FAQs

The Southern Shakespeare Festival is typically held Thursday through Sunday on Mother’s Day weekend. The mainstage production is preceded by events such as readings by our sonnet contest winners and an abridged production by our junior troupe the Bardlings.

The 2024 Festival will be held Thursday, May 9 – Sunday, May 12.

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

The mainstage performance typically begins at 7:30 pm each evening. Audiences are welcome to arrive as early as 6 pm to take advantage of the food trucks and beauty of Cascades Park, and on the weekends when the Bardlings perform at 5:30 pm, arriving as early as 4:30 pm is welcome.

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

Yes! The Bardlings, the junior acting troupe of the Southern Shakespeare Company, will perform a one-hour abridgment of a Shakespearean story prior to the main stage production on Saturday, May 11 and Sunday, May 12, 2024 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.

Members and VIPS have designated parking areas.

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.

Apply to become a general Vendor or Food Vendor using the application link below! Submit completed applications to bianca@southernshakes.org no less than six weeks in advance of the Festival.

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!

Yes, our ASL interpreted performance is usually scheduled for the Saturday 7:30 PM performance during our festival weekend. 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. 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 ASAP.

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