Stratford Races

6 Sep 2008 (various dates)

Whether a seasoned racegoer or a newcomer to the sport, a day at Stratford Racecourse provides fun for all the family.

Royal Shakespeare Company in The Taming of the Shrew

24 Apr - 25 Sep 2008; not Sun

The Royal Shakespeare Company's summer season at home at Stratford's Courtyard Theatre continues with Conall Morrison's production of The Taming of the Shrew, starring Stephen Boxer as Petruchio and Michelle Gomez as Katherine.

Royal Shakespeare Company in The Merchant of Venice

3 Apr - 27 Sep 2008; not Sun

Shakespeare's provocative play The Merchant of Venice seems to concern itself with very modern problems, such as financial disasters, racism and even judicial procedure. Find out more as Tim Carroll's Royal Shakespeare Company production continues at Stratford's Courtyard Theatre.

Love's Labour's Lost

2 - 11 Oct 2008; not Sun (various dates)

As well as playing Hamlet, David Tenant takes the part of Berowne in Gregory Doran's new production of Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost at the Royal Shakespeare Company's Courtyard Theatre in Stratford.

Warwick Castle Trebruchet

1 Apr - 31 Oct 2008 (annual)

A trebuchet is a medieval siege machine, capable of throwing huge projectiles over castle walls. At Warwick Castle, visitors can see one in action twice a day, by the river against the South Front.

Apple Week

25 Oct - 1 Nov 2008 (annual)

In recognition of an important time in the farming year, Mary Arden's House & the Shakespeare Countryside Museum present traditional country crafts, activities and entertainment during Apple Week, including cider making, apple juicing and wood turning, morris dancing and juggling.

Living Shakespeare

5 - 8 Nov 2008 (various dates)

Anyone wishing for a special experience of Shakespeare's plays and the environment that inspired him can take a short break in his home town of Stratford-upon-Avon. Each year, the three separate courses include visits to Royal Shakespeare Company productions.

RSC in A Midsummer Night's Dream

9 May - 13 Nov 2008; not Sun

Chief associate director of the Royal Shakespeare Company Gregory Doran revives his production of A Midsummer Night's Dream for the first time at Stratford's Courtyard Theatre: the perfect play for an English summer.

Royal Shakespeare Company in Hamlet

24 Jul - 15 Nov 2008; not Sun

Dr Who meets Shakespeare? Well, David Tennant's Doctor has already met the bard on television, but here he takes on Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Stratford's hottest ticket of the year is at the Courtyard Theatre.

Compton Verney

15 Mar - 14 Dec 2008; not Mon (annual)

Opened in 2004, Compton Verney is an art gallery situated in a Grade I-listed 18th-century Robert Adam mansion near Warwick, with 120 acres of stunning Capability Brown-designed gardens.

Heritage Motor Centre

Daily

The Heritage Motor Centre was originally built to house the collection held by the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust. The collection on display charts the development of the British motor industry from 1896 to the exciting innovations of the present day.

Warwick Castle

Daily

Warwick Castle more than lives up to its billing as Britain's Greatest Medieval Experience. It is bursting to the towers with tales of treachery, torture, passion and power.

St Nicholas Park

Daily

Warwick's St Nicholas Park offers an extensive range of family attractions throughout the year. Rowing on the lake in the shadow of the magnificent castle, strolling by the river or relaxing in the shade of a willow tree here is the perfect way to spend a summer's day.

Mary Arden's House & The Shakespeare Countryside Museum

Daily

Retaining its country setting in Wilmcote, this timbered Tudor farmhouse is the childhood home of Shakespeare's mother, Mary Arden, before she married John Shakespeare. It is also home to the Shakespeare Countryside Museum and the adjacent Glebe Farm, where there are displays of farm implements and daily demonstrations by Heart of England falconry.

Lord Leycester Hospital

Daily

Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick was created as a home to the Guild of the Holy Trinity and St George which was formed in 1383 to help with education and charity. The site was restored in the 1950s and 60s and the hospital was opened after its restoration by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, on 3 November 1966.

Warwickshire Museum

Daily; not Mon

The Market Hall Museum in Warwick houses displays of local archaeology, natural history, geology and social history.

Shakespeare's Birthplace

Daily

Step into the house where William Shakespeare was born in 1564 and gain a fascinating insight into life as it was when the Bard was a child. The half-timbered house is Stratford's most-visited tourist spot.

Anne Hathaway's Cottage

Daily

This thatched farmhouse cottage was the childhood home of Shakespeare's wife, Anne Hathaway, whom he married in 1582. Situated jut a short distance from Stratford's town centre, it offers visitors the chance to learn about the life and times of this farming family, and to retrace the steps that Shakespeare must have taken when courting Anne.

International School of Riding

Daily

A stone's throw away from Warwick Castle, Warwick International School of Riding is situated in the heart of Shakespeare country and offers some of the most impressive horse riding in England. Avid riders can trot or canter through many miles of unspoilt country lanes and peaceful leafy bridleways, or gallop across expanses of open grassland and through ancient oak woods.

Hall's Croft

Daily

Hall's Croft is one of the finest half-timbered, gabled houses in Stratford, and also the residence where Shakespeare's eldest daughter, Susanna, lived with her famous husband, Dr John Hall.

Nash's House & New Place

Daily

Nash's House was Shakespeare's family home from 1597 and the adjoining New Place was the house in which he died in 1616.

