Pantomimes In Kent

PANTOMIMES IN KENT 2024
Top Christmas Pantos in the Garden of England

See the best Christmas pantomimes in Kent for 2024 and get ready to shout They’re Behind You! Pantomimes in Kent for 2024 offer a magical escape into fantastical worlds, filled with enchanting characters, dazzling costumes, and plenty of festive laughter. For the top pantos in audience participation, slapstick comedy, fairy tales and fables and some dame-tastic fun Kent has it all! Don’t miss our history of pantos at the bottom to find out where pantomimes originated from.
∗
Click on ‘Read More’ for our listing for full details of for these fantastic Christmas shows. Secure tickets with our advertisers and click on Book Now.

By Julia Roy

PANTOMIMES IN KENT 2024
SOUTH KENT

Aladdin
The Tower Theatre, Folkestone
Step into a world of enchantment with the fabulous Christmas pantomime Aladdin!
See this classic fairytale of true love, magical wishes and a treasure trove of festive fun, that’s simply Genie-us! Join Aladdin, Jasmine, and the eccentric Genie on a journey filled with love, adventure, and a touch of mischievous mayhem. With colourful costumes, plenty of silliness, laugh-out-loud comedy and a sparkling cast Aladdin is perfect for all the family!
Date: 13th to 15th, 20th to 24th, and 27th to 29th December 2024. Approximate running time is 2 hours and 30 minutes, doors open one hour before each performance. Price: Stalls – Member: £18, Adult: £20, Under 18 years: £13, Family ticket – 2 adults + 2 children – under 18 years: £63. Gallery – Member: £16, Adult: £18,  Under 18 years: £13, Family ticket- 2 adults + 2 children: £58. Read More

Avoid Disappointment
Book Here
****

The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz 
Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone
Go on a journey down the Yellow Brick Road with this enchanting pantomime and join Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. Join them on the unforgettable quest to meet the Wizard of Oz.
Date: 13th to 17th, 19th to 24th and 26th to 31st December 2024. Price: £15 to £20.50.
Read More

PANTOMIMES IN KENT 2024
NORTH KENT

Cinderella
Hazlitt Theatre, Maidstone
Christmas Pantomimes include the legendary tale of mischievous magic and midnight love for a great family festive show. Follow Cinderella on her journey to the Ball with all the classic pantomime spells – roaring comedy, smash-hit songs, and a whirlwind romance. Along your panto journey, meet Cinderella’s evil step sisters, the Fairy Godmother, and Prince Charming.
Date: From the 30th of November to the 31st of December 2024. Price: prices from £26-£28, Family Special shows – certain dates only: £18, family of 4: from £88 to £96, school tickets available. Booking fees apply.
∗∗Special offer – £1 on every ticket booked before the end of August 2024 – excluding family 4 tickets.∗∗

Read More

ADULTS ONLY
Jack And His Giant Stalk
Hazlitt Theatre, Maidstone
Pantomimes in Kent starts 2025 with this adult pantomime Jack And His Giant Stalk at the Hazlitt Theatre. With only three actors, a minimal set and props, can they corrupt another classic fairy tale beyond recognition with their unique style of Adult Panto? Get ready for an evening of slick, fast-moving, farcical fun and bawdy sexual innuendo for adults only.
Date: 10th of January 2025. Price: £23. Booking fees apply.
Read More

”Must-see Christmas holiday events that promise laughter,
excitement, and unforgettable memories”

Jack & The Beanstalk
The Woodville, Gravesend
Join Jack on a thrilling escapade as he exchanges his cherished cow for magical beans, as he scales the colossal beanstalk to a realm of danger and wonder, facing a formidable giant. Will Jack outwit his foes to rescue his udderly adorable cow Pat and his sweetheart Jill, or will he face a dizzying fall?
Time: From the 6th of December 2024 to the 5th of January 2025. Price: Child: £17-£20. Adult: £20-£28. School tickets are available. Booking fees may apply.
Read More

Sign up for See Kent’s Newsletter for the latest updates on what’s on and things to do in Kent. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Jack And The Beanstalk
Central Theatre, Chatham
Pantomimes in Kent for 2024 includes this classic where Jack, Dame Trott, CBeebies’ Katy Ashworth and the lovable Clarabelle the Cow offer an unforgettable escapade filled with FE-FI-FO-FUN! It also stars Joe McFadden as Fleshcreep and Andrew Curphey (Britain’s Got Talent, 2024) as Silly Billy.
Date: 12th December 2024 to 5th January 2025. Price: Preview Night: £17, Standard tickets: From £20.50. School and group tickets are available Booking fees may apply.
Read More

