See free Shakespeare in Central Park
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
Joseph Papp founded Free Shakespeare in the Park to make great theatre open to everyone, and The Public Theater continues to stage it at the open-air Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Tickets are free but have to be won, by queueing in the park, entering a lottery or waiting on standby.
ModerateFreeAn afternoonOutdoorsAlone or with othersNew YorkSummer
How to start
- Read The Public Theater's Free Shakespeare in the Park page to see what is being staged.
- Study the theatre's ticketing guide to the Delacorte and choose between the park line, a lottery and a borough distribution site.
- Set up a Public Theater Patron ID in advance, which the guide says you need to collect tickets.
Where to go
- The Public Theater: Free Shakespeare in the Park (official page)
- The Public Theater: ticketing guide to the Delacorte 2026 (official PDF)
We opened these links on 7 October 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
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