It’s William Shakespeare’s birthday!

April marks the birth of The Bard, as his life is celebrated the world over – not least in his hometown of Stratford-upon-avon

460th

No one knows the exact date of Shakespeare’s birth, though 23 April is traditionally used (records do show that he was baptised on 26 April 1564). This year would have been his 460th birthday.

20 April

Stratford-upon-avon knows how to celebrate its own. On 20 April, the town’s residents will emerge for processions, services and even a ‘birthday lunch’ with performances by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) .

1613

Shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays that we know about. He only stopped writing after a rogue special effect burnt down The Globe theatre in 1613. He died three years later.

35,000 ft

For the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, Romeo and Juliet was performed for passengers on an easyjet flight to Verona.

35 years

If you can wait until June, this year is the 35th anniversary of Bard on the Beach, an always lively Shakespeare festival in Vancouver (Jun 11–21 Sep).

2025

The Museum of Shakespeare opens next year in London’s Shoreditch area, offering the chance to explore the archaeological remains of The Curtain Playhouse – an Elizabethan theatre often linked to The Bard.