What’s happening and when - Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations 2024

Elsewhere women take centre stage in the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust female-themed celebrations.

This year the traditions take on an extra special glint, with the Shakespeare Club of Stratford taking the spotlight as it marks 200 years of existence. To celebrate club members will march en masse at the front of the parade wearing specially-designed black and gold rosettes.

Here’s the line-up of events:

Friday, 19th April

Shakespeare By Women, Shakespeare Institute, 10am-4pm

One-day conference led by academics and open to all; includes The Shakespeare Birthday Lecture (4pm- 5pm), which can be booked separately at www.shakespeare.org.uk.

Saturday, 20th April

Birthday procession

9.45-10.15am: The band entertains the crowds at the top of Bridge Street, and returns to Sheep Street to lead the VIP procession.

10.10am-10.30am: The town’s primary school children gather in Waterside outside the Encore. Led by the Air Training Corps Band (ATC), they move off at 10.30am to assemble in upper Bridge Street for the arrival of the procession.

10.35am-10.45am: Diplomats and other principal guests process from the town hall to Bridge Street for the flag unfurling ceremony. Parade route: Sheep Street, Waterside and Bridge Street.

10.46am: ‘Mr Shakespeare’ reaches Bridge Street from the Birthplace, having collected the quill. Amelia Underwood-King will serenade him with Happy Birthday.

11am: The Union Flag is unfurled by the Lord Lieutenant. All flags will then be unfurled simultaneously thereafter. Included this year is a new community flag made by the RSC and participants at seven warm hubs in the area. Led by artist Michelle Flint, it features embroidery and collage inspired by Shakespeare and Stratford. The national anthem follows.

11.04am-11.50am: In recognition of its 200th anniversary, the Shakespeare Club of Stratford, will lead the parade behind the band of the Air Training Corps. Students from KES and Stratford primary schools will follow.

The WMFS Band will accompany the civic procession and other guests from Bridge Street and adjoining streets. Spectators are invited to join the end of the procession as it makes its way to Holy Trinity to lay flowers on Shakespeare’s grave.

Birthday Luncheon, from noon

Organised by Stratford-based jewellers Pragnell, the three-course luncheon takes place in a marquee in the Theatre Gardens and is a ticketed event.

For the first time, Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey, the newly appointed artistic directors of the RSC, will be overseeing a combination of musical and theatrical performances taking place throughout the lunch.

This year’s winner of the Pragnell Shakespeare Birthday Award is Dame Vanessa Redgrave. The award celebrates individuals who have significantly furthered society’s understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of the great Bard’s work.

Sunday, 21st April

10.30am: Mr Shakespeare is back with his quill, which he hands to the KES School captain outside the town hall where a civic reception is under way. The ATC Band leads all gathered to Holy Trinity for the Shakespeare Service at 11.15am. The quill is received and placed in the hand of Shakespeare above his grave, includes the preaching of the Shakespeare Sermon by Alison Shell, professor of English at University College, London. Members of the current RSC ensemble will also perform verse and music.

Shakespeare Marathon, from 9am

The Shakespeare Marathon and Half Marathon will see hundreds of runners follow a course around the sights of Stratford and some of its surrounding villages before finishing the race on the Rec.

Organised by RunThrough Events, the main beneficiary is Shakespeare Hospice, although individuals support their own chosen charities too.

Other entertainment

Wreath Exchange, Birthplace, Saturday, 9.30am to 10.30am

Since 1864, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and the Frankfurter Goethe-Haus, the birthplace of German writer Johann Wolfgang Goethe, who had strong ties to and was heavily influenced by Shakespeare, have celebrated the anniversaries of the birth of each other’s respective authors by exchanging wreaths.

Mothers Who Make Coventry, Saturday, 12pm- 4pm, Henley Street in front of Birthplace

Interactive workshops with Warwickshire-based artists exploring the women in Shakespeare’s life.

Pop-Up Shop and Exhibition, Harvard House, Saturday and Sunday, 10.30am-3.30pm

Run in collaboration with Historiart, Shakespeare-inspired fine art prints will be available to buy.

Parade – The Giant Wheel, Saturday, Swan Gardens, 1.30pm- 2pm and 4pm-4.50pm

Autin Dance Theatre has devised a performance inspired by the beauty, power and impact of people from different walks of life coming together. It features a 12-foot tall wheel powered by six street artists, accompanied by music and a large community cast from groups including Fred Winter Centre and Warwickshire Pride.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Storytelling Workshop, Saturday, Clore Learning Centre, Waterside, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm. Free, ticketed 45m workshops suitable for ages 8+. Book at rsc.org.uk/shakespeares-birthday.

Shakespeare Workshops, Saturday, PACCAR Room, Second Floor, Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Hour-long free workshops: 12pm Setting Scenes; 2pm Creating Characters; 3pm Power of Words. Book as above.

Drop-in Activities, Saturday, Reading Room, off the Swan Theatre Bar, 12pm to 4pm. Activities to promote kindness and acceptance, suitable for all ages.

The Play’s The Thing, Saturday and Sunday, First Floor, Swan Theatre, free. The RSC’s permanent exhibition of props and costumes. Free, no booking required.

Love’s Labour’s Lost, Saturday, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, 1.15pm and 7.15pm.

The Buddha of Suburbia, Saturday, Swan Theatre, 7.30pm.