Barceló Oxford Hotel

These Sunday concerts in Oxford began in 1986 and have established themselves as one of the UK's most successful chamber music series. Visitors can enjoy performances by excellent musicians and ensembles in the stunning setting of the Holywell Music Room.

Oxford Coffee Concerts Website

Northampton's adjacent Victorian Royal and 1983-built Derngate Theatres have operated under one umbrella since 1999, with success that has seen shows transfer to London's National Theatre. It's not just passive participation either, as 20,000 locals get actively involved each year.

There are eight home-grown shows in 2011. At the Royal, Daphne du Maurier's wartime drama The Year's Between (4-26 February) is followed by centenary-boy Terence Rattigan's In Praise of Love (1-23 April), before mayhem ensues in Hamlet The Musical (6-21 May).

JB Priestly's Edwardian-set Eden End (3-25 June) makes way for Shakespeare's Two Gentlemen of Verona (30 September-22 October) and LP Hartley's The Go Between (1-19 November). Seasonal offerings, Alice in Wonderland (starts 30 November) and Aladdin (Derngate from 9 December), both end on 8 January.

Queens Park Rangers play their home matches at Loftus Road Stadium. The Premier League runs between August and May and full fixture lists can be found on the club websites. Please note: games may be rearranged due to cup or television commitments.

Barclays Premier League Website

With the 400th anniversary of King James' Authorised Version of the Bible and the 50th anniversary of the Royal Shakespeare Company coinciding, David Edgar's new commission, Written on the Heart, receives its première in the Swan Theatre. Greg Doran directs.

Edgar returns to the RSC after famously adapting Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby and his original dramas Destiny, The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs, Maydays, Pentecost and The Prisoner's Dilemma. With a company led by Bruce Alexander, Stephen Boxer and Oliver Ford-Davies, Edgar tells the story of the reformation through the lives and deaths of the earliest translators of the Bible into the vernacular.

He particularly focuses on the dilemma of Lancelot Andrewes (Ford-Davies), King James’s leading translator, faced with a personal crisis of betrayal and compromise.

Written on the Heart (RSC) Website

Stories of the strange goings-on throughout the centuries at Hampton Court Palace will raise the hairs on the back of your neck. Discover the palace's spooky secrets on this 90-minute ghost tour, held on Fridays and Sundays until spring.

Henry VIII's third wife, Jane Seymour, who died at the palace following the birth of the King's only son, Prince Edward, has been spotted wandering through Clock Court. You'll also hear about the paranormal activity captured on the palace's security cameras, and the King's fifth wife, Catherine Howard, who is said to haunt one of the Tudor corridors. Rumour has it that she ran through these corridors to plead with her brutal husband for her life, before her execution...

A honey-coloured Palladian mansion, Basildon Park is a National Trust property, with lovely parkland overlooking the Thames Valley. The 18th-century house has some notable plasterwork and an elegant staircase, as well as the unusual Octagon Room.

Each spring sees venues across the city host a series of shows, workshops and talks as part of Dancin' Oxford. From ballet to bhangra, and everything in between, this festival caters for professional dancers and spectators alike.

Dancin' Oxford

The annual Six Nations championship matches are the biggest of the year at Twickenham, attracting guaranteed 82,000 sell-out crowds and resuming international rivalries that have continued for decades. England welcome Wales and Ireland for matches in 2012.

The Six Nations pits the top Northern Hemisphere teams against each other and is the world's oldest rugby tournament, having existed in various forms for more than 120 years. Initially the International Championship, featuring England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the competition has expanded twice, with France joining the fray in 1910 and Italy being the most recent addition, in 2000.

25 February: England v Wales 4pm
17 March: England v Ireland 3pm

Official RBS 6 Nations Website

Although not as high-profile as the FA Cup, in recent years the Carling Cup has enjoyed something of a renaissance, and the winners earn potentially lucrative UEFA Cup qualification. The final is played at Wembley Stadium.

Carling Cup Website

In the run up to International Women's Day, Oxford celebrates female achievements in the arts, sciences, workplace and home. The festival brings a range of events, including theatre, music, exhibitions, workshops and more, to venues across the city.

Oxford International Women's Festival