Sleeping Beauty
Orchard West Theatre, Dartford
When the wicked fairy Carabosse’s evil curse causes the Princess to prick her finger on a spinning wheel and fall into an enchanted sleep, can anyone rescue her from the magical slumber before it is too late? In this Pantomime in Kent see Britain’s Got Talent winner, Kent’s own Sydnie Christmas and comedy duo, Dartford’s own Simmons & Simmons in this family-friendly Pantomime in Kent 2024.
Time: From the 14th of December 2024 to the 5th of January 2025. Price: £27-£49. Family – 4 tickets with a minimum of 2 under 16 years: save over 15% from £132-£148. Concession – under 16 years/over 60 years/Students/Unemployed: on off-peak performances within bands A and B: £3 discount.  Member: on all off-peak performances within bands A and B £5 per ticket discount. Group and school discounts are available. Booking fees may apply.
Read More

PANTOMIMES IN KENT 2024
EAST KENT

Peter Pan
Granville Theatre, Ramsgate
See Peter Pan and his mischievous fairy companion, Tinkerbell, whisk the Darling children away from their ordinary lives in London to the extraordinary realm of Neverland. Be awed by the swashbuckling showdown as Peter Pan and his fearless crew of Lost Boys clash swords with the dastardly Captain Hook and his band of bumbling pirates. Will good triumph over evil in this epic battle of wits and bravery?
Date: 14th to 16th and 18th to 24th December 2024. Price: From £25.30. Booking fee applies.
Read More

Aladdin
Sarah Thorne Theatre, Broadstairs
This pantomime in Kent stars a professional cast and live music for this classic panto in the Garden of England for family fun. This is the theatre’s 13th annual traditional panto!
Date: 7th, 8th, 14th, 15th, 21st to 24th, and 27th to 31st December 2024. Price: Advance/Door – Adult: £19/£21, Child: £18/£19. In advance only: Family ticket – 4 tickets: £72.
Read More

Beauty And The Beast
Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury
Family fun with this fairy-tale extravaganza full of hilarious comedy, lavish sets, fantastic music, beautiful costumes, magic and mayhem in another production for Pantomimes in Kent 2024. Marlowe legend Ben Roddy returns to the theatre, written and directed by Paul Hendy.
Date: From the 22nd of November 2024 to the 12th of January 2025. Price: £17-64. Marlowe members save money and book first on most shows. Other discounts are available. Booking fees will apply
Read More

Sleeping Beauty
Sinden Theatre, Tenterden
This Christmas in the Garden of England for Pantomimes in Kent 2024 join Princess Aurora, Muddles, Dame Victoria Sponge, Fairy Sparkle, King Crumble and the evil Carabosse for an action-packed show with special effects and traditional pantomime slapstick.
Date: 12th to 31st December 2024. Price: £14.50-£16.50,  Family – 2 Adults + 2 Children: £52. Booking fees will apply.
Read More

Please support our advertisers and say you saw them on our website so we can carry on offering our free listings and information on the many wonderful events and attractions in Kent.

Adult Panto

Sleeping With Beauty
Sinden Theatre, Tenterden
In this adult panto in Kent see if sexy Prince Harry Hardon slays the day with his big chopper as Princess Awhora celebrates her 18th by getting sloshed in this pantomime in Kent for adults. Find out if a curse stronger than absinthe from the evil Carab!tch threatens her night out! From SparkLive Pantomimes Limited.
Date: 10th, 11th and  13th to 18th January 2025. Price: £22. Booking fees will apply.
Read More

Sleeping With Beauty
Granville Theatre, Ramsgate
SparkLive Pantomimes Limited tours their adult panto to Thanet in Kent about how Princess Awhora is celebrating her 18th birthday. She is out to get pis$ed, but the evil Carab!tch threatens her night out. Can she last the evening without getting pricked and cursed, or will the sexy Prince Harry Hardon give her a happy ending?.
Date: 22nd to 24th January 2025. Price: From £33 – booking fees apply.
Read More

