What's on
There’s something for everyone. From theater and music, to poetry and exhibitions, experience the power of the arts with us.
Upcoming and ongoing events
Join us for in-person and virtual events: theater, poetry, music, and more.
A Room in the Castle
A Room in the Castle
This retelling of Hamlet from the perspective of the women of the story offers up what it’s like to be on the other end of a wild prince’s antics while delivering a message of defiant hope.
Tue, Mar 4 – Sun, Apr 6, 2025
How to Be a Power Player: Tudor Edition
How to Be a Power Player: Tudor Edition
Social climbing was a competitive sport in Tudor England, requiring a complex range of skills, strategies, and techniques. This exhibition explores what it takes to become an early modern mover and shaker.
Through July 2025
Family Workshop: Spring Has Sprung
Family Workshop: Spring Has Sprung
Experience Shakespeare's words and their connection to nature and, weather permitting, take Shakespeare's words outdoors to the Folger's gardens! Choose from two free workshops for ages 5-7 and ages 8-11.
Sat, Apr 5, 2025 at 11:30am & 1pm
April is Shakespeare’s birthday month!
Join us at the Folger for birthday festivities on Saturday, April 19.
Shakespeare's Birthday Celebration 2025
Shakespeare's Birthday Celebration
Celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday at the Folger with fun, family-friendly activities and birthday cupcakes for all! Make an Elizabethan ruff, watch sword-fighting and printing press demonstrations, write sonnets, and more.
Sat, Apr 19, 2025, 11am
Shakespeare's Birthday Lecture: "Shakespeare Beyond Relevance" with Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper
Shakespeare's Birthday Lecture: "Shakespeare Beyond Relevance" with Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper
Join us for the Folger Institute’s annual Shakespeare’s Birthday Lecture with Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper, Director of the Folger Shakespeare Library, who will be accompanied by a special guest. Free registration is required to attend.
Sat, Apr 19, 2025, 7pm
Exhibition halls
Exhibitions
Explore our world-class collection and enjoy interactive experiences created for visitors of all ages and stages.
- Our Shakespeare Exhibition Hall is devoted to the works of William Shakespeare then and there, here and now — including for the first time a display of all 82 copies of the Folger’s First Folios; and
- In our Stuart and Mimi Rose Rare Book and Manuscript Exhibition Hall, you’ll discover exhibits of significant collection items that inspire the Folger’s work, deep dives into our vault, and special exhibitions.
Current and upcoming exhibitions
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
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
How to Be a Power Player: Tudor Edition
How to Be a Power Player: Tudor Edition
Social climbing was a competitive sport in Tudor England, requiring a complex range of skills, strategies, and techniques. This exhibition explores what it takes to become an early modern mover and shaker.
Through July 2025
Family Programs
Family Workshop: Spring Has Sprung
Family Workshop: Spring Has Sprung
Experience Shakespeare's words and their connection to nature and, weather permitting, take Shakespeare's words outdoors to the Folger's gardens! Choose from two free workshops for ages 5-7 and ages 8-11.
Sat, Apr 5, 2025 at 11:30am & 1pm
Shakespeare's Birthday Celebration 2025
Shakespeare's Birthday Celebration
Celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday at the Folger with fun, family-friendly activities and birthday cupcakes for all! Make an Elizabethan ruff, watch sword-fighting and printing press demonstrations, write sonnets, and more.
Sat, Apr 19, 2025, 11am
Family Workshop: A Power Player Spectacle
Family Workshop: A Power Player Spectacle
Join the Folger as we use our how-to guide to power playing and the words of Shakespeare to create our own spectacular production! Choose from two free workshops for ages 5-7 and ages 8-11.
Sat, May 3, 2025 at 11:30am & 1pm
Folger Consort
Join us for our final concert of the 2024-2025 season.
Kings and Commonwealth
Kings and Commonwealth
The Folger Consort will perform political ballads of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot, along with instrumental music from the royal courts of James I and Charles I reflecting the political and religious upheavals in early 17th-century England.
Fri, May 2 – Sun, May 4, 2025
Save the date: Folger Gala
Folger Gala 2025
Folger Gala
The 2025 Folger Gala is taking its inspiration from Shakespeare in America and a uniquely American art form: jazz. Join us for a night of great music and entertainment, and meet the Folger's new director, Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper.
Sat, Apr 26, 2025, 6pm
O.B. Hardison Poetry Series
Join us for these remaining readings in the 2024-2025 season.
The O.B. Hardison Poetry Series Finale Reading Ellen Bass
The O.B. Hardison Poetry Series Finale Reading Ellen Bass
Ellen Bass, chosen by a group of Folger Poetry supporters, will read from the work of other poets cited as a literary influence, as well as from her own work. A moderated conversation will follow the reading, with a bookselling and signing at the post-reading reception.
Tue, Apr 8, 2025 at 7:30pm
Public Humanities
Our Public Humanities program at the Folger brings together researchers and anyone with an interest in the early modern world to explore the cultures and legacies of that time. Learn about research happening at the Folger in real time, and enjoy cocktails inspired by the Folger’s rich collection of handwritten recipe books from early modern Britain—the largest in the world.
Shakespeare's Birthday Lecture: "Shakespeare Beyond Relevance" with Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper
Shakespeare's Birthday Lecture: "Shakespeare Beyond Relevance" with Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper
Join us for the Folger Institute’s annual Shakespeare’s Birthday Lecture with Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper, Director of the Folger Shakespeare Library, who will be accompanied by a special guest. Free registration is required to attend.
Sat, Apr 19, 2025, 7pm
Folger Salon with Douglas Clark, Jamie Gemmell, and Patricia A. Matthew
Folger Salon with Douglas Clark, Jamie Gemmell, and Patricia A. Matthew
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, April 24, 2025 at 4:30pm
Cocktails and Conversation: "A Springtime Revival" with Douglas Clark
Cocktails and Conversation: "A Springtime Revival" with Douglas Clark
Help the Folger bring a “lost play” back to life! Short-term Fellow Douglas Clark will share his exciting recent discovery—a handwritten English translation of a pastoral comedy set on a Greek island.
Thu, May 8, 2025, 7pm
Ticket information
Contact the Folger Box Office at (202) 544-7077 or folgerboxoffice@folger.edu.
