Plenty of fun shows coming up this festive season
Christmas is around the corner and Northern Ireland is already in full festive celebrations.
A Christmas show or classic pantomime is always great way to get yourself in the holiday spirit and support local theatre in the run up to the big day.
Whether you want a family-friendly festive outing or an adults-only performance for a Christmas night out, there are plenty of fun and festive shows coming up.
READ MORE: First look at magical Lisburn Light Trail taking place at Castle Gardens this ChristmasREAD MORE: Alternative Christmas market happening on Sundays in Belfast this festive season
It would be impossible to list all the brilliant shows and performances happening for Christmas 2025, we have rounded up a number of pantos, plays and musicals across the country to check out:
Elf Inspectors – The MAC
We regret to inform you that the Magic of Christmas has disappeared.
As a result, you and your esteemed family of Elf Inspectors are cordially invited to come along to meet the elves and investigate why they have fallen short (pun intended). If you accept this invitation, you will observe and even assist the elves as they try to bring back the Magic of Christmas.
This show is a fun and festive multi-sensory Christmas theatre experience for all the family, brought to you by award winning Children’s Theatre Company, Replay.
Find out more here
The Adventures of Pinocchio – Grand Opera House
The Adventures of Pinocchio brings you all the hallmark features of a traditional Grand Opera House panto with thrilling song-and-dance, beautiful costumes, dazzling staging and effects and laugh-out-loud comedy.
Belfast’s much-loved pantomime Dame, May McFettridge, who has appeared on the Theatre’s stage over 3,000 times, leads the cast as Mrs Geppetto. Joining May in her record-breaking 35th Grand Opera House pantomime season are Belfast panto favourites Paddy Jenkins, as Jiminy Cricket, and comedian Adam C Booth in the title role of Pinocchio.
Find out more here
Beauty and the Beast – Millennium Forum
Beauty and the Beast opens at the city’s premier theatre on Friday 28th November and runs throughout the festive season until Wednesday 31st December. The Christmas Eve matinee performance at 1.00pm will allow local audiences to experience the festive magic in anticipation for Santa’s arrival later that night.
The North West’s biggest panto features an all-new cast that welcomes Gary Wilson as the brand new Dame – the delightful, Dame Dolly! Joining Gary onstage is the cream of local talent with Luke de Belder as The Beast, Eimear Friel as Belle, Aodhan Kehoe as the arrogant, Danton, Karen Hawthorne as Fairy Formidable and Niamh Morrison as the loveable Loopy Lolly, plus a hugely talented ensemble cast.
Find out more here
Jack and the Beanstalk – Waterfront Hall
Following last year’s record breaking festive season, the Waterfront Studio Family Pantomime is BACK and promises to reach new heights with this year’s GIANT fairy-tale adventure, Jack and the Beanstalk.
This magical family experience from GBL productions in partnership with Waterfront Studio will include all the winning ingredients you’ve come to know and love from pantomime in the intimate surroundings of the Waterfront Studio: a host of colourful characters, slapstick comedy, a soundtrack including all your favourite hits, audience participation and sparkling festive spectacle aplenty.
Add to that the pantomime’s renowned and distinctive local flavour and you’ve a great big Belfast hug of a Christmas show to look forward to!
Find out more here
Sleeping Beauty – Belvior Studio Theatre Belfast
The Belvoir Players are thrilled to present their spectacular pantomime, Sleeping Beauty by the master of panto, Alan P Frayn!
Join us at the Belvoir Studio Theatre from 17th December 2025 to 3rd January 2026, for a hilarious and enchanting adventure.
Will the Prince break the evil fairy’s curse? Will Sleeping Beauty ever wake up?
Expect side-splitting family-friendly comedy, dazzling costumes, toe-tapping tunes, and plenty of audience participation for the whole family!
Find out more here
Robin Hood – Theatre at the Mill
Arrows at the ready! Yellow Jumper Productions are back at Theatre at The Mill with Robin Hood: The Panto, running from Tuesday 2 December 2025 to Saturday 3 January 2026.
Written and directed by Sarah Lyle, once again it’s packed with loads of laughs, memorable music, magic and mischief for all ages.