PANTOMIMES IN KENT 2024
WEST KENT

Snow White
Stag Sevenoaks
This Christmas festive favourite sees the legendary Silly Billy (aka Ant Payne) and Dame Elaine (aka Jamie Alexander Wilson) reunite in this Pantomime in Kent.
Date: From the 6th to the 31st of December 2024. Price: £16-£32.50
Read More

Aladdin
Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells
In this classic Christmas show for Pantomimes in Kent 2024 everyone is wishing for something; Aladdin hopes the Princess will notice him, the Princess wants to lead a normal life, while Aladdin’s mum is trying to remember what she is meant to be doing! Head for the town of Shangri-La where the sorcerers are sinister, the caves full of surprises and the genies have been bottling things up for some time!
Date: 14th to 31st December 2024. Price: £17-£40, Member: Save 10%. School and group discounts are available. Booking fees apply.
Read More

Sleeping Beauty
Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells
The birth of a Royal Princess sees the Kingdom celebrating in style until the wicked Carabosse arrives on the scene. An evil curse means when Princess Aurora is 18 years old, she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel, leading to her tragic end. The princess will sleep for one hundred years unless true love’s kiss can break the curse. Will the curse last forever? Or can good conquer evil with a little pantomime magic?
Date: 14th, 15th, 21st, 22nd, 24th, 26th to 31st December and 2nd to 5th January. Price: £23-£32 Booking fees apply.
Read More

Snow White
EM Forster Theatre, Tonbridge
For Pantomimes in Kent 2024, Wicked Productions returns to the Tonbridge theatre with another festive show and discovers if the Wicked Queen will reign supreme or slip up on her poisoned apple. In this family-friendly pantomime find out if Snow White will live happily ever after with her own Prince in this Christmas panto.
Date: 13th December 2024 to 5th January 2025. Price:  Adult: £19-£29, Child – under 16 years: £19-£26. School tickets are available.
Read More

Aladdin
Queen’s Hall Theatre, Cranbrook, Tunbridge Wells
The Cranbrook Operatic & Dramatic Society present this family favourite of characters, and familiar songs for a magical night of panto fun in Kent.
Date: 28th to 30th December 2024. Price: £10 – booking fees apply.
Read More

Pantomimes in Kent 2024

See Kent, Know Kent this Christmas!

All events are subject to Christmas holiday closures.

Picture Credit: main, top to bottom: © Tinkerbell and Snow White’s Dwarfs: Dinu J Nair and Merry Christmas Jamie Street on unsplash.com. Red apple by Ylanite on pixabay.

PANTOMIME HISTORY

Italian Past
Pantomime has its roots in ‘Commedia dell’Arte’, a 16th-century Italian entertainment which used dance, music, tumbling, and acrobatics and featured a cast of mischievous stock characters. This genre featured stock characters, such as Harlequin and Pantaloon, engaging in humorous and often improvised performances that relied heavily on physical comedy and audience interaction.

Rich’s Harlequinades
In the early 18th Century, pantomime began to take shape in England, early pantomimes were based on classical stories, set to music but without speech. Harlequin was the star of 18th-Century pantomime, and in 1732 John Rich, the most notable early Harlequin who danced but

never spoke, built Covent Garden Theatre with the profits of his magical pantomimes. He developed Harlequinades which mimed with music and lots of slapstick, which dominated pantomime for around 100 years. 

Time To Talk
Until 1843, theatre licensing had restricted the use of spoken word in performances. The Theatres Act lifted the restriction, allowing any theatre without a royal patent to produce a play with purely spoken dialogue. Now witty puns, word play and audience participation were added to the repertoire of mime, daring chase scenes and spectacular transformations. Favourite fairy-tale characters, magical animals, principal boys and pantomime dames all became part of the mix.

Christmas Tradition
The Victorian era marked a significant evolution in pantomime, transforming it into a family-oriented spectacle and performed at Christmas. They started to feature fairy tales and nursery rhymes, adding a narrative structure that audiences could easily follow. Key elements, such as the pantomime dame (a comedic, cross-dressing character played by a man) and the principal boy (a young male hero typically played by a woman), became standardized during this period. Opening on Boxing Day started these extravagant productions at the largest London theatres.

Panto Today
 Today, pantomimes are a staple of British culture, characterized by their interactive nature, slapstick comedy, and a blend of traditional and contemporary elements. They often feature celebrity performers, adding an extra layer of appeal.

Please support our advertisers and say you saw them on our website so we can carry on offering our free listings and information on the many wonderful events and attractions in Kent.