Zone ONE

Zone ONE opens at Oxford North on Thursday 29 October, a day-long interactive science, creative and technology zone run by IF Oxford, the charity behind the Oxfordshire Science Festival. It's part of the festival's flagship programme, so it's more of a hub than a single show — you can drift in and out across the afternoon rather than committing to one set time.

The activities on the go are a mix of science and tech: What on Earth?, AstroFun, Scrambled Verse, The Tamarind Galaxy, Drone Football, Fusion Fix It and Orbit. They're aimed at all ages, so it works as much for a family afternoon as it does for anyone who just likes to tinker. If you're there for the whole run, you'll see a fair bit of ground covered across the different stations.

There's a specific side to the site that's worth noting. Zone ONE sits in Oxford North overlooking Fallaize Park, and it's billed as one of the first places in the world where you can see a 'cosmos of ideas' while looking out over 'Your planetary assembly' — a landmark series of planetary sculptures by the Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, his first permanent public artwork in the UK. The zone also hosts Orbit, a guided promenade through the Solar System staged with Creation Theatre, which takes small groups of up to 15 people over half an hour.

Oxford North itself is the city's new innovation district, owned by Oxford North Ventures — a joint venture between Thomas White Oxford, St John's College, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan and Stanhope. Taylors café serves food and coffee throughout the day, so you can break for a brew between activities. Zone ONE is at 2 Fallaize Street, OX2 8GE. It opens at 14:00, with last entry at 18:00, running for five and a half hours in total. Entry is free, on a pay-what-you-decide basis with a free ticket option.