College Society Dinner 2026

The College Society Dinner is a wonderful opportunity for you to bring a guest to experience the tradition of an Oxford college dinner. 

Bookings are closed for this event.

When: Friday 11 September 2026, 6.15pm

Where: St John's College

The dress code is black tie.

Parking

We regret that we are not able to provide parking - please click here for information about parking in Oxford.

If you have any questions, please email alumni@sjc.ox.ac.uk. We hope to welcome you back to College with this special event.

Invitation to a private view: Centuries of Loyal Service

Alumni and their guests attending the College Society Dinner on Friday 11 September are warmly invited to a private viewing of a new exhibition exploring the working lives of St John’s servants and staff from 1555 to the present day.

Drawing on original documents and photographs from the College’s archives, libraries and picture collection, the exhibition celebrates some of the remarkable men and women whose skilled and loyal service has supported St John’s the past five centuries. From the cook who built his own kitchen in the early-seventeenth century to the in-house brewers who supplied the eighteenth-century Fellows and students with ale; from the bed-makers who represented the University in cricket and rowing Varsity fixtures against Cambridge after the Second World War to the family of West Country foresters who managed the College’s woodland for more than seventy years, Centuries of Loyal Service sheds light on the lives and achievements of people too often overlooked the history of the College.

The exhibition will be open exclusively to alumni and their guests between 5 – 6pm on Friday 11 September. Advance booking is not required, so please simply drop in before dinner. The College Archivist will be present to answer any questions about the exhibition.

Oxford Open Doors weekend

Centuries of Loyal Service has been curated as part of the College’s participation in Oxford Open Doors, an annual opportunity for members of the local community to explore parts of the University that are otherwise closed to the public.

St John’s will be open from 10am – 5pm on both Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September, with guided tours of its libraries and gardens, live music in the auditorium, refreshments in the Hall and a variety of activities for children. Full details of St John’s Open Doors 2026 programme are available on the College website: https://www.sjc.ox.ac.uk/discover/events/oxford-open-doors-2026/

Alumni and their guests are very welcome to take part in any part of St John’s Open Doors programme.