Summer Shakespeare Festival

The 2026 Summer Shakespeare Festival will take place in Prague from June 24 to September 5, 2026, offering an unforgettable cultural experience against the backdrop of Prague Castle and Lesser Town Square.

This largest and oldest European open-air festival dedicated to the work of William Shakespeare will once again bring classic and newly adapted dramatic works by the world-famous playwright to the capital.

Performances will take place in the courtyard of the Supreme Burgrave’s Palace of Prague Castle and on the outdoor stage of the Liechtenstein Palace. This year, the festival will be opened by the premiere of the mischievous farce The Comedy of Errors, directed by Vojtěch Štěpánek. In addition to this new feature, audiences can also look forward to popular productions from previous years. For example, last year’s premiere of Othello, The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, Love’s Quest for Lost, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, the legendary The Merry Wives of Windsor or The Winter’s Tale (performed for the last time). The foreign variety this year will be the play Twelfth Night performed in English by the Prague Shakespeare Company.

The festival attracts tens of thousands of spectators every year and, thanks to its prestige and high-quality production of individual performances, has earned a firm place in the cultural calendar of the Czech public. Every evening takes place under the open sky in the backdrop of historic Prague, which makes these theatrical experiences an exceptionally atmospheric event.

The Summer Shakespeare Festival was created at the initiative of President Václav Havel, who opened the premises of Prague Castle to cultural events in the 1990s. Since 1998, AGENTURA SCHOK has been the main organizer, which has taken the festival to an international level. Over the years, the festivities have become not only a cultural phenomenon, but also a meeting place for generations, lovers of theater and history.

The Summer Shakespeare Festival is an ideal opportunity to combine the beauty of historical Prague with a unique cultural experience.

WHERE: Prague Castle and Lesser Town Square, Prague
WHEN: 24.6. – 5.9.
ENTRY FEE: from 650 CZK

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