From IRL Oxford, the events company behind 130+ Oxford events
Bringing Oxford
to East Oxford,
All Year Round
IRL Oxford runs a year-round series of food, music, dance, market and community events across the city. This page is an invitation to East Oxford businesses: partner with us, and we'll turn that crowd into your customers.
As an events company, we're creating more reasons for people from across Oxford to visit Cowley Road, St Clement's, Iffley Road and the surrounding area. Over the past year we've built a community of 7,000+ members and delivered more than 130 events, from weekly socials to major outdoor celebrations. We want your business at the centre of what comes next.
Why this matters
Why this matters
We've listened to local businesses. Whatever your view on changes to transport and access in East Oxford, one thing is clear: local businesses need people through the door. Our contribution is simple: we bring people together, and we bring the people of Oxford to East Oxford. Right to your doorstep.
IRL Oxford cannot control transport policy. What we can do is give people compelling reasons to visit, stay longer, discover new places and come back. And put your business in front of them while they're here.
How it works
From our community to your counter
We bring the audience
A real, active community built through a year of weekly events: socials, singles, students, queer events and large outdoor celebrations.
We run destination events
We bring events to East Oxford that are worth travelling for: food, music, dance, markets and citywide celebrations.
More people arrive in East Oxford
Attendees travel to Cowley Road, St Clement's, Iffley Road and Manzil Way Gardens for the day.
They discover local businesses
Attendees pass cafés, pubs, shops, restaurants and venues on the way in, during the day and on the way home.
Footfall you can partner for
Partner with us and event-day traffic becomes yours: walk-ins during the event, attendee offers redeemed at your counter, a feature in the event guide, mailing-list sign-ups, repeat visits and word of mouth.
Every successful event creates opportunities beyond the event boundary. Attendees pass shop windows, meet in local cafés, continue into nearby pubs, eat in local restaurants and discover places they return to long after the event has ended.
Ways to get involved
There is more than one way to get involved
Every business is different. Some want a prominent pitch at an event. Others want to reach attendees with an offer, sponsor entertainment or simply help spread the word. Tell us what might work for you and we will start a conversation.
Trade at an event
- Take a stall or pitch at any event in the series
- Sell food, drink, products or services on the day
- Meet thousands of attendees face to face
- East Oxford businesses get priority pitches
Sponsor an event or the series
- Headline or standard sponsorship of a single event, or back the whole year-round series
- Get your brand in front of thousands, on stage, on signage and across citywide promotion
- Support in kind, from kit and AV to prizes, in exchange for sponsor billing
- Reach our 7,000+ community through our channels
Marketing and promotion
- Feature in the Event Guide attendees follow on the day
- Run an attendee-only offer that brings walk-ins
- Social media features to our 7,000+ community
- Inclusion in event promotion and mailings
Collaborate & partner
- Host an IRL event in your venue and let us fill it
- We bring the crowd, the programming and the promotion
- Co-create an event or activity built around your space
- Turn your quiet nights into our busiest ones
More people on the street means more opportunities behind every shopfront.
Get in touch and let's chatCase study
What this looks like in practice
4th of July Party
One venue, one day, a full house
For the 4th of July, IRL took over a partner venue and brought the crowd. Live music played inside, DJs ran the outdoor space, and the whole site turned into one full-venue party from afternoon into the night.
That is the model: we bring the audience and run the day, and the venue does the numbers.
"IRL filled the place from open to close. Live music inside, DJs out back, and one of our best days at the bar all summer. We just kept serving."
Peter, venue partner
Track record
We already know how to bring people together
IRL Oxford is not starting from scratch. We have spent the past year building audiences, running events and helping venues turn community events into real activity and revenue.
Over the past 12 months, our events have generated more than £400,000 in revenue for our partner venues, suppliers, contractors and vendors through food, drink and ticket sales. When we bring the crowd, our partners take the money.
Three brands, one audience
Socials, queer events and citywide celebrations that bring the whole community together.
Singles and dating events that get people off the apps and into the room.
Student events across the academic year, from freshers to final term.
The series
Flagship events, and a full year behind them
This is a rolling series across the year. Pick an event that fits your business, or back the whole series. Whenever you're ready to get involved, there is always something coming up.
See a place for your business? Let's talk.
Start a conversationStart here
How would you like to be involved?
You do not need a finished proposal. Four quick steps, and we take it from there.