This page will be frequently updated with your most burning questions, so that we can share the knowledge.
- What is special about Oxonmoot 2023?
It is our Fiftieth Oxonmoot! The first Oxonmoot was held in 1974, and it never stopped, even during the pandemic when we went online. We’re ready to celebrate with a big party, a BBQ, special Masquerade and Ents arrangements, and much more!
Getting there
- How do I get there if I am coming in person?
The address of the venue is St Anne’s College, 56 Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6HS, United Kingdom.
By train: Trains to Oxford Station are run by Great Western Railway (GWR). From the station you can either take a taxi or there are local buses serving the station that will take you to Woodstock Road, see below “By bus” for details. The college is about a 20 minute walk from the station. A train strike has been announced for both Friday 1 September and Saturday 2 September 2023, both of these may affect services on Sunday 3 September 2023 (the last day of Oxonmoot). For more information and updates please see this website where you can also check whether your train is running using the Journey Planner.
By bus: From the station you can take a direct bus (300) to the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter stop on Woodstock Road, though this involves walking from the train station to the George Street stop in the city centre, or a direct bus (n. 14) to the Bevington Road stop which is a few minutes from the college’s main entrance but on a parallel road. See below if you are coming by car.
By car: There is extremely limited parking at the College, and it is reserved for Blue Badge holders, and those who need to load/unload as part of the event. If you have heavy luggage you may be able to ask the college security staff to let you drop it off but be sure to ask nicely in advance by calling the college. If you want to drive, the best thing is to park in one of the Oxford Park and Rides and take the bus from there. The most direct bus route is from Pear Tree Park and Ride, north of the city, as the 300 bus takes you virtually to the college door (Radcliffe Observatory Quarter stop on Woodstock Road) and the ride is quite short, no more than 20 minutes without too much traffic. Note that there will be road works on the western side of the Oxford ring road (A34) and along the road from the A34 to Oxford (Botley Road, which will have closures) so best to come around the east side (A40). There is more detailed information on this website: https://one.network/uk/oxfordshire
By coach: There are coach services from various cities in the UK and also from Heathrow if you are coming from abroad. National Express and Megabus serve Oxford from Heathrow, Luton and Stanstead as well as other cities in the UK. There are also other companies.
- How do I participate in the online Oxonmoot?
Online Oxonmoot will take place on Zoom so if you haven’t already downloaded it please do that before the day to avoid delays! You can find it here. Links to the Zoom “strands” will be sent out to you the day before the meeting. There will be three main Zoom “strands” or areas, two for the main talks and events (the “Webinar strands”) and one for the programme of activities taking place in the other meeting rooms (the “Meeting strand”).
Information about on-site accommodation
- What time is check-in?
Check-in will be from 14:00 on the day you arrive. When you get there, please go to the Porters Lodge (marked “Lodge” on the campus map available at the link below) to check in.
- What about food and drink?
See here for information about meals at St Anne’s and other available venues for drinking and eating.
- What is the college campus layout?
There is a map of the campus with Oxonmoot locations available here. Accommodation is in the student halls within the campus, which you can see marked on the map. You can also see what the rooms and other parts of the college look like by checking this page on the college website.
- Can I get laundry done on campus?
Yes. The college do have facilities on site and guests will need to purchase a card from the laundry room to use them. The cards cost £2 and must be paid in cash (coins), once purchased it can be topped up online – instructions on how to do this are in the laundry room. For help with directions to the laundry room guests should speak to a Lodge Porters, but in any case the facilities are in building 58 (near the Porters Lodge and Gate).
- Is there any other accommodation available in Oxford?
Yes. Other colleges also offer accommodation in student quarters, and you can look on various websites where the Oxford colleges advertise their availability, including the colleges’ own websites. There are several B&Bs and small hotels on Banbury Road and Woodstock Road, especially if you go further north from St Anne’s. There are good bus services on both these roads so you can get to the college quickly and easily. Bookings.com is a good place to start but you can also look at the “official” tourism website https://www.experienceoxfordshire.org/.
- Is there parking at the venue in Oxford?
No. There is extremely limited parking at the College, and it is reserved for Blue Badge holders, and those who need to load/unload as part of the event. If you have heavy luggage you may be able to ask the college security staff to let you drop it off but be sure to ask nicely in advance by calling the college.
