Recent Events

2025

  • Monday 1st January: New Year’s Day dancing.  As it was raining heavily we did just one stand under the cover of County Hall at 1.30.  Thanks to those hardy people that turned out to watch us!  Dried out with a few tunes in the Punch Bowl afterwards.
  • Saturday 12th April: Our Duncan Bhaskaran Brown made a successful attempt on a Guiness World Record for morris dancing, by stepping continuously for 11 hours and 2 minutes on the  Market Place, from 5am to a little after 4pm.  The well-organised event was supported by a team of helpers and adjudicators, and the full team did a couple of dances afterwards.  Duncan joined in one of them!
  • Sunday 13th April: Oxford Folk Festival: 1030 Broad Street with Downes On Tour; 1130 Bonn Square with Reading Cloggies; 1430 Oxford Castle with Owlswick; 1530 Bonn Square with Reading Cloggies.  Between 12 and 2pm our musicians and friends ran a tunes session in the Royal Blenheim.
  • Good Friday 18th April: LoveBeer Brewery, Milton.  Two dancing spots and free beer as usual.  Very enjoyable.
  • Easter Saturday 19th April: Abingdon Easter Eggstravaganza, 12pm and 2pm, Market Place. A well-attended event, great crowds
  • Wednesday 23rd April: St George’s Day Tour, Abingdon.  7.15 Broad Face, 7.45 Punch Bowl, with a small but enthusiastic crowd.  It turned out that this was not actually St George’s Day this year, due to the normal date being too close to Easter, but that didn’t stop it from being an enjoyable evening.
  • Saturday 10th May: Big Marcham Weekend, 2pm and 3pm dancing spots.  Then on to VE Day celebrations at Abingdon British Legion for 4pm dancing.
  • Monday 12th May: Town Mayor Making, St Helens Church, 6.45pm.  Danced for the new mayor before the ceremony.
  • Bank Holiday Monday 26th May:  Harwell Feast, 11am parade, then two dance spots.
  • Thursday 5th June:  The George, Sutton Courteney with Old Speckled Hen.  Lovely spot for dancing and a good joint music session afterwards.
  • Saturday 21st June: Mayor’s Day and election of the Mayor of Ock Street. Result Harry Knight 146 votes, Rob Charlton 115. Guests Bampton Traditional & Chiltern Hundreds NW. 11:00 Procession into town; 11:15 Black Swan; 11:45 Abbey Gateway; 12:15 The Broad Face; 12:50 Market Place; 13:30 Lunch break; 14:45 Long Alley Almshouses; 15:00 Brewery Cottages, Coopers Lane – free beer courtesy of Pam Aird and Alick; 15:45 Brewery Tap; 16:00 Close of Polling Station at Brewery Tap; 16:15 Election of Mayor of Ock Street, followed by chairing and dancing (Brewery Tap); 18:00 White Horse; 19:30 Brewery Tap (finish). A very hot day but very pleasant.
  • Wednesday 25th June: Coseners House lunch time, private booking for Abingdon Arts Club lunch.  Danced in sunshine on the lawn whilst the audience sensibly sat in the shade.  As usual we were treated to some food and drink.  A very pleasant, if very hot, occasion.
  • Saturday 28th June: Drayton St Leonard Church Fete.  More high temperarture, but as ever a pleasure to dance at a good old-fashioned village fete.
  • Saturday 12th July: Westminster Abbey School fete.  Temperatures even higher than at the last two shows.  An early start meant we could have the customary pint or two in the Sanctuary House bar before dancing outside the Abbey and attracting as many tourists as possible into the fete in Dean’s Yard.  Then two dancing spots with a free burger and drink in between.  Many of us patronised the Pimm’s stall (well you have to at such a classy place don’t you?) and some of us stayed to attend the Evensong service.
  • Thursday 31st July: Loose Canon Brewery, 7.30pm onwards.  Very wet outside following a thunderstorm.  Danced outside and inside then played a few tunes before the tap room shut at 9.30.
  • Saturday 2nd August: 11am met St Albans morris who were touring the area and did a joint stand on the Market Place.  Then on to Ed Fest at Edmonds Park, Didcot as guests of LoveBeer Brewery.  Did one dance spot at 1.30 but the noise from the music stage and fairground meant we did not give a second show.
  • Saturday 16th August: WADS Summer Fest, Wootton. Two shortish dance spots in front of the music stage.  Our music had to compete with both bands doing a sound check until asked not too.  Earlier some had gone to the British Legion VJ Day event at Abingdon Rugby Club, not to dance but mainly to publicise the morris team and to see if there were any potential recruits.
  • Sunday 31st August:  Wallingford Bunkfest: 1130-1200 High Street with Roots Morris; 1300-1330 Railway station with Aldbrickham; 1400-1430 Dolphin with Towersey Horseshoes; 1500-1530 Bullcroft Dance Stage with Thrales Rapper.
  • Friday 5th September: We danced at an early evening wedding party held at the Abbey Buildings.  The mummers also put on a show later on.
  • Saturday 13th September: Heritage Day, Abingdon.  Two dancing spots on the Market Place.

    [ last revised 29th September 2025 ]