Folger Shakespeare Library Announces Return of Birthday Celebration for Shakespeare

A day of family-friendly activities will culminate with public lecture given by the Folger’s new director Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper

(Washington, DC)—The Folger Shakespeare Library today announced the return of a longstanding tradition: Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebration. Through performance, poetry, song, dance, scholarship, and history, the birthday celebration showcases the breadth of the Folger’s offerings as a cultural organization. The party to celebrate the playwright’s 461^st year will kick off when the Folger opens at 11am on Saturday, April 19, and conclude that evening with the annual Shakespeare’s Birthday Lecture, given this year by the Folger’s recently appointed director, Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper.

Shakespeare’s birthday is generally observed on April 23, though the exact date of his birth in April 1564 may have been a few days earlier or later. The festivities at the Folger on April 19 will offer guests the opportunity to participate in Elizabethan ruff-making, watch sword-fighting and printing press demonstrations, write sonnets, learn about Elizabethan dance and music in a dance contest, and engage with gallery guides across Folger’s exhibition halls and historic spaces. The day will include a variety of DC-based artists, as well as birthday cake for all visitors.

“Birthday celebrations for Shakespeare at the Folger have long been a means to highlight his impact on American culture in a way that is fun, accessible, and family-forward,” said Dr. Karim-Cooper. “But this year we also wanted to be intentional about showcasing how Shakespeare and the humanities build community and open doors for dialogue. We want to uplift visitors with experiences that provide joy and spark critical thinking.”

Dr. Karim-Cooper’s take on Shakespeare in the contemporary world will be the subject of her lecture, titled “Shakespeare Beyond Relevance.” She will speak to how Shakespeare’s works and the broader humanities are urgently needed tools in the present political and cultural moment. The lecture begins at 7pm and is free for all to attend, though registration is required. The birthday lecture is organized by the Folger Institute, which facilitates research and scholarship at the Folger. Each year, the lecture invites a notable Shakespeare scholar to speak on their work.

“It is no overstatement to say that there are very few people as knowledgeable about Shakespeare’s work both in print and in performance and its ongoing impact on our world as Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper,” said Folger Institute Director Patricia Akhimie. “She is the kind of speaker I most love to hear: warm, witty, and always going straight to the heart of the matter and the truths of our moment.”

For complete details and the schedule of events for the Folger’s Birthday Celebration for Shakespeare, please visit folger.edu/birthday.

About the Folger Shakespeare Library

The Folger Shakespeare Library makes Shakespeare’s stories and the world in which he lived accessible. Anchored by the world’s largest Shakespeare collection, the Folger is a cultural organization where curiosity and creativity are embraced, and conversation is always encouraged. Visitors to the Folger can choose how they want to experience the arts and humanities, from interactive exhibitions to captivating performances, and from path-breaking research to transformative educational programming. The Folger welcomes everyone to connect in their own way—from communities throughout Washington, DC, to communities across the globe. Learn more at www.folger.edu.

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