William Shakespeare died April 23rd 1616 - exactly 400 years ago today.
People across the world are celebrating the playwright and his work, which has become one of Britain's most famous exports of all time.
A colourful parade will go through Stratford-upon-Avon, leading onto a celebratory fireworks display and line of light in the evening.
The lights will lead the thousands of gatherers to Holy Trinity Church (below) in the town where Shakespeare was buried, before a vigil in his honour is held by his graveside.
Shakespeare attended King Edward VI school in Stratford-upon-Avon as a seven-year-old in 1571, where he and his classmates studied English, Classics, Christianity and music.
He later wrote some of the most well-known plays in history, including Hamlet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Othello, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing.
Stratford's mayor Tessa Bates said: "It's a birthday parade and the anniversary of his death parade, so it goes from the funeral, to a wake, to a birthday party.
"It ends on a really cheerful note."
"We're expecting the world and his wife to be here."
