Hundreds of lit lanterns hanging above the audience at the Old Vic, with musicians in top hats and long coats playing on a wooden stage between the seats

Things to do

Christmas Shows and Pantomimes in London 2026

Every Christmas show in London for 2026: the pantomimes from the Palladium to Stratford East, both Nutcrackers, three Christmas Carols, The Snowman, and the shows for under-fives, with dates, prices, running times and age guidance.

In this guide

💡 The Short Version: For a proper panto, the London Palladium’s Cinderella has the stars (Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders as the Ugly Sisters, with Julian Clary) but is not for young children, and nobody under four gets in. Stratford East, the Lyric Hammersmith and the Hackney Empire cost less, with cheapest seats from £6 to £10. The Snowman at the Peacock (from £18, 90 minutes) and Little Angel’s two shows (£8.50 at some weekday 4.45pm performances) are the ones for under-fives. English National Ballet’s Nutcracker is at the Coliseum from 17 December. The Old Vic’s A Christmas Carol, for eight and over, opens on 10 November. Every Christmas show in our listings is at the bottom of the page, updated daily.

Pantomimes

Cinderella, London Palladium

The London Palladium's gilded proscenium arch and stage boxes, lit by chandeliers, with a bare stage in blue light

The London Palladium’s proscenium and boxes, seen from the circle.

5 December 2026 – 10 January 2027, from £25 with no booking fees. Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders play the Ugly Sisters, together on a West End stage for the first time in 17 years, with Julian Clary, wand in hand.

Read the age advice before booking. The theatre says the show includes playful innuendo and cheeky jokes and is not tailored for young children, and it doesn’t admit anyone under four. Hospitality packages with a reserved table start at £40 a head on top of the ticket. Book on the Palladium’s site. Also sold by London Box Officead.

Robin Hood and the Merry Mandem, Stratford East

The red and gold auditorium of Theatre Royal Stratford East, with a curved circle, stage boxes and a safety curtain painted as red drapes

Theatre Royal Stratford East, with the Stalls below and the Dress Circle curving round to the stage.

21 November 2026 – 2 January 2027. The Theatre Royal Stratford East panto, rated suitable for all ages and running about two hours plus an interval. Its box office had seats from £6 to £41.50 when checked. Under-twos can sit on a lap for £1, and the theatre suggests under-fives sit in the Stalls or Dress Circle rather than up in the Upper Circle. Access performances: BSL 11 December, captioned 18 December, audio described 19 December, relaxed 2 January. Dates and tickets.

Cinderella, Lyric Hammersmith

14 November 2026 – 3 January 2027, £10 to £48. Written by Joel Horwood, who wrote the Lyric’s Aladdin in 2016, and directed by Robin Belfield. £10 tickets are available during previews, and Young Lyric members get two £5 tickets. Children under 18 months don’t need a ticket. Access performances: relaxed 1 December at 10am, audio described 10 December, BSL 11 December, captioned 16 December. Dates and tickets.

Jack and the Beanstalk, Hackney Empire

The Hackney Empire's auditorium from the stalls, with gilded and painted boxes either side of the stage and chandeliers in the ceiling

The Hackney Empire, with its gilded boxes either side of the stage.

21 November – 31 December 2026, £10 to £48. Directed by and starring Olivier winner Clive Rowe. Hackney Empire’s site has dates and tickets.

Potted Panto, Apollo Theatre

6 December 2026 – 3 January 2027. Seven classic pantomimes in 70 minutes, from the Olivier-nominated Potted Panto team. Also sold by London Box Officead.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Tower Theatre

3 – 19 December 2026, £5 to £8. The cheapest panto in this guide: £8 standard, £7 concessions and £5 for under-18s online. Tickets bought at the door usually cost £2 more. Book online.

Christmas plays

A Christmas Carol, The Old Vic

Hundreds of lit lanterns hanging above the audience at the Old Vic, with musicians in top hats and long coats playing on a wooden stage between the seats

A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic: the lanterns hang over the audience, who sit on both sides of the stage.

