Comedy, tragedy and history are all set to befall Liverpool city centre this weekend.

On Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 April, dozens of venues across Liverpool city centre will be embracing the bard as they take part inThe Complete Walk – a special tribute to the work of William Shakespeare.

To mark the 400^th anniversary of the death of one of the world’s most famous playwrights, Liverpool is the only UK city outside of London to host this special FREE event which will see a series of 37 specially commissioned short films played on screens at city centre venues.

Some of those taking part and showing the ten minute films on a loop are World Museum Liverpool, The Beatles Story, Lime Street and Albert Dock Tourist Information Centres and Vinea at Albert Dock Liverpool.

A digital map showing where all the venues are can be found at www.cultureliverpool.co.uk/thecompletewalk.  A flyer can also be downloaded which has full details of the screenings, and this can also be collected from one of the 35 venues taking part.

Liverpool’s Director of Culture, Claire McColgan, said:

“The Complete Walk offers up a fantastic culture-packed weekend, whether you’re a Shakespeare aficionado or someone yet to discover the world-renowned plays – and best of all, it’s free. We are the only UK city outside of London to host this event, and we’re delighted Shakespeare’s Globe has recognised the valuable contribution Liverpool can add to the project as a whole. It’s great to see so many venues in the city centre support this event – from hotels to civic buildings right through to restaurants and cultural attractions.  Some of them have a real affinity with the play they are hosting – the courts at St George’s Hall’s fit in well withThe Merchant of Venice and Bluecoat’s balcony makes them the perfect home for Romeo and Juliet. We hope as many people make the most of this opportunity to see famous faces bring to life some of the Bard’s most famous works, in just ten minutes.”

Martin King of The Beatles Story said:

“We are thrilled to be one of the locations in the city participating in The Complete Walk. We will be showing The Merry Wives of Windsor in the Fab Four Café at the Albert Dock as we join together with other city venues to commemorate 400 years since Shakespeare’s death. The Complete Walk is a great event to celebrate the works of Shakespeare and we’re looking forward to welcoming people to enjoy one of the playwright’s great comedies, as for a special weekend Shakespeare’s popular comedic character, Sir John Falstaff, becomes the fifth Beatle.”

Jon Marrow, Senior Education Manager at National Museums Liverpool, said:

“We’ll be showing Richard III at World Museum, and are really excited to be welcoming people into the venue to celebrate the life and works of such an important figure in literary history. We’d also encourage visitors to call into the Walker Art Gallery to see William Hogarth’s David Garrick as Richard III, an incredible portrait of the greatest British actor of the mid 18th century playing the leading role in the play.”

 34 venues are involved in the project. The films they are showing and the times (which are subject to change) are as follows:

For more information about The Complete Walk visit www.cultureliverpool.co.uk/thecompletewalk or like @culturelpool on Twitter of follow Culture Liverpool on Facebook.