| Music | Sport | Talks and meetings | |
| Film | Books | Art events | |
| Theatre | Children | Live pub music | |
| Business | Environmental | Other | |
| MAY | |||
| Saturday 14 | |||
| Wildflower Garden Open | 11.00 - 16.00 17b Park Crescent, Abingdon OX14 1DF | ||
| Proceeds to Abingdon Bridge Youth Project and Friends of Radley Lakes | Entry £3. Note: parking restrictions apply in this area | ||
| Music on the Market Place | Abingdon Town Council | 10.30 - 12.30 Market Place | http://www.abingdon.gov.uk/ |
| Abbey Sax | |||
| Sunday 15 | |||
| MG Jubilee Car Club Rally | 10.00 Market Place | ||
| MG owners visiting from other parts of the country - cars on display prior to going for a drive | |||
| Dragon Boat Racing | Rotary Club of Abingdon Vesper | Races start 10.30, finish late afternoon | http://abingdondragonboats.org.uk/ |
| Popular charity fund-raising event - and great entertainment | Abingdon riverside | ||
| Monday 16 | |||
| Annual Town Council meeting and | Abingdon Town Council | 19.00 Guildhall | http://www.abingdon.gov.uk/ |
| Mayor-making - public event | |||
| Tuesday 17 | |||
| Abingdon Writers – would you like to be a writer? | Mostly Books | 10.30 Abingdon Library | http://www.mostly-books.co.uk/ or 01235 525880 |
| Abingdon’s lively creative writing group discuss their work, their motivation, | Free entry - just come along | ||
| what made them want to be writers – and their experiences in getting published. | |||
| Nordic walking: | VWHDC Go Active | 11.00 - 12.00 Abbey Gardens | 01235 540377 |
| Taster session followed by a four week Nordic walking course. Poles provided. | Taster session free. Course £15. Booking essential. | anna.capel-davies@whitehorsedc.gov.uk | |
| Wednesday 18 | |||
| Mini Antiques Roadshow evening | Abingdon Evening WI | 20.00 British Legion, Spring Road | abingdoneveningwi@yahoo.co.uk |
| Bring along items for expert Simon Jones to discuss and value. | New members welcome, first meeting free | 07977 001423 | |
| Thursday 19 | |||
| Rounders in the Park | VWHDC Go Active | 19.00 - 20.00 Abbey Gardens | 01235 540377 |
| Fun practices and social matches throughout the spring and summer! No experience necessary, all standards welcome. FREE. 16+. Just turn up. | anna.capel-davies@whitehorsedc.gov.uk | ||
| Friday 20 | |||
| Farmers' Market | Thames Valley Farmers Markets | 8.30 - 13.30 Market Place | http://www.tvfm.org.uk/ |
| 01235 227266 | |||
| Saturday 21 | |||
| German Expressionist cinema – Cyril Edwards | Abingdon European Society | 19.15 for 19.30 St Helens Church Centre | |
| More information from Adrienne Compton-James | 01235 522 193 | ||
| Wednesday 25 | |||
| Why are Ponds Important Wildlife Habitats?’ | Abingdon Naturalists Society | 19.30 Ingham Room, Abingdon School | http://www.communigate.co.uk/oxford/ans/ |
| Dr Jeremy Biggs, Chairman of Pond Conservation | £2 for non-members | 01235 536563 | |
| Friday 27 | |||
| Abingdon's Got Talent - closing date for entries | http://www.abingdon.gov.uk/ | ||
| Contact the Town Council if you would like to enter | marianne.milburn@abingdon.gov.uk | ||
| Tasting evening: at Mod 31: France v Chile. | Added Ingredients and Mod 31 | 19.30 for 19.45 Mod 31, Stert Street | http://www.addedingredients.co.uk/ |
| Sally Barlow of Source Wines with examples of wines from the old and new worlds | Tickets £25 per person from Added Ingredients - advance booking essential. 01235 537405 | ||
| Jeffery Deaver launches his new James Bond | Mostly Books | 19.00 Diamond Light Source, Harwell Campus | http://www.mostly-books.co.uk/ or 01235 525880 |
| novel "Carte Blanche" at the Diamond Light Source | Tickets £10 include cocktail and £4 off purchase on the night | ||
| Tickets are non-transferable and must be booked and paid for in advance | |||
| Friday 27 - Monday 30 May | |||
| English Music Festival | Dorchester Abbey, Sutton Courtenay Abbey | http://www.englishmusicfestival.org.uk/ | |
| Annual event celebrating Britain's rich musical heritage | and Radley College | ||
| Saturday 28 | |||
| Display by Performing Arts Department | Abingdon Town Council | 11.00 - 14.30 Market Place | http://www.abingdon.gov.uk/ |
| Abingdon Witney College | |||
| Salters Steamers summer season starts | Salters Steamers | http://www.salterssteamers.co.uk/ | |
| Daily boat trips to oxford and Wallingford and occasional special events | |||
| Abbey Meadows Outdoor pool opens for summer | |||
| Saturday 28 - Monday 31 | |||
| English Wine Week | Bothy Vineyard | Bothy Vineyard, Frilford Heath (near Doghouse) | http://www.bothyvineyard.co.uk/ |
| Bothy Vineyard Open Days - picnickers welcome | Grounds open 10.00 - 16.30. Free tour at 11.00 | 01865 390067 | |
| Sunday 29 | |||
| Oxfordshire Country Show | Abingdon Young Farmers | 10.00 - 17.00 Hill farm, Steventon OX13 6SW | http://www.oxcountryshow.org.uk/ |
