Leys Festival

THE LEYS FESTIVAL

July 11th 2026 Blackbird Leys Park

12PM-7PM

MUSIC, DANCE, ART, CRAFT, SPORT, FOOD, EXHIBITIONS

The Leys Festival is back! Get yourselves ready for an unforgettable day.

This annual event in Blackbird Leys Park – now in its third year – is organised by the residents of Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys and a small team from the Cultural Programme at the University of Oxford.

Our theme is One People, One Place, and EVERYONE is welcome.  All the food is £5 or under for a main meal, and all the activities are free.   

It is easy to GET INVOLVED (link) if you want to host a stall, volunteer, or run an activity on the day.  Come along to one of our meetings – it’s never too late to drop in and have your say, or fill in a very short form (link) so we have your details, and we will be in touch.

Highlights to look forward to:

Music, Dance & Spoken Word: Local experienced and first-time performers from Reggae to Hip Hop to Spoken Word, Folk Song and Afro-Beat, including Lionhaire

A Dance Battle Showcase: Come and witness an exciting dance battle performance is between modern street dances (hip hop, popping, breaking, etc) vs swing dances (lindy hop, charleston, vernacular jazz dances, etc) featuring The Oxford Pulse: Street and Swing dancers.

Affordable Food From Around The World: Delicious food from all the cultures represented in the Leys, all £5 and under. A chance to hear the story of each recipe.

The Leys Junior Bake-Off is back! Open to anyone under 18 living in Blackbird Leys or Greater Leys – sign up at the QR code on this page.

Arts and Crafts: Make a carnival mask, make a memory and hang it in the trees, or make yourself a Festival Blackbird

Family Fun: Bouncy Castles, Spacehoppers, a Cardboard City, Science Experiments, Astronomy and Traditional Games including a Tug-of-War and a dance class open for everyone to join with elements from street and swing dances

Sports: Sign up for the Blackbirds Football Cup, for football coaching from the Blackbirds and Oxford City FC 9for boys and girls), rugby coaching from Littlemore Rugby Club, or try basketball with The Hoops, or cricket with the Leys Cricket Club

One People One Place: Learn about the history of the estates, including the Windrush story, and become part of a living archive of our hopes and dreams

Exhibition Tent: Relax with a cup of tea, see and hear stories that define The Leys, and learn about BBL icons

And for the first time this year….

A Silent Stage: pop on a set of headsets and enjoy a chill-out music channel or the recorded voices of the people who make the Leys a special place.

Co-produced by the Leys Community and the Cultural Programme at the Schwarzman Centre, University of Oxford.