Bringing the fun this year is Tiarnán McCarron as Robin Hood, Laura Francisca Shaw as Maid Martini, Lennin Nelson-McClure as Dame Little Joan, and Aaron Ferguson as the fearsome Sheriff of Nothingman, all colourfully bringing Newtownabbey to life this festive season.
Can Robin outsmart the Sheriff? Will Maid Martini finally win his heart? And what is Sister Buck up to this time?
Find out more here
Red Riding Hoodz Adult Panto – Waterfront Studio
The iconic adult pantomime returns to the Waterfront Studio in Belfast with Red Riding Hoodz from 28 November to 28 December 2025, a twist on a fairytale classic!
After the hugely successful, Sleeping with Beauty and Jack and his Belfast Beanstalk, GBL Productions are excited to bring you their latest pantomime that is strictly for adults! Belfast’s ONE and ONLY late night Adult Panto returns to the Waterfront Studio Belfast from 28 November 2025 with Red Riding Hoodz.
Unlike any other telling of this well known fairytale, Red Riding Hoodz is not for the faint hearted or prudish, you have been warned.
Find out more here
A Christmas
After enchanting audiences and earning rave reviews in 2024, this joyously reimagined version of Charles Dickens’ Christmas classic, brought to life by award-winning playwright Marie Jones, returns to the Lyric Theatre. We’re thrilled to welcome back this festive favourite and ready to fill the season with Christmas cheer!
Nobody hates Christmas more than the selfish miser Ebenezer Scrooge. But on a cold Christmas Eve, he’s taken on an extraordinary journey through time that presents him with an opportunity to face his past — and change the future — before time runs out.
Under Jones’ masterful touch, this beloved, big-hearted tale is brought to life with wit, music and merriment, promising an unforgettable theatrical experience for audiences young and young-at-heart.
Find out more here
Jack Frost – The MAC
A snow-swirling, frost-twinkling Christmas adventure for the whole family!
In a hidden town, where the frost glows and the snow sings, a great translucent bell—the legendary Frozen Bell — rings just once a year on the Winter Solstice. But when it tolls more than once, it signals a warning: winter’s magic is in danger!
The mischievous and brave Jack Frost, must join forces with a team of extraordinary friends to protect the season from the forces of darkness. Alongside his enchanted friends—his loyal guardian Saint Nicholas, Jon the talking snowman, Hoot the owl, and Neve the snow angel, Jack embarks on a thrilling quest.
Find out more here
Jack and the Beanstalk – St Columb’s Hall Derry
Derry’s Grove Theatre Group is delighted to announce that its beloved family pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk, will take to the stage at the iconic St Columb’s Hall this December. The production forms part of a year-long celebration marking 45 years of the Grove Theatre’s contribution to the arts in the Northwest.
The Grove Theatre Group has long been recognised as a launchpad for some of the city’s best-known performers, including Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, Bronagh Gallagher, and Damian McGinty.
Jack and the Beanstalk runs from Friday 12 December to Sunday 21 December 2025. Public matinees take place on Saturday 13 December and Sunday 14 December at 2.30pm, with additional matinees on Saturday 20 December at 1.30pm and 5.30pm. School and group morning performances will be held on Friday 12, Wednesday 17, and Thursday 18 December at 10am.
Find out more here
Goldilocks and the Three Bears – Lagan Valley Island Lisburn
This Christmas, Lisnagarvey Operatic and Dramatic Society are delighted to invite you to join them at the Lagan Valley Island for their annual festive Pantomime, Goldilocks and the Three Bears!
With the same team of producers and writer that brought you last year’s Snow White and 2023’s Aladdin, get ready for slapstick nonsense, catchy songs, eye-catching visuals and Dad jokes to keep every family member happy! With just the right amount of festive mischief, this fun-filled show is perfect for the whole family.
Will Goldilocks find the perfect porridge? Will the Three Bears get their big top back? And will there be just enough silliness for everyone? (Oh yes there will!)
Find out more here
The Christmassy Christmas Show of Christmassy Christmasness – Queen’s Hall Newtownards
The Christmassy Christmas Show of Christmassy Christmasness! is a celebration of everything Christmassy, from fir trees, fairy lights, sleigh bells and snowflakes to crackers, carols, presents and puddings!
