FAQs

The Shakespeare in the Park Festival takes place February 25-28, 2027 at Cascades Park. The mainstage production of The Merry Wives of Windsor, starring Charisma Carpenter, is preceded by the festival with food trucks, artisan vendors, demonstrations, Kids Kingdom, and an abridged production by the Youth Ensemble of Southern Shakes (Y.E.S.S).

The 2027 Festival will be held Thursday, February 25 – Sunday, February 28.

The Festival centers around the Adderley Amphitheater in Cascades Park, 1001 S Gadsden St, Tallahassee, FL 32301.

This Festival is FREE of charge and you are welcome to come and go as you like throughout the Festival hours!

Seat reservations are now available! As always, our Festival is free and open to the public. For those who’d like a guaranteed spot, reserved seating is now available for a small fee. Choose the front row, an aisle seat, or the back row for the full view—reservations are available up to 24 hours before curtain.

Important seating notes:
• Saturday & Sunday reserved seats begin at 6:30 PM, after the Y.E.S.S. performance concludes
• Hill/grass seating remains open and unreserved

Reserve your seats here: https://cur8.com/19713/project/140030 

 

The mainstage performance begins at 7:30 pm each evening. Audiences are welcome to arrive as early as 4 pm to take advantage of the food trucks and beauty of Cascades Park, and on the weekends when the Y.E.S.S. perform at 5:30 pm, arriving as early as 4:00 pm is welcome.

If you’re coming in from out of town, we recommend booking from our block of rooms at the Holiday Inn on Appalachee.

 

Apart from seating reserved for Festival sponsors and those audience members who need specific accommodations (such as the Deaf and hard of hearing), the 3,500 seats of the Capital City Amphitheater are open and available to the public, first come, first seated!

Some audience members prefer to sit on the lawn area with their own collapsible chairs and a picnic, which is also an option.

Seat reservations are now available! As always, our Festival is free and open to the public. For those who’d like a guaranteed spot, reserved seating is now available for a small fee. Choose the front row, an aisle seat, or the back row for the full view—reservations are available up to 24 hours before curtain.

Important seating notes:
• Saturday & Sunday reserved seats begin at 6:30 PM, after the Y.E.S.S. performance concludes
• Hill/grass seating remains open and unreserved

Reserve your seats here: https://cur8.com/19713/project/140030

 

Will the Youth Ensemble of Southern Shakes be performing at the Festival? P

Yes! Y.E.S.S., the student acting and theater troupe of the Southern Shakespeare Company, will perform a one-hour show prior to the main stage production on Saturday, February 27 and Sunday, February 28 at 5:30 PM.

Yes! Parking is free after 6 pm and on weekends in street parking, in the nearby FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation) lots and Parking Garage C on Bloxham Street.

Patrons and VIPS have designated parking areas. Become a Patron today! Become a Patron – Southern Shakespeare Company

Yes, food and non-alcoholic drinks are permitted in Cascades Park! We are fortunate to partner with both food trucks on-site and nearby restaurants that offer picnic baskets for pick-up.

Applications to become a General Vendor or Food Vendor will open soon. Questions? Email Festival@southernshakes.org.

Southern Shakespeare Company’s FREE Shakespeare in the Park Festival invites an annual audience of up to 4,000 over a four-day weekend to enjoy the fun and fanfare as we bring stunning Shakespeare productions to Cascades Park in Tallahassee, Florida. The festival will run from February 25-28, 2017, from 4pm – 10pm. The Southern Shakespeare Company (SSC) is looking for vendors to provide food, arts, activities, and demonstrations. Preference will be given to those vendors who can commit to all four days. Vendor Applications will open soon.

While guests in wheelchairs and motorized wheelchairs may find some of the grassy areas more challenging to travel, there are sidewalks leading to the amphitheater and reserved parking for guests with disabilities. The back row of the Adderley Amphitheater has spaces for wheelchair parking as well as companion seating.

If a person requires accommodation to participate or if special seating arrangements are needed, requests should be made to the event coordinator seventy-two (72) hours prior to the event.

If you require assistance, please contact bianca@southernshakes.org so we can help!

 

Southern Shakespeare Company is proud to offer Touch Tours at the 2027 Free Shakespeare in the Park Festival.
These guided, pre-show experiences are specially designed for members of the visually impaired community and offer a chance to explore the stage, costumes, and props through touch. Participants will join us backstage for a 30-minute tactile tour and walking orientation of the performance space. Each individual may be accompanied by one interpreter, chaperone, or guest. Stay tuned for more information! 

 

Yes! Stay tuned for when our ASL interpreted performance of The Merry Wives of Windsor will be scheudled for.  If you plan to attend a performance for the ASL-interpretation, please email bianca@southernshakes.org so we can arrange for your seating.

Our festival performances are outdoor by nature, and we are committed to our team and audience’s safety. As such, if there are unsafe weather conditions (such as lightning within eight miles of the performance site) during a performance, we will alert everyone present on the loudspeaker and advise all to seek shelter. If the weather does not pass quickly or is predicted to occur for the majority of a planned performance, we may need to make the call to cancel a performance or move indoors (see below). Updates about these decisions, which we make with respect for safety as well as city ordinates for public spaces, will be announced on our social media and website.  

Tallahassee, Florida is home to larger-than-life festivals, electrifying nightlife, award-winning cuisine, many beautiful hotels, and over 700 miles of trails and endless outdoor adventures. To discover our undeniably pretty landscapes and our unexpected local experiences, visit www.visittallahassee.com