Blog
Back to blog feed
10 reasons why you should come to Oxonmoot this year

The Tolkien Society’s Oxonmoot is the world’s longest-running annual event dedicated to Tolkien. Taking place in an Oxford college over a long weekend close to Frodo and Bilbo’s birthday in September, it is rightly considered one of the most important events for lovers of Tolkien and his works.

Here are just 10 reasons why you should come to this year’s Oxonmoot, which takes place at St Antony’s College from 21st to 24th September 2017. And don’t forget to book your place right now!

The Eagle and Child pub in Oxford. Oxonmooters always take the opportunity to pop in.

1. Fellowship

It is unlikely that in your day-to-day life you know many people who share (or understand!) your passion for J.R.R. Tolkien and his works. Yet at Oxonmoot you will meet dozens and dozens of people from across the UK and the World who are all together for that very reason; and, even better, it takes place in the very city where Tolkien wrote most of his stories about Middle-earth. You don’t have to be a member of the Society to attend Oxonmoot, just someone who really likes Tolkien!

2. Tour of Oxford

Many attendees at Oxonmoot aren’t familiar with Oxford and may not even live in the UK, so this year sees a return of our walking tour of Oxford. This year’s tour, taking place at 4pm on Thursday 21st, is hosted by one of trustees, Daniel, who will be taking you round the highlights (and lowlights!) of Tolkien’s time in Oxford.

3. The Quiz

The Percival Quiz was formerly known as a “Pub Quiz” until we realised it was far too hard to be a simple pub quiz! This will test the very depths of your knowledge of Tolkien’s life and works; with a dash of film-based questions as well, even the most well-researched Tolkien scholars will learn a piece of trivia or two from the light-hearted quiz. This year the quiz takes place at 9pm in the bar after the Welcome Buffet on the Thursday, so start getting your teams together now! Not content with just the Quiz, you’ll also find in the evening that attendees like to bring along a variety of board and card games to play in the bar. For instance, I have a fantastic record at losing at Monty Python Fluxx!

4. Arts, crafts and dealers

Providing fun for adults and children alike, our craft room includes Lego Orthanc and a variety of art activities – as an example, last year we had paper marbling. Next to that we have our dealers’ room where you can get all you favourite Tolkien books and collectibles, along with clothes and jewellery. In addition, we host the very popular Art Show. Hosting a selection of artwork from some of the best Tolkien artists around the world, the arts, crafts and dealers room will be open to attendees all day Friday and Saturday.

Oxonmoot 2014 attendees at the banquet. Photo by Charles E. Noad
Oxonmoot 2014 attendees at the banquet. Photo by Charles E. Noad

5. Talks

The talks, discussions and papers make up the core of the daytime programming and represent the very foundation of the Tolkien Society’s educational activities. Taking place all day Friday and all day Saturday they constitute thoughtful, intelligent – sometimes fun and controversial – talks which can offer ground-breaking insights in literary and biographical scholarship. Not only do we have talks about Tolkien’s life and works from highly-regarded published scholars, but we also host slideshows and artists showcasing their work.

6. Food

As all hobbits – and, hopefully, the Professor – would approve, good food and drink is important to us! On the Thursday evening we host a welcome buffet whilst on the Friday evening we have our large banquet dinner (the 2014 banquet is photographed above). This is a chance for everyone to sit down and enjoy each other’s company. You may even find that Society members across the weekend will have even brought along their own culinary creations for your delectation!

7. Masquerade

The masquerade is your chance to show off your sartorial creations; it is not compulsory – most attendees are happy just to observe the beauty – but some denizens enjoy sharing their outfits with the audience. The Masquerade is usually combined with the “Ents” (Entertainments) which includes poetry, singing and short sketches performed for your enjoyment. In 2014 we had the comedic “Council of Elrond Planning Committee” whilst in 2013 we had “Saruman of the Many Colours” dancing to Night Fever!

The “Bake Off” at Oxonmoot 2016

8. Bilbo’s Birthday Party

We couldn’t hold Oxonmoot on Bilbo’s birthday without taken the chance to host a birthday party. Of course there will be a big cake – and you can always take part in the Hungry Hobbit Bake Off to add your own cakes and savouries – bunting and and some proper party games as in a real fayre. And, on top of that, there will be a gift exchange – bring one, take one. What more could you want?

9. Enyalië

The final event of Oxonmoot. From the Quenya word meaning “memory” or “remembrance”, Enyalië takes place on the Sunday morning at Tolkien’s graveside in Wolvercote Cemetery. The Chair of the Tolkien Society speaks about their love for Tolkien which is then followed by a reading from one of Tolkien’s works; wreaths are laid and the song “Namárië” is recited by one of our long-standing members. This is an incredibly poignant and touching moment whilst many regard it as the single most important activity of Oxonmoot. It is not to be missed.

10. Friends

I mentioned Fellowship above, but this has to be re-emphasised. I have been to many Oxonmoots since first joining the Society ten years ago, and I am proud to say that Oxonmoot attendees are a warm, fun, intelligent and welcoming bunch who will do their very best to make you feel at home. At the start of the (long) weekend we gather all the “First Timers” together and introduce them to one another as well as to some of our friendliest members of the Society; as Chair of the Society I will be there and will endeavour to personally speak to everyone. Oxonmoot has always been about “friends old and new” and I look forward to meeting all my new friends this year.

If all of this sounds right up your street, why don’t you book now for Oxonmoot 2017? Remember, prices go up from 1st August, so get in fast!

About the Author: Shaun Gunner
Shaun is the Chair of The Tolkien Society. First elected in 2013, Shaun has overseen the Society's expansion from 600 to 3,500 members. Shaun regularly speaks about adaptations of Tolkien's works and the future of Tolkien scholarship whilst passionately believing the Society needs to reach out to new audiences. In his spare time he can be found playing video games and Lego, or on Twitter. He chaired another charity, Mankind, and is a local councillor.