Shakespeare in the Gardens 2026

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Come celebrate the work and times of the Great Bard with us on Sunday 19 April. See Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha transform into an Elizabethan pageant of music, craft, botanical discoveries and Shakespearian delights; highlighted by outdoor performances of Half-Hour Hamlet and Instant Romeo and Juliet by the Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble and Shakespearian inspired music pieces by the Indooroopilly Chamber Orchestra. There's lots to see, hear and do. Listen to the dulcet tones of our Renaissance musicians - lute, viol and harp - in the Japanese Garden. Take a guided walk to view the flowers and plants featured in Shakespeare's plays, or the Elizabethan medicinal herbs growing in our Physic Garden. Watch the fencing and Elizabethan dancing displays, or better still, join in yourselves. Learn about the exciting New World plant discoveries happening at that time, or see what was growing already in the traditional English garden. Visit our apothecary stall to learn how plants were important elements in dyes, medicine, cosmetics and beverages (such as mead, hippocras and beer). Whether it's the latest in Elizabethan beauty tips, or what the royal chefs are using as spice blends - we've all the latest in Tudor trends. Make your own pomander bead, try your hand dyeing with indigo or binding your very own book. Watch the mad monk explain the ins and outs of making Tudor beer, try (and buy) some delicious mead, or spend time watching the dyers, spinners, weavers and felters. And don't forget to check out what's cooking (and tasting) in our Elizabethan Kitchen. This year we welcome back the Society for Creative Anachronism - check out their authentic Elizabethan/Tudor clothes or watch them going about aspects of daily Tudor life. Grab a royal Tudor selfie as Good Queen Bess or Shakespeare himself. Grab a glass of mead from Amrita Meadery and enjoy your picnic lunch on the Amphitheatre Lawn as you watch all the fun of the fair. For more information, email BotGardensSHA@brisbane.qld.gov.au