King's Head Theatre's Dick Whittington runs 22 November to 3 January, under-3s free. Plus Little Angel, Park Theatre and Matthew Bourne's Cinderella dates.

Islington’s pantomime is Dick Whittington and His Cat at the King’s Head Theatre on Upper Street, running Sunday 22 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. Children under three go free. There is an 18-plus version running alongside it from 26 November. Unlike most of the borough’s Christmas arrangements, the theatre dates are all confirmed and on sale now.

Updated 29 September: the King’s Head’s EARLYBIRD family offer is now four tickets for £80 in bands A to C, ending 30 September, and Park Theatre’s Miss Bennet is now priced £23 to £55.

Four Islington venues have their winter shows booked. Everything below comes from each theatre’s own listing, first checked on 5 September 2026 and re-checked on 29 September.

King’s Head Theatre: Dick Whittington and His Cat

The story is set in Islington, which is unusual for a panto and the theatre leans into it: “Come to Islington, where the streets are paved with gold.” Andrew Pollard writes and directs for a third year, after Cinderella and last year’s Jack and the Beanstalk.

From the theatre’s own listing:

  • Sun 22 November 2026 to Sun 3 January 2027, Main House, 116 Upper Street, N1 1QP
  • Previews: 22 Nov 1pm, 24 Nov 6pm, and 25 Nov 6pm, which is a pay-what-you-can performance
  • Press night Sun 29 November, 1pm
  • School performances at 10am on 1, 2, 8 and 9 December, plus 1.30pm on 24 November
  • Start times move around, from 10am to 6pm depending on the date, so check before you travel. There are two shows on several days, including 6 Dec, 13 Dec, 21 Dec, 23 Dec, 24 Dec, 28 Dec and 29 Dec
  • Under-3s go free with no ticket, sitting on a ticketed adult’s lap, with no individual seat
  • Runtime is approximately two hours, still marked TBC
  • Bar and box office open 45 minutes before the performance

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’s River Medway plays Queen Rat, making her King’s Head debut, and Victoria Scone returns as Dragpus after playing Dame Trott last year.

Prices. The theatre sells in bands A to D and has not published a headline price. The routes to a cheaper seat are all on the same page: promo code EARLYBIRD gets four tickets for £80 in bands A to C on any performance, ending 30 September; the Access Scheme takes 15% off bands B, C and D and adds a free essential companion where needed; the KHT Club is £60 a year and lets members book any band A ticket for £25; N1 workers and residents get £10 preview tickets; and Under-35s and KHT Artists Club members get £10 previews and £15 band B, C or D seats on selected performances. Box office is 020 7226 8561, open 3pm to 5.30pm.

The adults-only version: don’t book the wrong date

The King’s Head runs a separate Dick Whittington: Adults Only, now in its third year, and the theatre’s own page warns people to check they are booking the right show.

  • Thu 26 November 2026 to Sat 2 January 2027, 18-plus, approximately two hours
  • Seventeen performances, mostly 7pm, with 6pm shows on 28 Nov, 5, 12, 19 and 27 Dec and 2 Jan, and an 8pm on Boxing Day
  • Each performance features a guest star from musical theatre or drag. Past guests have included John Owen Jones, Christina Bianco, Ella Vaday and Kate Butch
  • Promo code EARLYBIRD takes 15% off bands A to C when booking six or more tickets, again until 30 September

Little Angel Theatre: two shows, ages 3 upwards

The puppet theatre in Dagmar Passage runs a Christmas show in the main house and a second in its studios. From its own what’s on listing:

Scruff’s Christmas Adventure, 28 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, Little Angel Theatre, 14 Dagmar Passage, N1 2DN. Ages 3 to 6, about 35 minutes. Standard tickets are £18 for adults and £16 for children aged 1 to 17. Wednesday 4.45pm performances are £8.50 for everyone and Friday 5pm performances are £12 for everyone, which is the cheapest way in. School groups on weekdays before 3pm are £7.50 a head. There is a relaxed performance on Saturday 12 December at 3pm and a BSL interpreted one on Saturday 19 December at 1pm.

The Snowflake, 21 November 2026 to 23 January 2027, at Little Angel Studios, for ages 5 and over, with a relaxed performance on Sunday 17 January.

Park Theatre: Miss Bennet, Christmas at Pemberley

Not a panto, and worth knowing that before you book with a small child. Park Theatre’s festive main house production is a Jane Austen sequel, and its age guidance is 12 and over.

From the theatre’s listing:

  • Wed 2 December 2026 to Sun 10 January 2027, Park200, Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, N4 3JP
  • Press night Tuesday 8 December, 7.30pm
  • Evenings at 7.30pm, matinees at 3pm, with different times over the Christmas week
  • £23 to £55, running time 2 hours 30 minutes including an interval
  • Audio described Thursday 17 December, 3pm; dementia friendly Tuesday 15 December, 3pm; captioned Saturday 9 January, 3pm

It is the UK premiere of Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon’s play, from the team behind last year’s Dracapella.

Sadler’s Wells: Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella

The borough’s biggest Christmas booking is on Rosebery Avenue, where Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella takes the main house for six and a half weeks.

From the Sadler’s Wells listing:

  • Tue 1 December 2026 to Sun 17 January 2027, Sadler’s Wells Theatre, nearest tube Angel
  • Evenings at 7.30pm, matinees at 2.30pm and 2pm on Sundays
  • From £15, plus a £4 transaction fee
  • 2 hours 20 minutes including two intervals
  • Audio described performance with a touch tour on Saturday 9 January at 2.30pm, and a free BSL interpreted post-show talk on Wednesday 13 January

One thing to watch: ZooNation’s Ebony Scrooge, which Sadler’s Wells also advertises for 24 November to 3 January, is at Sadler’s Wells East in Stratford, not in Islington. The nearest tube for that one is Stratford, a different journey entirely.

Getting there

All four venues are a short walk from a tube or rail station, and none of them has parking worth attempting on a December evening. The King’s Head and Sadler’s Wells are both minutes from Angel; Little Angel is behind Cross Street, five minutes from Angel or Highbury and Islington; Park Theatre is next to Finsbury Park station.

Check the tube and train times page for late-night services, particularly the Northern line at Angel, which has no Night Tube. The roadworks and travel page and the parking page cover the rest.

Still to be confirmed

  • King’s Head band prices. The theatre publishes discount routes but no band A to D price list on the show page, so the EARLYBIRD offer is the only fixed figure until booking.
  • Runtime for both King’s Head shows is still marked TBC.
  • Little Angel prices for The Snowflake are not on the listing.
  • Adults Only guest stars are announced performance by performance, usually from November.