LIVEFRIDAY: EGYPTOMANIA

Friday 31 October 2014, 7–10.30pm

When the doors to Tutankhamun’s tomb were opened in 1922, Egypt fever swept the world. On 31 October 2014, LiveFriday brought Egyptomania to the Ashmolean Museum, as 1920s glamour meets Egyptology.

We invited you all to don a fez, put on your flapper dress, or make an Egyptian outfit for the best Halloween fancy-dress party in town! The evening was an opportunity to explore the extraordinary fascination with Egyptology during the 1920s.

Music and Performance

Free live performances, including: opera from the Elia Ensemble; comedy from the Oxford Imps; theatre; live jazz and ragtime; belly dancing and lots more.

Fancy Dress Competition

Halloween, Egyptomania or Jazz-Age 1920s – the choice is yours! We also had a photo booth, and a 1920s catwalk display from the Oxford Fashion Society.

Halloween Fun

Spooky Victorian Lantern Slide show, and we discovered the exploration of mummies in the horror stories of Arthur Conan Doyle and Bram Stoker.

Workshops

Hands-on workshopsgave you the chance to create your own 1920s accessories and learn to write hieroglyphs.

Talks and Tours

Leading academics talked in the galleries about Tut-mania in the 1920s, the process of mummification, and the Ashmolean’s collections from Egypt and Nubia.

Exhibition

Late night opening of the Discovering Tutankhamun exhibition