The Ultimate Open-Air Festive Experience
Shakespeare's Globe
This December, let Shakespeare's Globe welcome you to a starry, open-air winter wonderland experience at Shakespeare's Globe. To get you in the spirit, here are 10 cute and cosy things you can do to celebrate the festivities.
Spoiler alert before you read! This list includes – but is not limited to – captivating live theatre, mince pies and award-winning tours. There are free experiences, tickets from £5 and as much shopping as you can carry back with you.
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As seen on the official Shakespeare's Globe website.
1. Watch an epic new take on the classic fairytale: Hansel and Gretel
Fall under the wintery spell of our iconic open-air Globe Theatre and enjoy Hansel and Gretel as it returns to our wooden 'O' for a second year. Temptation and tasty surprises await for all the family in Poet Laureate Simon Armitage's modern-day retelling of the famous fairy tale. Tickets from £5.
2. Enchant little ones with a Hansel and Gretel themed family workshop.
If you love the Brothers Grimm’s classic, why not bring it to life in one of our interactive workshops for ages 5-12? Enhance your experience of the show through fun activities, play and performance led by a Globe Practitioner.
3. Travel back in time to Shakespeare's Christmas on a Festive Family Tour
What was Christmas like in Shakespeare's time? Well, there's only one way to find out! Travel back in time 400 years and be enchanted by tales of wassailing and the winter solstice told by our expert guides.
4. Wrap up the Globe with gifts and timeless treasures from our shop
Last minute Christmas shopping… don't know what to get your in-laws… all a bit stressful! Fret no more. Step into the Globe shop and find locally-sourced Shakespearean treats, from bespoke Bard-themed decorations to snuggly Christmas jumpers and delicious biscuits.
5. Savour the season with a Festive Afternoon Tea at The Swan Bar & Restaurant
With all that show-watching, tour-attending, shopping-adventuring, we're starting to feel a little peckish… A festive afternoon tea with unbeatable views of St Paul’s Cathedral is exactly what we're craving!
6. Behind the words: Join our Globe Talks in conversation with Simon Armitage
Be in the room with Poet Laureate Simon Armitage as he discusses the story behind taking the Brothers Grimm's Hansel and Gretel from page to stage.
7. Give the gift of Shakespeare
This year, give someone the gift of Shakespeare. Get them tickets with a Show Voucher – or, with a Gift Membership, they'll get priority booking and access to exclusive events. Plus, with our Globe Player gift subscription, your lucky recipient can experience the Globe from wherever they are in the world. You don't even need to pay for shipping, what a treat.
8. Extend a warm welcome to our visiting artists
Be part of a theatrical wonderland and see a variety of one-night-only performances. A Night in Sign returns for more BSL cabaret after last year's sold out show, as does Tim Key's iconic Chrimbo Bimbo. Or, have a laugh with the hilarious genius of the Comedy Store Players in the Globe Theatre.
9. Book an iconic performance in London's only candlelit theatre
Discover a world inside the intimate Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, as we bring three illuminating plays to London’s only indoor candlelit theatre: All’s Well That Ends Well, Cymbeline and Three Sisters, plus More… Ghost Stories by Candlelight with HighTide.
10. Watch the Globe transform into a glittering wooden wonder
Last but certainly not least, snuggle up with a hot chocolate or a mulled wine (or even a mulled cider if that's what you're into!) as you watch the Globe Theatre lights illuminate the night before your very eyes.