What happens at Oxonmoot
- When will the programme/list of talks/guests be released?
The programme is now available on Sched (see below). Please keep in mind that the programme can change at any point between then and the event.
- How do I see the programme while at Oxonmoot?
We will be using an app called “Sched”. It will be kept up to date so that any changes in the programme can be reflected immediately, so make sure you have access to it! An email has gone out with the information to access the programme, if you have not received it please contact us at chair@oxonmoot.org. Please make sure you register here once you have received the email, and if you want to you can also download it onto your mobile. You can find out more in the Attendee Guides at the bottom of the registration page.
- What is the difference between online and in person Oxonmoot?
Apart from the activities that require physical presence, like walking or running in Oxford, or eating food, very little! The Friday night party will have online attendance, as will all the talks and seminars and activities. The quizzes too, and the Masquerade. In short, you will be able to enjoy Oxonmoot online just as much as those who are coming in person!
- What is the Masquerade?
The Masquerade is a judged costuming competition where contestants present their costumes on stage to the entire audience. It is judged by a panel that includes costuming experts, artists and others of note. The Masquerade will be held on Saturday night.
- Can I wear a costume not just for the Masquerade?
Absolutely! You will occasionally find members in costumes or part of a costume. While the majority of attendees don’t wear a costume, you won’t be out of place if you do.
- What are Ents?
Shepherds of the Trees and also ‘entertainments’ – a series of short, cabaret-style performances by attendees for attendees, a bit like an open mic night.
- I wish to take part in Oxonmoot as a presenter/guest/entertainer/dealer/artist/volunteer.
For more information, see the Information for Participants page.
- I wish to present a paper at Oxonmoot 2023.
The Call for Papers for Oxonmoot 2023 is now closed, thank you to all those who have submitted entries! We now have a full programme.
Other burning questions
- What are the winning designs for the logo and the t-shirt?
Logo: Siobhan Sharkey
T-shirt: Stephanie Estrada
Click here to see the winning entries in all their glory.
- When will I get my t-shirt(s)?
As of 19 August 2023, all orders placed before 19 August have been processed and ordered from our printers, and most have been delivered, except those ordered in August, those are being made.
Any t-shirts bought before 19 August should be with you before the event, the latest estimated delivery date was 30 August, however this is only an estimate. Anything ordered on or after 19 August will be sent depending on our workload and won’t arrive until after the event.
Registration
- Will Oxonmoot 2023 be offering day registration?
Unlikely at this stage. We expect high numbers for our special event, which should fill out both the in person and the online places.
- Will Oxonmoot 2023 registration increase in price?
Yes but only since February. We offered Early Bird bookings until midnight UK time on 28 February 2023. After that the price has remained the same.
- Why is there a waiting list for Oxford attendance?
The waiting list was implemented when we reached maximum capacity for our venue. The maximum number we can have present in Oxford is dictated by a number of factors such as fire limit regulations, adequate staffing by the venue, and others.
- How do I get on the waiting list for Oxford attendance?
There are two ways to be put on the waiting list:
- Register using the Online form, and pick the waiting list option in the beginning. This gives you the opportunity to attend Online if your request isn’t successful. However, at the time of writing (end June 2023), there are 70+ people on the waiting list, and it is unlikely that a place would become available.
- Email our Bookings Officer, Sydney Henry, with your details, if you’re certain that you won’t be attending online, only in-person.
- Is my booking refundable?
Partially, and up to a point. We may refund your registration if you release an in-person place with you cancellation. We don’t normally refund online registration but you can usually get other costs, such as room bookings, refunded if you contact us before 15 August 2023. After that, the refund of venue-related costs will be up t the College and may take some time to process. For full details, see our Policy or contact the Bookings Officer.
- Can I get help with the registration costs?
We are conscious that some of our delegates will be suffering from financial difficulties as a result of multiple global factors, while others live in countries with lower average income than others. With this in mind, we are pleased to say that we will be offering a limited number of reduced cost online memberships of Oxonmoot. If you would like to apply for one of these, please email the Co-Chairs of Oxonmoot at chair@oxonmoot.org before you book.
Postgraduate Students intending to submit a paper for presentation at Oxonmoot are eligible to apply for a Tolkien Society Bursary to cover the cost of their registration fee and, for in person delegates, up to £500 towards travel and accommodation costs.