Museums and Bodleian to open late on Christmas Light Night

The Ashmolean Museum, Museum of the History of Science, Pitt Rivers Museum and Bodleian Library will all open late tomorrow (Friday 22 November) as Oxford is lit up for Christmas. This year's Christmas Light Night has been expanded to a full weekend of culture, dance, music and other special events. The museums' activities will complement Oxford traditions such as the St Giles' Christmas market and Victorian fairground. Known as the Christmas Light Festival and incorporating the popular Light Night, highlights of the weekend include the Ashmolean hosting one of its regular Live Friday events from 7pm to 10.30pm - this time inspired by Oxford's rich folk heritage. The evening will feature live folk music, both traditional and contemporary, as well as theatrical performances, participatory ceilidhs, talks and workshops - all against a backdrop of the museum's collections. The Ashmolean is also one of the organisations that has been working with children from local schools and community groups to create lanterns for this year's lantern parade, which is on the theme of Morris's Marvellous Machines and CS Lewis's Characterful Creations. And on Sunday at 11am, the Ashmolean will host Vox Steady, a pop-up choir event, as part of a Day of Song that culminates in a concert on the St Giles' main stage at 3.30pm.