Stratford Town Walk

Daily

Discover Shakespeare's world through guided walks around his hometown Stratford-upon-Avon. On the Stratford Town Walk you'll get to see timber-framed buildings and stop off at the Shakespeare Houses, Grammar School, Royal Shakespeare Theatres and Holy Trinity Church.

Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford

Daily

There can be few places in Britain that roundly celebrate their most famous sons than does Stratford-upon-Avon. Birthplace of probably the world's most famous author, one William Shakespeare (aka "the Bard"), not only are there museums dedicated to his birthplace, his wife's house and his legacy, but the delightful Cotswold town is home to one of the world's great theatre companies: the Royal Shakespeare Company. With a year round programme in at least two theatres, whenever you go there is a chance to see top-flight acting.

Hatton Country World

Daily

Set in the heart of the countryside just outside Warwick, Hatton Country World is a haven for those that want to avoid the crowds in the city centre and get back to nature. Visitors can enjoy a unique Victorian shopping experience in rural surroundings, walk the nature trail to the locks forming part of the historic Grand Union Canal, or experience a fun family day out at the farm.

No monthly events available.

Warwickshire and West Midland Game and Country Fair

Aug 2009 (annual)

The Warwickshire and West Midland Game and Country Fair, held in the beautiful grounds of Ragley Hall, features basic gundog events, falconry displays, archery, clay pigeon shooting, side-saddle riding and many other exhibitions and displays as well as stalls.

Warwick Folk Festival

Jul 2009 (annual)

Warwick Folk Festival attracts singers, musicians, bands and street performers to Warwick Castle for three days of entertainment.

Warwick Castle Trebruchet

1 Apr - 31 Oct 2008 (annual)

A trebuchet is a medieval siege machine, capable of throwing huge projectiles over castle walls. At Warwick Castle, visitors can see one in action twice a day, by the river against the South Front.

The Haunted Castle

25 Oct - 2 Nov 2008 (annual)

No castle would be complete without a good ghost story and Warwick Castle has plenty. For Horrible Halloween the building's ghostly inhabitants come out to scare visitors, so be prepared for spooky surprises, spine-tingling stories and ghosts galore...

The Great Mediaeval Summer

Jul - Aug 2009 (annual)

This summer, visitors to Warwick Castle can enjoy "Mediaeval" entertainment featuring dramatic jousting tournaments, archery demonstrations, spectacular bird of prey shows and knights in combat.

The Dirt Bike Show

Dec 2008 (annual)

Top riders take part in full-on, non-stop action at Stoneleigh Park's Dirt Bike Show, which also features celebrity interviews, competitions and performances by the Dirt Bike Show Girls.

Stratford-upon-Avon Poetry Festival

Jun - Jul 2009 (annual)

Stratford's annual Poetry Festival is held at the Shakespeare Centre and Shakespeare Institute. Both venues host poetry evenings with RSC actors and poets reading the works of William Shakespeare, John Donne and Dylan Thomas.

Stratford On Avon Music Festival

11 - 19 Oct 2008 (annual)

Every October, Stratford-upon-Avon venues are filled with chamber music, early music, jazz bands and orchestral concerts for the Stratford on Avon Music Festival. There are also concerts in nearby venues including Compton Verney, Shipston-on-Stour and Loxley's Croft Prep School.

Shakespeare's Birthday Celebrations

Apr 2009 (annual)

Tradition holds that the 23 April is William Shakespeare's birthday, three days prior to the date recorded in the church records for his baptism. Every year in Stratford-upon-Avon, thousands of people participate in a myriad of events, including a parade.

Grand Summer Concert

Jul 2009 (annual)

Making the most of its spectacular setting, Warwick Castle hosts a major annual outdoor concert for music and pyrotechnics lovers. This year the evening features the Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera, Europe's busiest touring opera company, playing classic favourites.

Global Gathering

Jul 2009 (annual)

The Global Gathering rolls into Stratford-upon-Avon, bringing GodsKitchen's unique brand of midsummer madness to Long Marston Airfield. The line-up is impressive, with Kanye West, Moby and Mark Ronson, joined by the cream of the international DJ world.

Compton Verney

15 Mar - 14 Dec 2008; not Mon (annual)

Opened in 2004, Compton Verney is an art gallery situated in a Grade I-listed 18th-century Robert Adam mansion near Warwick, with 120 acres of stunning Capability Brown-designed gardens.

Carpe Diem Theatre

Jul - Aug 2009 (annual)

Carpe Diem Theatre's Summer Theatre Academy once again comes to Stratford's Civic Hall for three weeks in the summer. Budding young actors and technicians can attend a series of unique programmes in theatre training and study, which culminate in a series of final performances. Shakespeare, surely, would have approved and its great to get the kids busy during the long summer break.

Bulldog Bash

Aug 2009 (annual)

Europe's biggest and best biker rock festival, the Bulldog Bash takes place at the Shakespeare County Raceway on Long Marston Airfield. There are displays by professional drag racers and supertuned bikes, and bikers stage their own races down the strip.

Apple Week

25 Oct - 1 Nov 2008 (annual)

In recognition of an important time in the farming year, Mary Arden's House & the Shakespeare Countryside Museum present traditional country crafts, activities and entertainment during Apple Week, including cider making, apple juicing and wood turning, morris dancing and juggling.

No biennial events available.