A Mid-September Festival — for Shakespeare

Picture England’s Stratford-upon-Avon in the year 1584 — William Shakespeare’s hometown in his heyday.

People stroll while chickens and other creatures scurry underfoot, the aroma of roasting meat fills the air, and from afar you hear the cries of a jousting match. 

These are the sights, sounds and smells that will be recreated this weekend at Ardenwood Farm during the Third Annual Ardenwood Shakespeare Festival & Renaissance Faire on Sept. 10 and 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Hosted by the farm, the event is run by Renaissance Productions, which will bring Shakespeare’s plays and characters to life in an “Elizabethan town filled with myriad characters and vignettes resembling those of Shakespeare's plays we so dearly love,” according to the event’s website. 

“People will stroll the grounds of the small village, turkey legs in hand. They can visit the Renaissance shops, they can listen to storytelling,” said Trent Pearce of Ardenwood Farm.

More than 900 costumed entertainers and 100-plus shopkeepers and artisans will add to the authentic feel of the Faire.

For more information, visit the event website or contact Ardenwood Farm, part of the East Bay Regional Park District, at 510-544-2787.