The Shakespeare Birthday Award Luncheon 2023 – DETAILS TO BE CONFIRMED
The Shakespeare Birthday Luncheon is a traditional part of the annual Shakespeare Birthday celebrations in Stratford-upon-Avon and takes place following the annual Birthday parade.
The Shakespeare Birthday Luncheon is being arranged by Pragnell on 22 April, 2023.
DETAILS TO BE CONFIRMED – more information in the Lunch and how to purchase tickets can be found here.
A Stratford-upon-Avon singer who has performed for the former Archbishop of Canterbury will now be bringing her talents to the Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations weekend.
Mezzo Soprano singer Millie Underwood, who has performed at top events such as the Champions Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall and international rugby matches, will now be helping her hometown to celebrate the biggest weekend in their calendar on Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28.
Millie said: “I am delighted to be taking part in the celebrations which have formed such a fundamental part of my childhood and to be helping Stratford-upon-Avon to celebrate the bard’s legacy. I am really looking forward to all the festivities!”
Sarah Summers, Town Clerk for Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council said: “Millie is a wonderful addition to our packed schedule of events taking place across Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebrations weekend and we are very excited that she is available to help us celebrate.”
The parade will take place from 10:30am in Bridge Street and across the weekend there will also be the quill ceremony, the National Living Statue Championships, artisan food courts and market, free workshops, street entertainment and the Scarecrow Festival.
For more information on Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebrations, please visit www.shakespearescelebrations.com.
Stratford-on-Avon District Council is hoping the two-day Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebrations will pump more than £3 million into the local economy.
A whole host of special events in Stratford-upon-Avon is set to draw crowds of thousands of locals as well as UK and international tourists to the area for the festivities on Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28.
Organisers are hoping the festivities will be able to top the 2018 event which saw a £3 million spend in the local economy as a direct result of the festival.
The celebration parade and flag unfurling ceremony on the Saturday will see huge crowds line the streets of the town with the weekend of celebrations culminating on the Sunday with Shakespeare’s quill being carried from his Birthplace to be placed in the hand of the effigy of the Bard which overlooks his grave at Holy Trinity Church.
Street entertainment is a prominent feature of the celebrations with the National Living Statue Championship returning to the town for 2019, drawing international champions in the art of living statue performance to the region, along with an array of other fun activities and competitions.
Helen Peters, CEO of Shakespeare’s England who help to organise and promote the celebrations, added: “In 2018, more than 10 million tourist trips were made to visit the home of Shakespeare with his birthday celebrations being a peak period for international and domestic travellers and bringing nearly £3 million to the local economy across the weekend of celebrations.
“These impressive figures show how important the legacy of Shakespeare is to the area and how key it is for the local community to continue supporting his birthday celebrations.”
Cllr Maurice Howse, Business, Tourism and ICT Portfolio at Stratford-on-Avon District Council said: “The Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations are a great occasion for residents and visitors alike.
“Seeing participants and visitors enjoy the Birthday Parade and other cultural and heritage attractions, stay in our hotels and guest houses and eat in our restaurants over the two-day event is vital for our local economy and for the future development of the Shakespeare’s Celebrations experience.”
Dr Delia Garratt, director of cultural engagement at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, added: “Stratford is a global meeting place for people to come together to celebrate the life, times and works of William Shakespeare, and the Birthday Celebrations are the high point of our year.
“This, of course, is an extra special year as it marks the 250th anniversary of the prominent actor and theatre manager David Garrick’s Shakespeare Jubilee here in Stratford. Held in 1769, it is considered to be the event that established Shakespeare as a playwright and poet of international and enduring significance, and started the Shakespeare tourism industry in the town.”
Geraldine Collinge, Director of Events and Exhibitions at the Royal Shakespeare Company, said: “Shakespeare is for everyone, and the annual Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations are a fantastic opportunity for people from all walks of life to engage with the life of history’s most celebrated playwright and poet.
“Stratford is a globally renowned tourist attraction for the quality of its entertainment, education and tourism industry, and there is something special about enjoying the work of William Shakespeare in his physical and spiritual home.”
Follow @Shakespearescel on Twitter to keep updated with celebrations plans or visit https://www.shakespearescelebrations.com.
PRESS RELEASE
19 March 2018
UK’s first National Living Statue Championship attracts artists worldwide
Stratford-upon-Avon will play host to the UK’s first National Living Statue Championship on 20-22 April as Shakespeare’s Celebrations and LSD Promotions have teamed up for this exciting element of the new look 2018 Birthday Celebrations.
A brand-new highlight of the extended three-day extravaganza, the Championship provides a fantastic opportunity for professional and junior Living Statues to pitch against the competition to win a cash prize. Applications to take part in the competition have now closed as artists have flocked from across the world to join the inaugural competition.
