's Megatron into a Union debate on AI ethics. It argued both sides.
Read More →
Spin-out Story
From Spin-Out to a $1bn Deal: Oxford Ionics
Two Oxford physicists founded a quantum computing company in 2019. In 2025 IonQ bought it for $1.075 billion.
Read More →
Creativity's UK
Supertri at Blenheim Palace
Maria Bregman spent the 2026 race weekend at Blenheim with 6,000 triathletes and the team that now runs the event.
Read on Creativity's UK →
BGTC Voice
Supertri at Blenheim Palace
The race weekend at Churchill's birthplace, and what Supertri wants from its first year running it.
Read on BGTC →Our Esteemed Partners
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