What the Festival offers
Each year, the Festival presents an exciting mix of talks and discussions, performances, exhibitions and hands-on activities accessible to a broad range of people.
Everyone who contributes to IF Oxford is either a professional, like a research scientist, an inventor or a creative person working on STEM or other knowledge-based topics, or is a volunteer with energy and great ideas to share.
We are planning a live, face-to-face Festival in October 2026 and will continue to offer some digital events too. IF Oxford includes any size of event, from a one-off discussion to a multi-week workshop series or a mass-participation drop-in hands-on zone. We host quizzes, film events, skills and craft workshops, simple talks and performance events.
A comprehensive marketing campaign covers digital, broadcast and print media, including thousands of newsstand-quality magazines featuring articles, games and events listings, and social media reach of 1m+ people.
The Festival is run by a small charity with no institutional parent, so needs to secure funds to secure the future of IF Oxford, so our city and region can get the science and ideas Festival is deserves. The participation fee to include your event in the Festival programme varies depending on the support you require and the type of event you wish to organise.
If you are unable to pay a participation fee, please contact the Festival team. We can help you with grant applications to fund your participation, or you could apply to our “hardship” fund to have your fee reduced or waived.
Read more information about fees.