Cllr George Atkinson, Chairman of Stratford-on-Avon District Council said ‘Living Statues are immensely popular and draw crowds into towns and cities all over the world. Having the first UK National Living Statue Championship is a real coup for Stratford-upon-Avon and we are very pleased to have this form of art entertainment added to our offer.’
The competition runs on Saturday 21 April and Sunday 22 April in Bancroft Gardens and has two categories – professional (first prize £5000) and junior (first prize £50). Professionals will need to complete at least five 45-minute performances over the weekend, with juniors carrying out four 30-minute performances during the Championship.
Dermot McGillicuddy, Director of LSD Promotions said: ‘The response to the event has been fantastic. We have artists attending from Spain, Greece, Holland, Poland, Ukraine, Cleveland, Ireland and from across the UK. We also have both the current child world champion and the current Dutch child champion so it certainly promises to be a great event. We can’t wait to showcase the wide range of top talent on offer. ’
Cllr Victoria Alcock, Mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon said: ‘Every year Stratford-upon-Avon buzzes with excitement as the Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations take place and this year having the new Championship ensures there is non-stop entertainment available. Our biggest annual event is set to become even bigger!’.
The winner will be announced from the bandstand on the recreation ground at 4.15pm on Sunday 22nd April. There will be a panel of judges who will visit each artist across Saturday and Sunday and mark them between 1-5 on various aspects including their character, costume and make-up.
To view Madam Matronic’s five top tips on becoming a living statue please click here.
Celebrities from the world of literature and theatre are united in their support for the annual festivities about to get under way in Shakespeare’s home town.
High profile personalities who have pledged their support by becoming Patrons of the Friends of Shakespeare’s Celebrations are enthusiastic in their praise. Dame Janet Suzman said:
“It seems to me as obvious as the heat of the sun that celebrating the birth of the world’s greatest poet must continue till doomsday. It’s one of the only really lovely national events in any given year that absolutely no-one can bicker about.”
All the traditional ceremonies and customs will be happening over a packed 4 day period beginning on Shakespeare’s actual birthday, 23rd April. There are events, activities and entertainment, the vast majority free of charge, for all the family to enjoy.
David Bradley, actor and another Patron of the Friends of Shakespeare’s Celebrations has fond memories of the procession. He said: “I remember well the excitement of taking part in the Birthday Parade for the first time with my children at my side and on my shoulders, carrying their little sprigs of Rosemary, and the streets lined with so many people, locals and visitors alike, all the way to Holy Trinity Church.”
The spectacular Parade will kick off at 10.30am on Saturday 25th April this year, with West Midlands Fire Service Band leading guests from the Town Hall to Bridge Street ready for the ceremonies. ‘Shakespeare’ will leave his birthplace in Henley Street with Coventry Corps of Drums and his Horse Drawn Birthday Cake, which will be led by horses Vesper and Beatrice. They will then begin the symbolic ‘cradle to grave’ journey.
The lively and colourful procession will take a newly extended route via Shakespeare’s Birthplace to Holy Trinity Church to symbolise the Bard’s life journey in the town, from the cradle to the grave and give more people a chance to watch the spectacle as it takes in Wood Street, Windsor Street and Henley Street.
There will be a variety of events and activities throughout the town all day and at 4pm visitors will be treated to The Great Morris Flashmob which will be taking place at Bancroft Gardens. The day will come to a close at 7.30pm with a ‘Singing Shakespeare’ concert in the Guild Chapel with Khymerikal – a contemporary chamber ensemble specialising in the performance of twentieth and twenty-first century.
Throughout the day, there will be plenty going on to entertain everyone, including a Shakespeare Show Window Trail Competition offering some competitive family fun. Look out for shops with black and gold balloons outside and window displays with a Shakespeare theme!
New approach
There is a new approach to funding the event through Shakespeare’s Celebrations: a local initiative jointly led by Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council and Stratford-on-Avon District Council to generate financial and practical support for the traditional celebrations and safeguard their future for the town.
‘Agincourt’ Cake
After an impressive debut last year, Shakespeare’s Big Birthday Cake makes a welcome return to the parade, freshly decorated with a ‘Battle of Agincourt’ theme by community arts groups and local schoolchildren. It will once again take pride of place on its horse drawn carriage.
Future plans
Beyond the 2015 festivities, local organisations including key players: Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Stratforward Business Improvement District Company, will be working with Shakespeare’s Celebrations to develop a special timetable of events for another landmark year in 2016. Four hundred years since Shakespeare’s passing there are plans for even more exciting things to see and do at next year’s festival!
Visit www.shakespearescelebrations.com for full details of what’s happening when and where at Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebrations 2015.
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NOTES TO EDITORS