Shopping, leisure and culture
Bicester is a great place to spend leisure time
Homes and jobs are important to Bicester’s growth but so are opportunities for people to relax when the working day is over and whether it is shopping, sports or socialising.
Shop until you drop
Bicester has a great range of independent shops and restaurants on historic Sheep Street and Market Square including a market every Friday.
Pioneer Square, which opened in July 2013 following a £70 million regeneration programme, includes the 56,000 sq ft Sainsbury’s store and a 526-space car park over two levels. Pioneer Square links into the newly refurbished Crown Walk mall.
Brand new Kingsmere Retail Park with branches of M&S Simply Food, Next and Nike will offer new opportunities for Bicester residents to shop locally. Built with extensive use of natural stone, structural glazing and high-quality materials makes it one of the of the most striking retail schemes built in the UK.
Bicester Avenue Garden Centre offers an extensive home, garden and leisure shopping centre just south of Bicester Town Centre.
Bicester Village was founded in 1995 and sprang out of a field in Oxfordshire, England, to become one of the world’s leading luxury shopping destinations. Over 160 fashion and lifestyle boutique stores including Oscar de la Renta, Paul Smith, Belstaff, Gina, Marni and Rupert Sanderson, offer discounts of up to 60%, Together with a selection of restaurants and cafés, the Village offers luxury services that include Valet Parking, Hands-free Shopping, the award-winning Bicester Visitor Centre, and onsite tax refund and money change services, attracting millions of shoppers to the town every year.
At your leisure
Visit Bicester Leisure Centre for a workout, swim or game of tenpin bowling, or enjoy the state of the art 3G pitch for football, rugby and other activities at the multi-million-pound purpose built sports village in Kingsmere. For those looking to take up a new activity there are numerous sports clubs in the area.
Bicester Leisure Centre
Situated on Queen’s Avenue, Bicester Leisure Centre offers a wide array of facilities. Whether a fitness fanatic or someone who enjoys spending their time in a relaxed environment within a leisure centre, Bicester Leisure Centre has something for everyone. The centre boasts:
- 96 station gym
- 25m (six-lane )swimming pool and a 15m learner and fun pool
- Four court sports hall and activity hall
- Studios: Spin, Fitness and Dance
- 3 squash courts
- All-weather pitch
- Cafe Vita
- Creche
- Six-lane ten pin bowling and amusement area
- Sauna, steam and spa
There is also a comprehensive programme of exercise classes ranging from aerobics and body pump to yoga and Zumba.
The centre is open seven days a week.; Choose to pay as you go or sign up for various membership types. For more information, call 01869 253914 or visit Bicester Leisure Centre.
Bicester Sports Village
Whitelands Farm Sports Ground is a multi-million pound sports village which was built in south west Bicester to increase sporting opportunities across the town in line with its proposed growth.
Health routes and Cycle routes
The Health Routes, funded by NHS England, are part of the Bicester Healthy New Town Programme. A key aim of the programme is to increase physical activity amongst residents.
View Bicester health and cycle routes
Historic Bicester, Arts and Culture
For those interested in local history, follow the historic town guide to find out more about Bicester’s history which goes back over a thousand years.
Over 100 historic listed buildings including the medieval church of St Edburg’s, the earliest remaining building in Bicester, can be found and walkers can stop and take refreshments along the way at local cafes and restaurants.
Investment into cultural provision in the town has brought a new, state of the art library and a multiplex cinema in Pioneer Square and sponsorship of the annual Bicester Festival, held in September. The Festival has venues across the town including the Best of Bicester stage presenting local talent in the Market Square, a food and craft market on Sheep Street offering a variety of things to buy and a festival parade.
Independent charity OYAP, a key partner of the Festival, provide a varied cultural offer for young people from their O2 Studio at St Edburg’s Old School.