Image courtesy of Oxjam Facebook Profile
Oxjam is Oxfam's annual month-long music festival, with hundreds of events throughout October all around the country. Any kind of music goes - rock, classical, jazz, dance, reggae, electronic, whatever - and every year thousands of people get involved as organisers, performers, volunteers and of course audience members.
Money raised through ticket sales goes to
Oxfam projects in developing countries, providing emergency relief supplies, supporting development work and helping to fund campaigns to bring about change. Since 2006, when the festival launched, Oxjam has raised more than £1.5 million.
In 2009, organisers introduced the 'Oxjam Takeover' part of the festival - basically events where one wristband gets you into multiple venues, similar to urban festivals like the Camden Crawl.
This year there are 33 Takeovers happening all around the UK. In London, the
Brick Lane,
Stoke Newington,
Camberwell,
Islington and
Chiswick Takeovers are all on Saturday 22 October,
Brixton is Sunday 23 October and
Shepherd's Bush is Saturday 29 October.
Image courtesy of Oxjam Facebook Profile
Each Takeover includes an eclectic mix of acts, many drawn from the local area, spread across several different venues. So there's a fair chance you'll find at least one act you really love, discover a cool new local hangout, and possibly even start a relationship with a whole new genre of music.
Tickets are inexpensive, ranging from around £4 up to £10 (you get the cheapest deals by booking in advance online) - extremely reasonable considering what's on offer, and all the easier to hand over in the knowledge that it will help Oxfam continue its work around the world.