10 November 2026 – 9 January 2027, £19.50 to £91.50. Matthew Warchus’s production of Jack Thorne’s adaptation, back for another Christmas. It runs about two hours including a 20-minute interval, and the Old Vic suggests it for ages eight and up. Previews (10–23 November) and the off-peak dates in January (1–9 January) top out at £81.50 instead of £91.50. Access performances include audio described and BSL on 12 December and captioned on 14 December, and there’s an access rate of £23.50–£26.50 at every performance. Dates and tickets. Also sold by London Box Officead.

Christmas Carol Goes Wrong, Wyndham’s Theatre

18 December 2026 – 23 January 2027, from £15. Mischief, the company behind The Play That Goes Wrong, turn the Dickens story into a disaster, with the cast feuding over who plays Scrooge while the set comes apart. It runs until 23 January. Also sold by London Box Officead.

Sherlock Holmes and the 12 Days of Christmas, Alexandra Palace

The theatre at Alexandra Palace, with rows of orange seats in the stalls and circle, bare peeling walls and an ornate plaster ceiling lit in orange

The theatre at Alexandra Palace, with bare, peeling walls round the circle and an ornate ceiling above.

24 November 2026 – 17 January 2027. A Christmas Sherlock Holmes mystery in the theatre at Alexandra Palace. It runs two and a half hours with an interval and is recommended for 10 and over: the theatre warns of moderate language, innuendo and gunshot sound effects. Captioned 3 January, audio described 12 January. Dates and tickets.

The Little Match Girl, Wilton’s Music Hall

Wilton's Music Hall in blue light, with fairy lights along the balcony fronts, twisted columns beneath and a wooden stage under a high arched ceiling

Wilton’s Music Hall, with fairy lights along the balcony and barley-twist columns holding it up.

3 December 2026 – 2 January 2027. 80 minutes including an interval, at Wilton’s in Whitechapel. Full price £16 to £35, under-12s £8 to £27. Dates and tickets.

Nutcrackers

Nutcracker, English National Ballet, London Coliseum

The London Coliseum at night, its tower topped by a lit globe, with an audience going in under a pink-lit entrance canopy

The London Coliseum at night, with the globe lit on top of its tower.

17 December 2026 – 10 January 2027, from £27.25 including fees. Tchaikovsky’s ballet, two hours including one interval. Under-16s get 25% off. The age guidance is five and over, and under-fives are only admitted at the family-friendly matinee on Saturday 9 January. Audio described 19 December, with a touch tour; relaxed 7 January. Dates and tickets. Also sold by London Box Officead.

The Nutcracker, Soho Theatre

22 December 2026 – 3 January 2027, from £15. A 70-minute Nutcracker for ages five and up, shorter than the Coliseum’s two hours and from about half the price. Prices include Soho Theatre’s £2 restoration levy and £2 booking fee. Dates and tickets.

For young children

The Snowman, Peacock Theatre

The Peacock Theatre's entrance, with its name in gold letters above a canopy of bare bulbs and glass doors beneath

The Peacock Theatre’s entrance canopy. The Snowman opens here on 21 November.

21 November 2026 – 3 January 2027, from £18 plus a £4 transaction fee. A new production this year, the world premiere of Will Tuckett’s staging, still built around Raymond Briggs’s story and the film. An hour and a half including a 20-minute interval. Suitable for all ages; children two and over need a ticket. Family tickets are £150 for three and £200 for four. Relaxed 2 December, audio described 12 December. Dates and tickets. Also sold by London Box Officead.

The Snowflake, Little Angel Theatre

Children and adults on wooden pews at Little Angel Theatre, a few feet from a small stage with a painted puppet booth, under a rig of stage lights

Little Angel Theatre in Islington, where the audience sits a few feet from the stage.

21 November 2026 – 23 January 2027. About 50 minutes, for all ages, on chairs and soft blocks round three sides of the stage, with up to 75 in the audience. Child tickets are £16, and every seat is £8.50 at the 4.45pm Thursday shows and £12 at the 4.45pm Friday ones. Relaxed 17 January, BSL 16 January. Dates and tickets.

