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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: 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
Storytime at the Folger - Frost Fair
Storytime at the Folger
Join us for family storytimes during Frost Fair at Quill & Crumb and in the Reading Room, in partnership with DC Public Library. These free events are designed to be enjoyed by all ages.
Tue, Dec 02 — Wed, Dec 31, 2025
Family Workshop: From Page to Pose
Family Workshop: From Page to Pose
Get ready to strike your best Shakespearean pose! Recreate artwork on display in our exhibition galleries through creative movement and acting.
Sat, Dec 27, 2025 at 11:30am & 1pm
On View: Dominick Porras
On View: Dominick Porras
In this small solo exhibition, artist Dominick Porras pairs research with his own linguistic and cultural knowledge of the Coahuiltecan peoples to complicate ideas of contact, survival, and transformation.
Fri, Jan 9, 2026 – Sun, Feb 15, 2026
Gallery Talk: Dominick Porras
Gallery Talk: Dominick Porras
Learn more about the visual politics of early colonial representation in this gallery talk with Dominick Porras as part of "Contemporary Art at the Folger," a rotating series that showcases the work of Folger Artist Fellows.
Fri, Jan 9, 2026, at 6:30pm
Family Workshop: Shakespeare Scene Stealers
Family Workshop: Shakespeare Scene Stealers
In this free workshop, families will act out scenes from Shakespeare, stealing the spotlight with comedic timing and pratfalls.
Sat, Jan 10, 2026 at 11:30am & 1pm
Introducing Shakespeare: Minimal Context, Maximum Content
Introducing Shakespeare: Minimal Context, Maximum Content
This professional development session for teachers focuses on strategies to help students enter Shakespeare’s plays through action, choice, and shared meaning-making from the very first moments of a unit.
Wed, Jan 14, 2026, 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
Folger Book Club: 'Well Met' by Jen DeLuca
Folger Book Club: 'Well Met' by Jen DeLuca
Love is in the air with our February pick set in the world of Renaissance Fairs, with author Jen De Luca joining for the session.
Thu, Feb 5, 2026, 6:30pm
Family Workshop: My Shakespearean Monologue
Family Workshop: My Shakespearean Monologue
Attendees will use words and phrases from Shakespeare’s plays to create a personal monologue about who they are, with a chance to proudly perform it for everyone to hear.
Sat, Feb 21, 2026 at 11:30am & 1pm
Family Workshop: From Print to Paint
Family Workshop: From Print to Paint
Use your artistic skills to create a performance-inspired artwork that will be displayed in our Rose Exhibition Hall, alongside paintings depicting famous Shakespearean scenes.
Sat, Mar 21, 2026 at 11:30am & 1pm
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