Stratford Upon Avon

Explore the historic market town of Stratford-upon-Avon. This is the birthplace of the world’s greatest playwright William Shakespeare, where you can follow his life story from the cradle through to his grave at the Holy Trinity Church. A market town with more than 800 years of history, Stratford-upon-Avon contains many buildings that have survived and would have been familiar to Shakespeare. There are many things to explore in Stratford-upon-Avon, which is why visitors flock back every year to discover more.

No visit to Stratford would be complete without finding out more about the English poet and playwright that makes it famous. At Shakespeare’s Birthplace you can visit the place the world’s most famous playwright was born and grew up, where you can discover more about his early years.

Saturday 25th April - Each year, on the weekend closest to St. George’s Day and Shakespeare’s birthday (both on 23^rd April), Stratford upon Avon hosts the two-day Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations. The event brings together performers, artists, and thousands of visitors from around the world in a vibrant celebration of the life and works of William Shakespeare on the streets of his hometown. Street entertainment features prominently in the celebrations, with pop-up and scheduled drama, music, and pageantry appearing all over town. As well as street theatre, other unique events over the course of the weekend include the Birthday Lecture, the Birthday Lunch, the ceremony of unfurling the flags of nations, the annual Shakespeare service at Holy Trinity Church, and the National Living Statue Championship. Think dozens of costumed and painted characters of all eras and types dotted around the streets – from various takes on Shakespeare characters to animals, aliens, and everything in between. The focal point of the Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations is a parade through the town with crowds lining the route. Each year, Shakespeare’s actual quill is picked up from the Shakespeare Birthplace and carried to Holy Trinity Church, where it’s placed in the hand of the Shakespeare bust overlooking his grave in the chancel of the church.

PLEASE NOTE: Day Excursions are non refundable. Children under 5 are not allowed to travel on the front row seats.

Please Note : If you wish to take a mobility scooter, wheelchair or rollator with you it must be requested at the time of booking. Any such equipment must fold flat for storage or be capable of being broken down into pieces of no more than 20kg. We cannot accept larger scooters (class 3) as these are too large and heavy to lift. We sometimes operate minibus feeders to minimise time, these vehicles CANNOT convey motorised wheelchairs/scooters.