FESTIVAL INFORMATION
We are really looking forward to inviting you on site at Waterperry for the 2024 Oxford Storytelling Festival. Please find all the technical details below.
General Info:
Arrival and departure:
Waterperry will be open at 3pm on Friday with access to our intimate festival site from 5pm. The site will remain open until midday on Monday. Programmed festival entertainment will conclude on Sunday night, but if you have a weekend ticket, you are welcome to stay until midday Monday.
There will be no access to the festival area between midnight and 8am, so please remain in your chosen accommodation between these hours..
Parking:
Please only park in the designated area, which you will be directed to by our team of friendly stewards upon arrival and will be clearly signposted during the festival. We would like to ask everyone to please keep the camping field a ‘car-free’ zone, to create a child-friendly environment for everyone to enjoy.
Accessible parking can be found near the Box Office.
Parking tickets can be purchased here.
Wristbands:
You will receive a wristband upon arrival from the box office. Please wear your wristband at all times. All children under 12 require their responsible adult’s phone number to be written on their wristbands.
Aside from allowing you into the festival site, your wristband will give you access to Waterperry Gardens between 10:00 and 17:30 each day - we absolutely recommend giving them a visit!
Recycling:
Green bins should be used for food scraps. Black bins should be used for all other refuse. Our waste management partner, Bucks Recycling Ltd, will recycle as much waste as possible.
We are pleased to share that we are also a glass-free festival! Please endeavour to help us and do not bring any glass bottles/ containers into the festival site.
Food:
We will be selling delicious, high quality home-cooked meals in Waterperry House every day. You can also find sandwiches and hot food at the Waterperry Gardens Cafe, where you will receive a 10% discount associated with your festival wristband.
Please feel free to get in touch with us if you have any dietary concerns and we will be happy to accommodate!
Drinks:
Our Lindworm bar will serve a selection of local beers, wine and Pimms to over 18’s only, between 11:00am and 23:00pm. We will be operating in accordance with the ‘Challenge 25’ policy - anyone we believe to be under the age of 25 will be asked to show proof of age. Soft drinks will also be on sale at the bar.
We ask you not to bring any externally purchased alcohol into the festival site. Thank you.
Toilets:
Toilets may be found in and around Waterperry House and Grounds, specifically through the entrance hall and to the left, and in the main carpark for Waterperry Gardens. There is an accessible toilet here also.
In our camping field, there will be compost loos.
Please take care to leave the toilets how you would like to find them.
Lost Property:
Please hand in any found items to the Festival Office (first door on the left as you enter the house).
First Aid:
If you need First Aid, please alert a steward or come to the Festival Office (first door on the left as you enter the house). In an emergency, please call 999.
Discount:
The 10% discount extends to the Waterperry Gardens Cafe, Garden Centre and Gift Shop - just show your wristband.
Already discounted items are excluded.
IMportant to note:
All children must be supervised by an adult at all times.
No dogs on site, except guide dogs.
No glass on Festival site or camp site.
No alcohol to be brought onto site.
Don’t forget your festival clothes, the more imaginative the better!!!
Accommodation:
Camping
Our camping field is beautiful and flat. (We hope you enjoy the flatness!)
Please do NOT camp amongst the Apple Trees. We must maintain emergency access through the campsite, so please do not camp in the ‘lanes’.
Having had very hot summers in recent years, it is really important that there are NO FIRES/BBQ’s anywhere on the estate. Camping stoves are allowed in the marked are in the camping field.
Camping field facilities:
two water sources
toilets
simple showers
a sink
a fire extinguisher.
If you have purchased a camping ticket, please remain in the camping field between midnight and 8:00am, except in the case of an emergency, as there will be no access to the festival site during this time.
Leave valuables in your tent at your own risk. Please only bring valuables if you are willing to carry them around. Oxford Storytelling Festival cannot take responsibility for anything lost or stolen.
House Accommodation
There are a limited number of rooms in the house available to stay in over the weekend. These rooms can be purchased along with your ticket.
Enjoy your stay and we hope you can come home to the magic of storytelling!
Getting to Waterperry:
Waterperry House, Waterperry
Oxford, OX33 1JZ
FINDING SUCH SPECIAL PLACES CAN BE A CHALLENGE, BUT ITS WORTH IT WHEN YOU GET THERE!
By Car
Waterperry is located 7.5 miles from Oxford city centre; 50 miles from London and 62 miles from Birmingham. From the east take M40 junction 8 and from the north, junction 8a. We are 2.5 miles from the A40: turn off at Wheatley and follow the brown signposts with the Tourist Board ‘rose’ symbol. If using Satnav to find us, we recommend entering postcode OX33 1LA which will bring you to Waterperry Village. Drive to the end of the village, through the entrance to Waterperry and the Festival.
From Oxford: Follow directions for A40 East – London. On the A40 take the third exit, 2 miles after passing the Thornhill Park and Ride, signposted for Wheatley and Waterperry Gardens and follow the brown signs.
From Birmingham: M40 South – Follow the M40 Brown Signs, exit Junction 8a for Oxford Services follow directions towards the services then at the second roundabout take the exit signposted Oxford A40, after 0.5 miles turn right again towards Wheatley and Waterperry, follow the brown signs. Do not join A40.
From London: M40 North – Follow the M40 Brown Signs, exit Junction 8 for A40 Oxford then take first exit approx 1/2 mile Wheatley and Waterperry, turn immediately left on leaving A40 , follow the brown signs to Waterperry.
By Public Transport
From Oxford City Centre take the Arriva Bus 280 (Timetable Here) to the 'Waterstock Turn' from which there is a 20 minute walk through the country.
From London: Oxford Tube Coach or X90 runs from London to Thornhill Park and Ride, where you can order a taxi or take the 280 (Timetable Here)
Taxi
001 Taxis 01865240000 have 8 seater mini busses so if you would like to lift share at a particular time, leave a message on Facebook. Sharing an 8 seater taxi brings the cost down to £2.50 each (from Thornhill Park and Ride).
Any questions? Feel free to get in touch!