BOPs
A few times a term, themed parties will be organised, usually held in the Kendrew Events Room. These fun evenings allow you to dance the evening away with your friends in college (plus a few guests you can invite), fuelled by “Bop juice” (a mysterious, cheap, and strong alcoholic concoction).
Please note: for the academic year 2021-2022, BOPs may be run differently to in the past. Details will be made available when applicable.
Be careful at your first bop - have fun but take it slow and know your limit! - Sofia
Clubbing
The oxford clubbing scene has a shrinking but acceptable number offerings, each providing something different:
- ATIK (which is also known as Parkend) is the largest club, with 4 dancefloors playing different types of tunes. It is particularly popular with Oxford students on Wednesdays.
- Bridge is the club of choice on a Thursday, with 2 dancefloors, including the legendary cheese floor which blasts all your favourite throwbacks.
- Plush is an LGBTQ+ bar and club, open Thursday to Saturday, providing a fun venue for people of all identities and orientations who want to party
Oxford is generally a very safe place; however, you can never be too cautious. For example, you should never leave your drink unattended. Also it is always safer to travel in a group, but if this isn’t possible you can call Nightline (Oxford’s independent listening and support service) or the porters to stay on the phone while you walk.
Porters: 01865 277 300
Nightline: 01865 270 270
Pre-ing / Prinks
An important part of going out is preing as students generally can’t afford to buy the expensive drinks at the club. This may involve playing drinking games or just chatting. It’s important to not force others to drink in this kind of environment. We recommend always pouring your own drink when playing a game so you can make it as strong or weak as you like, and if you want to slow down on drinking just pour yourself a mixer so you can keep playing.
~ The cardboard box game ~
Required: a flat piece of cardboard (usually found in the form of a pizza or cereal box), a sharpie, and a coin. The name of each player is written in a circle on the cardboard. Players take turns to flip a coin onto the cardboard. If it lands on a blank space they can create a new rule which is written in a circle in that space. The rule is played when the coin lands next in that circle. Continue until there is no space left! - Ellie, Biomed
The College Bar
With a much more relaxed vibe than other colleges, the college bar has a host of unique cocktails invented by our barman Yannick, at a very cheap price of £2.40 a pint, £3.70 for a weaker cocktail or £5 for a stronger one. They also sell spirit mixers for the less adventurous and soft drinks for the non-drinkers, as well as 50p Capri Suns!
Pubs
You are unlikely to encounter many cities with a greater density of pubs. It’s not up to us to
tell you which are the best, (it’s all a matter of opinion, after all), but here are just a
few within a couple of minutes’ walk of
College there are, among others:
- The King’s Arms (adjacent to Wadham College, on Holywell Street – a students’ favourite)
- Turf Tavern (antiquated but popular, with extensive outdoor seating for the summer months)
- The Bear Inn (on Alfred Street – founded in 1242…)
- Swan and Castle and The Four Candles are the two Wetherspoons in central Oxford
It is worth noting that pints in Oxford can, in some instances, be upwards of £5. You might be better off sticking to the college bar!