Music Scene 

You're spoilt for choice for music in Oxford. Not only does it have two major concert halls, the Sheldonian and the Holywell Music Room, but opera comes regularly to the Apollo Theatre. The city is also home to a number of orchestras, choirs and a capella groups.

Opera
Famously, Oxford is host to the world-renowned Garsington Opera (Garsington village itself being just a stone's throw from the city centre) which attracts an audience of opera-loving stars of stage and screen to the city every summer.

Live music
For rock and pop fans, a number of local city pubs and bars such as The Backroom @ The Bullingdon Arms (on Cowley Road), The Jericho Tavern (on Walton Street), The Wheatsheaf (on High Street), Cricketers (on Iffley Road), Po Na Na (on Magdalen Street), Gloucester Arms (off Cornmarket Street), and The Cellar (Frewin Court, Cornmarket Street) host live music at least once a week along with one specially built venue (The Zodiac on Cowley Road), meaning that there is always a band playing something somewhere in the area. In fact, successful chart bands such as Radiohead and Supergrass started life in Oxford.

In addition, Oxford Brookes University also often use their extensive students union building (The Terminal at Headington Hill Campus) to host live music performances.

In recoginition of the thriving music scene and the up-and-coming local bands within it, Oxford played host to Radio 1's Sound City in 1997, which not only gave its local acts a chance to perform 'on the fringe' in front of capacity crowds, but also attracted the much bigger names in music, such as Sleeper and Shed 7.

Late night clubs
For those who enjoy dancing the night (and the morning!) away there is a healthy late bar and nightclub scene in Oxford, with The Park End Club (Park End Street), Downtown Manhattan's (George Street), and The Old Fire Station (also in George Street) being just three of the bigger venues. Specially themed evenings are regularly held at these, and other clubs in town, with something sure to please everyone.

For further information, venue listings, gig guides, local bands and more, see our music section.