Cambridge Shakespeare Festival

The beautiful academic city of Cambridge turns its attention to Britain’s most famous playwright from 12 July to 28 August as it hosts the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival at Cambridge University.

The 8-week festival has become of the region’s most popular events, attracting more than 25,000 visitors from all over the world. The festival is made up of 6 spectacular performances of some of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, performed in the Colleges of Cambridge University by The Festival Company.

This year’s performances are Love’s Labours Lost, Hamlet, and The Taming of the Shrew, all running from 12-31 July, and As You Like It, Henry V and Twelfth Night, all running from 2-21 August.

Prior to the performance, you can enjoy a picnic in the idyllic setting, before sitting back to enjoy the vivid and spectacular performance, complete with full period costumes and live Elizabethan music, lit by the moon as the night progresses. After the performance, make the short walk into the heart of Cambridge to explore the city’s bars and restaurants for the perfect end to the evening.

The Cambridge Shakespeare Festival is also a great opportunity to explore Cambridge’s famous colleges – Robinson College, Trinity College, Downing College, King’s College and St John’s College – which will be hosting the performances. Must-sees include the Trinity College (As You Like It) and King’s College (Henry V) venues, where the festival has been granted permission to perform in parts of the Colleges not even normally available to members.

Tickets for the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival are on sale now. Performances take place every day except Sunday, and all performances start at 7.30pm, with the exception of the special charity performances, which start at 2.30pm. For more information on the performances or venues, visit the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival website.