The pantomime is the great Northern Irish Christmas tradition — a Dame, a baddie to boo, a singalong and a bag of sweets. Here are ten of the best, one for every kind of family.
How to choose — the big city theatres (Grand Opera House, Millennium Forum) do the full West-End-scale spectacle; the town arts centres and community pantos are warmer, closer and easier on the wallet. There's a right one for a first-timer toddler and a right one for panto-mad grandparents.
Book early — really. Pantos go on sale in the summer and the best Saturday and school-holiday dates sell out weeks ahead. The Grand Opera House has been known to sell tens of thousands of tickets before opening night. Don't leave it to December.
Shows change every year. This year it might be Cinderella, next year Aladdin — so we've listed the venues and what each panto is like, not a title that'll be out of date. Every entry links to the theatre's own page for this season's show and dates.
Little ones — for a child's very first theatre trip, the smaller, shorter shows (The MAC, the Waterfront Studio, the town arts centres) are gentler than a big loud auditorium. Most venues suggest a minimum age — check before you book.
Make a day of it — nearly every one of these sits in a town centre with Christmas lights, cafés and shops on the doorstep. Pair the panto with a wander round the markets and you've got the whole festive day.
1
Grand Opera House Pantomime
Belfast · late Nov–early Jan · the big one
This is the flagship — the one with the West-End-scale sets, a live band, a star name or two and a Dame who's spent years perfecting the role. Staged in Belfast's most beautiful old theatre, all gilt and velvet under the famous painted ceiling, it runs from late November right through to early January and regularly sells tens of thousands of tickets before opening night. If you do just one panto this year and you want the full spectacle, make it this one.
Late Nov – early JanThe full big-stage spectacleNI's biggest panto — books out early, grab dates
The largest theatre in the north west throws everything at its Christmas pantomime — dazzling costumes, big dance routines, proper special effects and the kind of local comedy that has a Derry audience roaring. It's the anchor of the festive season in the walled city, running through December, and it draws families from all across the north west and Donegal. A warm, loud, joyful night out.
Nov – DecThe north west's big pantoPopular — book school-holiday dates ahead
A friendly, modern theatre just north of Belfast that has quietly built one of the most-loved family pantos in the country — fully interactive, packed with singalong songs, and pitched perfectly for younger children who want to boo the baddie and cheer the hero. It often runs two shows over the season (a family panto plus a grown-up comedy), so check which one suits. Easy parking and a gentler ticket price than the big city houses.
Nov – JanBeloved family panto · easy parkingTwo shows some years — pick the family one
The MAC does Christmas a little differently — a beautifully-designed, story-led family show (a much-loved picture book brought to the stage, say) rather than traditional slapstick panto. It's the pick for families with younger children who'd find the big pantos loud, and for anyone who likes their festive theatre with real craft and heart. Right in the buzzy Cathedral Quarter, so easy to make a whole afternoon of it.
Nov – JanGentle, story-led · great for little onesCheck the suggested age — aimed young
Belfast's riverside concert hall runs a panto in its Studio space — a more intimate setting than the big auditoriums, which younger children often prefer because they're right up close to the action. Classic panto fun — a fairy tale, a Dame, plenty of "he's behind you!" — wrapped up in one of the city's landmark buildings on the Lagan. Combine it with a walk along the river and the Christmas lights.
Nov – JanIntimate Studio · close to the actionSmall room — seats go quickly
Armagh's handsome city-centre theatre stages a proper family pantomime every December — a big, colourful production with a strong local following, in a comfortable 400-seat auditorium that's just the right size for a child's first trip to the theatre. Warm, well-run and central, with bars and a restaurant on site to round off the outing.
DecemberRight-sized for a first theatre tripStrong local following — book ahead
One of the great traditions of the Northern Irish festive calendar — the Newry Panto has been running for over fifty years, staged by a devoted cast of local players in the grand old Town Hall astride the river. It's community theatre at its warmest and funniest, the kind of show where half the audience knows someone up on the stage, and it sells out year after year. Heritage, heart and belly laughs in equal measure.
Dec – Jan50+ years · community pantoSells out every year — book the moment it opens
Ballymena's arts and civic centre puts on a festive family show each December — bright, friendly and local, and an easy, affordable outing for families across mid-Antrim who don't fancy the drive into Belfast. A lovely first-theatre-trip option, with the town's shops and cafés right on the doorstep for before or after.
DecemberLocal, affordable · mid-AntrimShort season — dates are limited
Fermanagh's theatre sits in a beautiful spot on the shores of Upper Lough Erne, and its Christmas pantomime is the highlight of the county's festive season — a proper family panto that draws audiences from right across the lakelands. Intimate, welcoming and well worth the trip for anyone in the south west, with the lough views thrown in for free.
DecemberFermanagh's festive highlight · lough viewsSmall venue — the lakelands book it out
A modern, state-of-the-art arts centre in the heart of Omagh that hosts a family pantomime each Christmas — comfortable seating, a central location and a programme built around local families. The easy, close-to-home choice for the festive theatre trip if you're anywhere in west or mid Tyrone.
DecemberModern, central · built for familiesPopular locally — book school-holiday dates early
Want the full spectacle? The Grand Opera House in Belfast or the Millennium Forum in Derry — big stages, big casts, big nights.
First-ever theatre trip for a toddler? The MAC, the Waterfront Studio or your local town arts centre — shorter, gentler and closer up.
Love a bit of heart and heritage? Newry's 50-year community panto is the warmest ticket in the country.
Keep exploring
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