A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare’s Globe

Shakespeare’s most magical comedy returns to the open-air stage of Shakespeare’s Globe, playing a summer season from 9 July to 29 August 2026. Under the London sky on Bankside, the tangled lovers, feuding fairies and hapless players of the Athenian wood come to life in the reconstructed Elizabethan playhouse the play was written for.

What is A Midsummer Night’s Dream about?

On the eve of a royal wedding, four young lovers flee into an enchanted forest, where the fairy king Oberon and his mischievous sprite Puck meddle with a love potion that turns the night upside down. Nearby, a troupe of amateur actors rehearses a play of their own, unaware they are about to be swept into the magic. Mistaken affections, moonlit spells and one very memorable transformation collide in Shakespeare’s funniest and most enchanting comedy.

Standing and seating at the Globe

The Globe is an open-air, roofless theatre, so performances go ahead in rain or shine and the mood shifts with the weather and the light. Standing tickets in the Yard put you right at the edge of the stage among the groundlings, just as audiences watched in Shakespeare’s day, while the covered wooden galleries offer bench seating wrapped around the stage.

Visiting Shakespeare’s Globe

Shakespeare’s Globe sits on Bankside beside the Thames, a short walk from Tate Modern and the Millennium Bridge, with plenty to see and eat along the river before the show. Booking A Midsummer Night’s Dream also opens up the rest of London’s theatre scene for your trip.