Join Craig as he goes on a quest to find The Twelve Sprouts of Christmas, and along the way spot some naughty elves, meet a wise-cracking snowman, say hello to an over-excited Christmas puppy, endure the world’s worst Christmas jumper and gaze in wonder at the “beautiful” Christmas fairy…
The Christmassy Christmas Show of Christmassy Christmasness! is an over-stuffed stocking of seasonal surprises crammed with puppets, songs and comedy, and over-flowing with crazy characters, silly slapstick, tall tales and fantastic facts.
Find out more here
Mother Goose – Portadown Town Hall
Mother Goose and her family are struggling to pay for their rent when along comes the magic Goose who lays the golden eggs.
But this isn’t just any ordinary story of rags to riches, it’s a ‘be careful what you wish for’ tale. Money or beauty? Mother Goose is deeply distracted by the Demon Discontent who promises to give her beauty, the thing she has always wanted.
Will the Fairy Happiness help Mother Goose find her path in life, to be content and keep her beloved Goosey?
Find out more here
Deck the Hols – Grand Opera House Studio
Scarlett from the Wind Yer Neck Inn is back from living her nightmare as an actress in New York. After discovering she’s adopted and fearing she’s lost her identity, Scarlett takes herself off to a Spanish island to try to trace her family (Christmas) tree.
Will Scarlett find herself? Will her Christmas wish of a new family come true? Or could the regulars of the beach bar be the twinkling light that guides her home?
Let the team behind Elvis Yourself A Merry Little Christmas and Are Yule Being Served? give you some adult LOLS during the Christmas hols for this year’s seasonal, festive fiesta in the Grand Opera House Studio.
Find out more here
Mr Hullabaloo’s Winter Wonderland – The Burnavon Cookstown
Come Celebrate the season of ice and snow with Mr Hullabaloo and friends as we visit the Winter Woods together in search of Santa Claus.
This show is sure to warm your heart and make Winter Dreams come true as you will be treated to some magical tales from our enchanted Kingdom. In this show Cousin Ola must go on a journey to find the Winter elves.
Dotty and Sprinkles bake a gingerbread man quite unlike any other. can you help us catch him? From frosty Snowmen and reindeers to gingerbread houses good enough to eat, this show is sure to bring a little seasonal cheer to last throughout the year!
Featuring live storytelling together with puppetry, sing along songs, stories and lots of audience participation, this festive show is not to be missed.
Find out more here
Cinderella – The Ardhowen Enniskillen
Lakeland Players Present: Cinderella – A Magical 40th Anniversary Pantomime!
Get ready for glitz, giggles, and glass slippers as the Lakeland Players proudly present Cinderella – the ultimate rags-to-riches tale, packed with all the fun and new years cheer you’d expect from this classic family pantomime!
Join us as we start to celebrate 40 fabulous years of Lakeland Players magic with a sparkling production full of colourful characters, catchy songs, slapstick comedy, and plenty of audience participation. Will Cinderella escape the clutches of her Ugly Stepsisters? Will Prince Charming find the girl of his dreams? And can Buttons keep everything (and himself) from falling apart?
With dazzling costumes, toe-tapping tunes, and a sprinkle of fairy dust, this year’s pantomime promises to be our most magical yet!
Find out more here
Little Bo Peep’s Christmas Mix Up – Strule Arts Centre Omagh
Little Bo Peep and her beloved pet Baa-Baa the Black Sheep take care of some very special sheep who give their wool to make Santa’s Christmas Jumper as he flies around the world on Christmas Eve. Every year Bo Peep, Baa-Baa and their great friend Dinfa, take the sheep to the Christmas Fair to be shorn – but the beautiful Queen of Hearts has lost her phone and has turned up to open the Fair too soon.
Things could be sorted…but Horror! – Bo Peep’s sheep are missing and soon – so is Baa-Baa! Just as a very strange witchy person arrives who wants to win Master Chef with her recipe for roast lamb instead of turkey for Christmas Dinner…!
Can the boys and girls help find Baa-Baa and the sheep and ensure that Santa gets to stay warm and bring Christmas to the whole world?’
Find out more here
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