Bookings for Oxonmoot 2019, the Tolkien Society’s annual celebration, are still open; but bookings for meals and rooms close on 29th August. Oxonmoot 2019 will take place over the weekend of 13th-15th September 2019, at St Antony’s College, Oxford, and here’s everything you need to know.
About Oxonmoot
Oxonmoot is an annual event hosted by The Tolkien Society which brings together over 200 Tolkien fans, scholars, students and Society members from across the world. It has been held annually in Oxford since 1974 on a weekend close to Bilbo and Frodo’s birthday (22nd September) and is the key event in the Society’s annual calendar—if you want to come to any Tolkien event, come to Oxonmoot.
Oxonmoot is a three- or four-day event and since 1991 it has always been in a picturesque college of the University of Oxford. The college supply meals and accommodation for the weekend, so we effectively “take over” the college and enjoy an exclusively Tolkien weekend!
Oxonmoot 2019 is being held over three days from the afternoon of Friday 13th September until lunch time on Sunday 15th September, at St Antony’s College, Oxford. The setting allows delegates an opportunity to spend time in one of the loveliest settings for study in the world. The college is set in a pleasant leafy residential area of north Oxford, just a 10-minute walk from the heart of the city. The campus has a mixture of architectural styles ranging from the nineteenth century, through the 1960s, up to the present day. It sits within attractive gardens, and its quiet position and first-class facilities make it a very attractive location for conferences.
Oxonmoot includes talks, quizzes, lectures, workshops, performances, papers, discussions, singing, slideshows, costuming, gaming and celebrating. All of this is supplemented by eating, drinking and chatting! The weekend concludes with a visit to Tolkien’s grave on Sunday morning—a beautiful and moving end to the event.
Talks at Oxonmoot
During the Saturday daytime we will have a full timetable of talks on J.R.R. Tolkien and his works. Confirmed talks so far are:
- “Tolkien’s mythology – past, present, future” by Daria Belyaeva
- “Hidden faces and symbols in Tolkien Art” by Denis Bridoux
- “Victorian literary motifs of Trees and Forests in Middle-earth” by Andoni Cossio
- “Theseus myth in Tolkien’s works” by Sandra Hartl
- “Architecture of Middle-earth onscreen” by Mina Lukic
- “Tolkien Art Show” by Len Sanford
- “Tolkien’s views of Father Christmas” by Anders Stenström
- And a talk by Bob Blackham
Timings will be confirmed closer to the event.
Activities at Oxonmoot
Oxonmoot takes place in Oxford on a weekend close to Bilbo and Frodo’s birthday on 22 September. It is open to members of The Tolkien Society and non–members, although members receive a discount on the cost of registration. There are also day tickets available to allow anyone to attend just the talks and papers on Saturday 14th without joining the whole event. There is something for everyone at most Oxonmoots: studies of languages, life, sources and interpretations plus debates and seminars to further expand our understanding of Tolkien’s life and works. As well as talks and papers, the timetable features events typically including:
- The Welcome Dinner – held on the first night of Oxonmoot, this is an opportunity for First Timers to meet the ‘oldies’, and for the latter to be reunited with each other.
- The Percival Quiz – a very popular event, this takes place in the Bar after the Welcome Dinner at around 9pm, and is open to everyone in teams (we will find you a team). Some questions are fiendish, but the emphasis is on fun. Some answers are fiendishly funny.
- Saturday Lunch – the only meal included in the price of registration, this is an opportunity for all attendees to have a meal together. The Subcomm will take the opportunity to read out ‘Parish Notices’ and may spring the occasional surprise.
- Telerin Circle – the plan this year is for Denis Bridoux to host a Telerin Circle after the Quiz on Friday night – exact details TBA.
- Entertainments & Masquerade – This year once again part of an evening party, this is your chance to sing, dance, perform, anything that you feel will entertain your fellows and to show off your costumes. If you have a last-minute idea, don’t hesitate to talk to either Helen Armstrong or Mike Percival about it – they’re very good at suggesting how to best present it.
- Enyalië – The visit to Tolkien’s grave on Sunday morning at 11am where the Tolkien Society Chair reads from Tolkien’s work, and members have the opportunity to thank the Professor for bringing us together in Fellowship.
Bookings
Book Oxonmoot or visit the Oxonmoot 2019 page for more information on the event. Bookings will not close for the event, but bookings for meals and accommodation (should you wish to book either – you don’t have to!) close on 29th August.
