42nd Annual DPS Shakespeare Festival

DPS Shakespeare Festival is the oldest and largest student Shakespeare festival in the country, and includes thousands of students and teachers from schools all across the region. Historically, the Shakespeare Festival provides a forum for students to perform sonnets and scenes from the works of Shakespeare, as well as demonstrate dance and vocal and instrumental music of Shakespeare’s time. This has been reflected in having one of Shakespeare’s plays be the central theme for each Festival.

“The mission of the DPS Shakespeare Festival is to provide a whole child experience in the arts that is accessible to 100% of DPS students. The Festival presents a joyful, rigorous, and fun exploration of Denver’s rich culture of collaboration and community.”

2026 Shakespeare Festival Theme

This year’s theme is a quote from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “The play is the thing, wherein I’ll catch conscience of the King” In alignment with DPS Citywide Events for the 2025-2026 school year theme of "Let’s Play" we urge all of our artists to explore the stories and themes of William Shakespeare's work from their own lived experience. We encourage festival participants to perform all forms of William Shakespeare’s work, from adaptations, abridgments, modern interpretations, poems, music, and dances from Shakespeare’s canon and time. The sky’s the limit!

The Festival is open and free to the public.

Date: Friday, April 24th, 2026
Time: 10am-4pm
Location: Denver Arts Complex with Opening Ceremonies at Skyline Park

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