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Free Events
The Folger offers a wide range of free events for audiences of all ages, including our monthly book club discussions and our annual celebration of Shakespeare’s birthday.
Folger Salon with Gbenga Adesina, John Colley, and Tamara Walker
Folger Salon with Gbenga Adesina, John Colley, and Tamara Walker
Learn about research happening at the Folger in real time! Each month, Folger Institute scholar and artist fellows will share their most exciting finds and thought-provoking challenges, followed by casual open conversation.
Thu, Sep 18, 2025 at 4:30pm
Using 20-Minute Plays the Whole Year Long
Using 20-Minute Plays the Whole Year Long
Teachers, join Folger Education for a free, one-hour, virtual professional development session on launching students into complex texts using 20-Minute Plays.
Wed, Sep 24, 2025, 8pm ET
Out of the Vault: Into the Heart of the Folger
Out of the Vault
Encounter remarkable books and manuscripts that connect with the multifaceted work of the Folger in this ongoing exhibition.
Ongoing
Imagining Shakespeare: Mythmaking and Storytelling in the Regency Era
Imagining Shakespeare: Mythmaking and Storytelling in the Regency Era
Displayed together for the first time since 1805, 14 paintings from the influential Boydell Shakespeare Gallery in London will be on view at the Folger, offering visitors the chance to consider both the stories Shakespeare created and the stories that were created about him.
Sat, Oct 4, 2025 – Sun, Aug 2, 2026
Folger Book Club: 'A Haunting on the Hill' by Elizabeth Hand
Folger Book Club: 'A Haunting on the Hill' by Elizabeth Hand
Our October 2025 selection takes a trip to Shirley Jackson’s infamous Hill House, where four theater-makers are attempting to adapt a Jacobean witchcraft play under unique conditions…
Thu, Oct 9, 2025, 6:30pm
Gallery Talk: Elise Ansel
Gallery Talk: Elise Ansel
Explore a feminist take on the history of Halloween’s most essential themes in this gallery talk with Elise Ansel as part of "Contemporary Art at the Folger," a rotating series that showcases the work of Folger Artist Fellows.
Fri, Oct 10, 2025, at 6:30pm
Folger Salon with Ruth C. Pión and Evelyn Reidy
Folger Salon with Ruth C. Pión and Evelyn Reidy
Learn about research happening at the Folger in real time! Each month, Folger Institute scholar and artist fellows will share their most exciting finds and thought-provoking challenges, followed by casual open conversation.
Thu, Oct 16, 2025 at 4:30pm
Family Workshop: Spooky Shakespeare
Family Workshop: Spooky Shakespeare
Get spooky with Shakespeare as you explore the hurly-burly elements in his plays with fun activities. Costumes welcome, but not required!
Sat, Oct 25, 2025 at 11:30am & 1pm
Folger Book Club: 'You Dreamed of Empires' by Álvaro Enrigue
Folger Book Club: 'You Dreamed of Empires' by Álvaro Enrigue
The book club explores the 1519 meeting between Cortés and Moctezuma, presenting a hallucinatory, revelatory colonial revenge story.
Thu, Nov 6, 2025, 6:30pm
Shakespeare Exhibition
Our Shakespeare Exhibition
See the Folger First Folios, learn more about Shakespeare and his plays, and explore the complexities of his cultural legacy.
Ongoing
Folger Book Club: 'Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries' by Heather Fawcett
Folger Book Club: 'Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries' by Heather Fawcett
Our December selection travels to an icy land of faeries and dark magic, with author Heather Fawcett joining for the session.
Thu, Dec 4, 2025, 6:30pm