Scruff’s Christmas Adventure, Little Angel Theatre

28 November 2026 – 3 January 2027. Aimed at three to six, about 35 minutes, and not designed for under-threes. Child tickets £16; every seat is £8.50 at the 4.45pm Wednesday shows and £12 at the 5pm Friday ones. Relaxed 12 December, BSL 19 December. Dates and tickets.

Santa’s First Christmas, Unicorn Theatre

14 November 2026 – 3 January 2027. From Mac Barnett and Sydney Smith’s picture book, told mainly through dance and music, for ages four and up, about 50 minutes. The Unicorn’s box office had seats from £7 to £31.50 when checked. Dates and tickets.

The Gingerbread Man, The Albany

5 – 24 December 2026, £13 to £15, or four tickets for £44. A 50-minute show at the Albany in Deptford. Babies under 18 months don’t need a ticket. The 11am show on Saturday 12 December is both BSL-interpreted and relaxed. Dates and tickets.

Stick Man, Bloomsbury Theatre

3 December 2026 – 3 January 2027, with seats from £10 to £40 in the box office when checked, at UCL’s Bloomsbury Theatre on Gordon Street.

Every Christmas show in the listings

Every show below comes from the venues’ own box offices and Ticketmaster, updated daily, so it includes carol concerts, Messiahs and Christmas comedy nights as they’re announced. For carols in churches, including the free ones, see the carols section of our Christmas guide.

Each show at its next date, updated 23 September 2026. Follow a title for every date and the booking page.

Tuesday10 November

Wednesday11 November

Thursday12 November

Saturday14 November

Sunday15 November

Thursday19 November

Saturday21 November

Tuesday24 November

Saturday28 November

Tuesday1 December

Wednesday2 December

Thursday3 December

Friday4 December

Saturday5 December

Sunday6 December

Monday7 December

Tuesday8 December

Wednesday9 December

Thursday10 December

Friday11 December

Saturday12 December

Sunday13 December

Monday14 December

Tuesday15 December

Wednesday16 December

Thursday17 December

Friday18 December

Saturday19 December

Sunday20 December

Monday21 December

Tuesday22 December

Wednesday23 December

Thursday24 December

Monday28 December

Tuesday29 December

Wednesday30 December

Continue planning your London trip

Dates, prices, running times and age guidance from each theatre’s own website or box office, checked 22 September 2026. Prices change as performances sell, so check the booking page.

Common questions

Which London panto is best for young children?

Stratford East's Robin Hood and the Merry Mandem is rated suitable for all ages, and the Lyric Hammersmith's Cinderella has a relaxed performance on 1 December. The London Palladium's Cinderella is the one to think twice about with small children: the theatre says its humour includes innuendo and it isn't tailored for young children, and nobody under four is admitted.

What's the cheapest Christmas show in London?

Little Angel Theatre in Islington charges £8.50 for every seat at its 4.45pm Thursday shows of The Snowflake and its 4.45pm Wednesday shows of Scruff's Christmas Adventure. Among the pantos, the Lyric Hammersmith has £10 tickets during previews, and Stratford East's cheapest seats in the box office were £6 when checked.

Is there a Nutcracker in London at Christmas 2026?

English National Ballet's Nutcracker is at the London Coliseum from 17 December 2026 to 10 January 2027, from £27.25 including fees, with 25% off for under-16s. Soho Theatre has a 70-minute Nutcracker for ages five and up from 22 December to 3 January, from £15.

Can under-fives go to the Nutcracker?

At the Coliseum, only at the family-friendly matinee on Saturday 9 January 2027: English National Ballet's age guidance is five and over, and under-fives aren't admitted to other performances. The Snowman at the Peacock is suitable for all ages, and children aged two and over need a ticket.

How long is The Snowman at the Peacock Theatre?

An hour and a half, including a 20-minute interval. This year's is a new production, directed and choreographed by Will Tuckett, running from 21 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, from £18 plus a £4 transaction fee.

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