| A new event showcasing the skills of Oxfordshire's rural communities | Entry £5, under 10s free | ||
| Displays, classes, competitions and entertainment for all ages | |||
| Abingdon Dance Studios present "Showcase 2011" | 15.00 and 19.00 Radley College Theatre | abingdondancestudios@gmail.com | |
| Adults and Children perform all dance styles from Argentine Tango and Ballroom to | Adults £8, Concessions £6 | 07749 755151 | |
| Musical Theatre and Street Dance. All proceeds to Sobell House Hospice Charity. | |||
| JUNE | |||
| Thursday 2 | |||
| Haydn – Hershel: From Telescopes to the Music | Abingdon Anglo-German Club | 19.30 Abbey Chapel, Checker Walk | 01235 533887 |
| of the Spheres: Dr. Christopher Lintott, Department of Astro-Physics, University of Oxford | Visitors very welcome: no fixed entrance charge, but a donation is invited | ||
| Wine-tasting evening with award-winning | Mostly Books and Bothy Vineyard | 19.30 Mostly Books, Stert Street | http://www.mostly-books.co.uk/ |
| local wine-makers Bothy Vineyard and wine writer Rosalind Cooper, editor of Wine Times. | Tickets £12 from Mostly Books* | 01235 525880 | |
| Saturday 4 | |||
| Music on the Market Place | Abingdon Town Council | 10.30 - 12.30 Market Place | http://www.abingdon.gov.uk/ |
| Abingdon Concert Band - Concert for Children | |||
| Sunday 5 | |||
| Musical Banquet - a feast for your ears. | Abbey Chamber Concerts | 15.00 St Nicolas Church | www.abbeychamberconcerts.org |
| 16th/17thC musical delights with viols, baroque guitar, harpsichord and counter-tenor | Tickets £10 (concessions £9) at the door, or from local shops or tel.07775 904626 | ||
| Sunday 5 - Saturday 11 | |||
| Oxford Drama Network Annual Drama Festival | Oxford Drama Network | Unicorn Theatre, Checker Walk | http://oxfordshiredramanetwork.org/ |
| 2 or 3 one act plays per evening Sun-Fri, 3 plays called back for Saturday Gala night | or from Abingdon Information Centre | ||
| Thursday 9 | |||
| Booklaunch: ‘The Story Traveller‘ | Mostly Books | 19.00 Mostly Books, Stert Street | http://www.mostly-books.co.uk/ |
| Launch event for local author Judy Stubley’s uplifting and inspiring new book | Tickets free but advance booking essential | 01235 525880 | |
| Saturday 11 | |||
| Pentecost Family Fun Day | Abingdon Town Council | 11.00 - 15.00 Market Place | http://www.abingdon.gov.uk/ |
| Elgar - The Kingdom | Abingdon and District Musical Society | Venue to be confirmed | http://www.adms.org.uk/ |
| Symphony Orchestra and Choir | 01235 524147 | ||
| Tuesday 14 | |||
| “Fold”.: Bloomsbury author Tom Campbell talks | Mostly Books | 19.30 Mostly Books, Stert Street | http://www.mostly-books.co.uk/ |
| about his debut novel | Tickets £4 from Mostly Books* | 01235 525880 | |
| Thursday 16 | |||
| Tasting evening: New Zealand Wines | Added Ingredients | 19.30 for 19.45 Added Ingredients, Stert Street | http://www.addedingredients.co.uk/ |
| Six wines and six foods to accompany them | Tickets £25 per person from Added Ingredients - advance booking essential. 01235 537405 | ||
| Friday 17 | |||
| Farmers' Market | Thames Valley Farmers Markets | 8.30 - 13.30 Market Place | http://www.tvfm.org.uk/ |
| 01235 227266 | |||
| Saturday 18 | |||
| Celebration of the Election of the Mayor of Ock Street | Market Place and around town centre | http://www.abingdon.gov.uk/ | |
| Throughout the day | |||
| Liszt Bi-centenary - Malcolm Pearce | Abingdon European Society | 19.15 for 19.30 St Helens Church Centre | |
| More information from Adrienne Compton-James | 01235 522 193 | ||
| Saturday 25 | |||
| Abingdon's Got Talent (auditions) | Abingdon Town Council | 11.00 - 14.00 Market Place | http://www.abingdon.gov.uk/ |
| Contact the Town Council if you would like to enter | Closing date for entries Friday 27 May | marianne.milburn@abingdon.gov.uk | |
| Wednesday 29 | |||
| ‘Orthoptera and Climate Change’. | Abingdon Naturalists Society | 19.30 Ingham Room, Abingdon School | http://www.communigate.co.uk/oxford/ans/ |
| Björn Beckmann from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology | £2 for non-members | 01235 536563 | |
| Thursday 30 | |||
| Opera from Mersoderm to Magician: | Abingdon Anglo-German Club | 19.30 Abbey Chapel, Checker Walk | 01235 533887 |
| Landmarks in Orfeo-Zauberfloete-Fidelio-Parsifal. A musical talk by Dr Brien Masters. | Visitors very welcome: no fixed entrance charge, but a donation is invited | ||
Please Note: The organisations and individuals who maintain this diary make every effort to ensure that the information in the diary is accurate and up to date. However they can not accept any responsibility for any changes, errors or omissions, or any inconvenience arising from them. Send details of events to: abingdondiary@otcn.co.uk