Top 10 things to see and do in Shakespeare Country this summer
1. Experience Shakespeare with a Royal Shakespeare Company performance!
Watch a performance of “Much Ado About Nothing” at The Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon from 26 July – 15 September. Meera Syal and Paul Bhattacharjee play the sparring lovers, Beatrice and Benedick in Shakespeare’s comedy of love and deceit for the RSC. Part of the World Shakespeare Festival and directed by Iqbal Khan, this vibrant and colourful new production is set in modern day India. The show also features Amara Karan as Hero and Kulvinder Ghir as Borachio. Visit rsc.org.uk
2. Enjoy a thrilling new long-boating experience with Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle is offering a thrilling new long boating experience on the River Avon with Warwick Boats. The new experience is exciting, adrenalin pumping, and great fun for all the family! Suitable for beginners and children with experienced instructors and a Director of Imagination for entertainment and historical updates on board all boats. Exhilarating river rides offer fun, excitement and adventure as the ultimate memorable family experience this summer. All this, set against the backdrop of Warwick Castle creates a fun addition to your action-packed day out. Warwick Boats will offer a Long Boat ride on a 30 minute ticket priced at £5 per person. The boat ride will pass the River Island, offering viewpoints of the mighty Trebuchet and the Jousting knights during the summer. Visit warwick-castle.com
3. Live like a young William Shakespeare at his Birthplace!
‘Do What Shakespeare did’ takes place from the 21 July – 2 September at Shakespeare’s Birthplace. Live like a young William Shakespeare during a summer in the 1570’s and enjoy hands-on Tudor activities including a quill, writing a sonnet, designing your coat of arms, pomander-making and more. Or find the fairies from A Midsummer Night’s Dream hiding in the enchanted woodland at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. Plus on 3, 10, 17 & 24 August (3pm) enjoy Friday puppet shows and stories based on scenes from Shakespeare with the chance to have a go with the puppets. Visit shakespeare.org.uk
4. Watch Retro trucks rev up at the Heritage Motor Centre!
The Retro Truck Show is back for a second year at the Heritage Motor Centre on Sunday 16 September. The show features a fantastic collection of modern classic trucks manufactured between 1960 and 2000 and is arranged by enthusiasts for enthusiasts. This year’s show has an expected display of 200 - 300 of the best modern classic show trucks in the UK including manufacturers Volvo, Scania and Daf. All trucks that fall into the age category are welcome whether they are show trucks, working trucks or work in progress! Show entry on the Sunday includes entry to the museum with its fantastic display of historic cars – making it a great value day out for all the family. Visit heritage-motor-centre.co.uk
5. Hire a classic car for a day from ‘The Open Road’
Treat yourself to a stunning drive around South Warwickshire and The Cotswolds in a beautiful classic car from The Open Road. Or if you fancy something more challenging, follow in the tyre tracks of the manufacturers from the 1920s and 1930s and complete the 125 mile “Test Hills Run”. Visit theopenroad.co.uk
6. Sit back and enjoy the Ragley Hall Battle Proms Open-Air Concert
On Saturday 18 August pack up the picnic hampers and the champers and enjoy the second annual Battle Proms picnic and firework concert at Ragley Hall. An unrivalled blend of musical talent, expert displays, spectacular pyrotechnics and a celebratory atmosphere makes the Battle Proms a truly memorable occasion! There will be a full 2 hours of exquisite classical music performed by the renowned New English Concert Orchestra, plus all of the ‘Last Night of the Proms’ favourites performed by Channel 4’s winning soprano Denise Leigh. Audiences will also be treated to a tear-jerking aerial display from a WWII Spitfire, over 200 live cannons, mounted Napoleonic skill-at-arms displays and breath-taking fireworks to music. Tickets can be bought online from the Shakespeare Country eShop.
7. Take in a major art exhibition
Compton Verney art gallery hosts Flight and the Artistic Imagination until the 30 September. This major exhibition explores the instinctive human desire to fly from the classical era to the modern day. Starting with the imaginations of Leonardo da Vinci and Francisco Goya and ending with space travel, satellite images and everyday air travel, it is an exciting exploration of creative responses to flight. Discover classical flight and the fall of Icarus. Learn about the Wright brothers, Yuri Gagarin and the history of aviation and space travel. Explore the uses of flight from everyday travel and transportation to sky battles and air raids. Enjoy spectacular aerial views and satellite imagery. Visit comptonverney.org.uk
8. Go MAD and visit Stratford-upon-Avon’s most exciting new attraction!
The MAD (Mechanical Art and Design) Museum’s colourful collection of whirling, clanking, laser, robotic and rolling ball machines will give children and adults alike a fascinating insight into physics in action. The Museum houses Kinetic Art, Automata and Steampunk machines gadgets and gismos. For the kids there are plenty of entrancing moving machines and loads of interactive fun and for the adults, it is a chance to be astounded by absurd, stupefying designs and intricate workings. MAD Museum is proud to feature over 100 exhibits from artists across the globe and the quality of the exhibits cannot be underestimated. Visit themadmuseum.co.uk
9. Enjoy culinary delights at two great Food & Drink Festivals!
The popular Royal Leamington Spa Food & Drink Festival returns on Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 September in the Royal Pump Room Gardens. The Festival, which is free to attend, will yet again feature an exciting action-packed programme over the two days. Stratford-upon-Avon will once again be the backdrop for a fabulous food festival bringing a wealth of edible and quaffable treats as well as live entertainment for all to enjoy. Celebrity chefs including Channel 4’s The Fabulous Baker Brothers and TV chef and presenter Alan Coxon, artisan food and drink producers from the region and great local watering-holes will come together on the banks of the River Avon in a fantastic two-day foodie event on Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 September. Visit royal-leamington-spa.co.uk and stratfordfoodfestival.co.uk
10. Experience a Victorian Weekend!
Join the re-enactors in Victorian costume playing croquet on the lawn at Hill Close Gardens in Warwick on Saturday 11 & Sunday 12 August. Enjoy an exhibition on floriography – the Victorian language of flowers including flower displays to illustrate the importance and meaning of certain plants. Browse at your leisure through the collection of antique garden machinery and tools. Visit hillclosegardens.com
For accommodation, special offers and more information visit the official website: Shakespeare-Country.co.uk.
