There is no record of Shakespeare’s actual birth, but his baptism is recorded. Based on the date of his baptism and traditions at the time, scholars decided that his birthday was April 23. Interestingly, he died on April 23 fifty-two years later.
Shakespeare’s birthday has long been a time of celebration for Shakespeare Clubs and organizations. We know celebrations in Shakespeare’s hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon date back to 1769. Places like Stratford and the Folgers Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C. mark Shakespeare’s birthday annually. If you live near a Shakespeare theater company, check their website for birthday events. My children thoroughly enjoyed the Shakespeare birthday festivities at the Folger even when they were very young. These events tend to be very family friendly.
If you do not have a Shakespeare birthday celebration locally, you can still celebrate at home. There are many resources available to help with an at home celebration. The initial COVID lockdown occurred just before Shakespeare’s birthday in 2020 and many Shakespeare organizations put out resources for celebrating at home which are still available online. Here are some of those resources.
The Royal Shakespeare Company put up activites for The Winter’s Tale. This pack included the idea to create a bear for the stage direction in The Winter’s Tale: “Exit, pursued by a bear.” My kids still talk about the bear they created in 2020 from things we had around the house.
The Folger Shakespeare Theatre provided a fantastic video resource that we have continued to use throughout the years on Elizabethan stage combat. This is such a fun activity for anyone and the presenters enjoy themselves thoroughly in the video.
The Folger also has a page dedicated to suggestions for celebrating Shakespeare’s Birthday. You can find that page here.
Because people would be unable to travel to Stratford for Shakespeare’s birthday in 2020, the Shakespeare Birthplace provided a history of Shakespeare birthday celebrations. You can find that page here. With a quick YouTube search, you can watch Shakespeare birthday celebrations throughout the years. Here are some highlights.
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