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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.
On View: Elise Ansel
On View: Elise Ansel
In this small solo exhibition, artist Elise Ansel uses a feminist framework to reinterpret Henry Fuseli’s Macbeth Consulting the Vision of the Armed Head (1793), held in the Folger collection.
Fri, Oct 3 – Sun, Nov 9, 2025
Exploring the Power of Rhetoric in Julius Caesar
Exploring the Power of Rhetoric in Julius Caesar
Teachers, join us for a free, one-hour, virtual professional development session on Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.
Wed, Oct 22, 2025, 8pm ET
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
On View: Missy Dunaway
On View: Missy Dunaway
In this small solo exhibition, artist Missy Dunaway investigates the connections between art, literature, history, and the natural world with her paintings of birds mentioned in Shakespeare's plays.
Fri, Nov 14, 2025 – Sun, Jan 4, 2026
Folger Salon with Virginia Burnett, Dorothy Kim, and Mary Beth Long
Folger Salon with Virginia Burnett, Dorothy Kim, and Mary Beth Long
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, Nov 20, 2025 at 4:30pm
Gallery Talk: Missy Dunaway
Gallery Talk: Missy Dunaway
Learn about the holiday associations of three birds mentioned by Shakespeare in this gallery talk with Missy Dunaway as part of "Contemporary Art at the Folger," a rotating series that showcases the work of Folger Artist Fellows.
Fri, Nov 21, 2025, at 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
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
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
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