Accompanied by a group of actors “disguised as normal people”, the Jerusalem star will approach people in the street and on Tube trains, and spout lines such as “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day”.

“This is a thing that I’ve done for 15 or 17 years on Shakespeare’s birthday,” said Rylance. “The idea is to take this beautiful language and put it in the street, in a real person’s situation.”

The 12-week festival will also feature a new show by Damon Albarn and the English National Opera called Dr Dee, an exhibition of Tony Cragg’s sculpture on Exhibition Road, and daredevil dancers at London landmarks.

The London 2012 Festival is the culmination of the four-year Cultural Olympiad leading up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. See the full programme at www.london2012.com/festival

The London 2012 Festival is the finale of the Cultural Olympiad, and will feature artists Plan B, Toni Morrison, Olafur Eliasson, Miranda Hart, Deborah Warner, Mike Leigh, Leona Lewis and Damon Albarn.

More than 7 million people can enjoy free events during the London 2012 Festival. Events already announced include

• BBC Radio 1 Hackney Weekend on the opening weekend of the festival
• Big Dance
• Tino Sehgal’s commission for Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall

Today there are several new programme announcements, many of which are outside London: a free light and fire spectacular by Les Commandos Percus on the shores of Lake Windermere; an immersive theatre show for Doctor Who fans by Punchdrunk in Manchester; a free spectacular by outdoor performance specialists Walk the Plank in Chelmsford. Londoners can look forward to The 2012 Reading Challenge; a special comedy season at the Hackney Empire, and a Peace One Day concert in London on 21 September 2011, featuring Eliza Doolittle.

Sebastian Coe, London 2012 Chair, said: “We always said that the culture program would be part of the London 2012 experience.

“What you can see today is even more evidence that the London 2012 Festival programme for next year will showcase the incredible creative talent we have here in the UK. Millions will be able to get involved all across the UK, the vast majority for free; it will be a fitting finale for the Cultural Olympiad.”

Tickets for the London 2012 Festival will go on sale in October 2011. Tickets for number of Festival projects are already on sale, including Pina Bausch retrospective and Philip Glass’s Einstein on the Beach taking place at Sadler’s Wells and the Barbican.

Sign up now at www.london2012.com/festival to be first in line for information about the festival.