From Saturday 12 April to Sunday 27 April, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust invites visitors to the historic Shakespeare family homes in Stratford-upon-Avon to enjoy a special series of events and activities.
This year will see Shakespeare’s fascinating female characters come to life through a series of hands-on activities and events taking place across the Shakespeare family homes in Stratford-upon-Avon.
From enjoying live performances in Shakespeare’s childhood home, to artistic workshops at Shakespeare’s New Place and hands-on Nurture in Nature sessions at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, there is plenty going on to keep everyone entertained.
Experience the Sights and Smells of the Tudor Period
Experience the sights and smells that would have been familiar to young William and his family at Shakespeare’s Birthplace. New for 2025 a specially created soundscape has been added to The Hall, transporting visitors back in time as the Shakespeare family prepare for a dinner party. Hear voices in the distance from Henley Street, and even hear Mary, Shakespeare’s mother, whistling as she prepares the room for guests.
Visitors will also experience the scents of the Tudor period, as they smell food, such as baked bread, being cooked by the Shakespeare’s in The Hall.
Daily during the easter holiday there will be live performances in the garden of Shakespeare’s Birthplace. Visitors can expect vibrant performances from the talented team at Events from History as they perform Shakespeare’s most famous scenes, with a focus on the female characters.
Starting from 13 April 2025 and continuing every Sunday during the school holidays, visitors are invited to unleash their creativity as Shakespeare’s New Place welcomes a different female artist to the home of Shakespeare’s daughter, Susanna.
During each hands-on workshop, visitors will have the unique opportunity to meet the artist, discover more about the different techniques or processes used, and even get hands-on themselves. In the first session of 2025, guests can look forward to flower printing with artist Natalie Zervou-Kerruish.
Every Wednesday, young children and their families are invited to get stuck in and create something special together in the scenic garden at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, the childhood home of Anne Hathaway. This series of activities is the perfect opportunity for the whole family to enjoy a hands-on experience, using items found in nature to make something special in the beautiful cottage garden that they can take home.
For the first session on Wednesday 16 April, attendees can look forward to making seedbombs, and during the second session on Wednesday 23 April, they can get crafty willow weaving to celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday.
Walking in Shakespeare’s Footsteps
Adventure waits for young visitors as they explore the Shakespeare family homes with special backpacks and the new multi-site family trail, which are all available daily.
From Saturday 12 April, families can participate in the new multi-site family trail. With artwork and activities taking inspiration from Anjna Chouhan’s character depictions and Emily Sutton’s stunning illustrations for the Children’s Folio, the trail brings Shakespeare’s words to life in a playful and engaging way.
At each property visitors can pick up a free printed trail booklet with questions to answer as they explore the sites, including riddles and puzzles. There is also a trail of female characters hidden around the sites, offering visitors exciting opportunities to discover some of Shakespeare’s female characters.
For children wanting to get closer to nature, at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, they can pick up a Nature Explorer Backpack, equipped with essentials like butterfly nets, tweezers, bug jars and animal footprints. As they walk around the site, children can use the tools to explore the abundance of biodiversity thriving at the cottage that young Anne Hathaway once called home.
Whilst at Shakespeare’s New Place young children can get up close with the sculptures in the Great Garden using one of the magnifying glasses or draw what they think Shakespeare’s home could have looked like on a chalkboard and then see how high they can build a tower using the stacking blocks found in the backpack.
“As Shakespeare’s female characters step into the spotlight for the start of the second year of our Women Who Made Shakespeare project we are delighted to welcome visitors to the iconic Shakespeare family homes for this special season of events. We hope that through these activities those visiting, whether for the first, or fourth time will discover something fascinating about Shakespeare’s story in a fun, engaging, and hands-on way.”
Rachael North, interim CEO at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
Celebrating Shakespeare’s Birthday
Seen as the start of the Shakespeare Birthday celebrations, guests are invited to Stratford on Friday 25 April to take part in a special one-day public conference where an esteemed panel of academics and actors explore some of the most fascinating aspects of the female characters that have enchanted audiences for centuries.
The conference will conclude with ‘The Shakespeare Birthday Lecture given by Dame Harriet Walters.
On Saturday 26 April, Henley Street will come to life with celebrations for Shakespeare’s birthday. Visitors can expect a free silent disco outside the Birthplace, along with a creative writing workshop with Ania Bas and string printing with Charlie Tophill. Further details will be announced soon.
'A Day With...Much Ado About Nothing'
Finally, for those coming to Stratford-upon-Avon to watch Much Ado About Nothing, on Tuesday 15 April the SBT’s learning team are holding a study day at Hall’s Croft to explore the play in more detail.
Everyone is welcome: from Shakespeare enthusiasts to teachers and lifelong learners with a desire to enhance their knowledge and enjoy good company.
Experience Shakespeare’s Story at One Great Price
Visitors are encouraged to get the most out of their experience visiting Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and Shakespeare’s New Place with the Shakespeare Story ticket.
As the Shakespeare Story ticket is valid for 12 months, visitors have the flexibility to return and take part in the range of events and activities across all the family homes throughout the year at no extra cost.
For more information about the programme of events, please visit https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/visit/whats-on/easter-holidays-at-family-homes/.