So, whether you’re looking to laugh, to sing along or to simply soak up some Christmas spirit, here are ten feel-good shows to book now.
Main image: Ballet Shoes
Jack and the Beanstalk
Lyric Hammersmith, 15 November 2025 – 4 January 2026
Anyone with a sense of humour and a penchant for pop culture rates the absurdly popular Christmas pantos at the Lyric. As ever, this year’s show offers cheeky, fast-paced twists on an old classic. Expect live pop songs, clever gags and audience mischief as Jack and Jill find themselves on their first day at Fleshcreep Academy, the strictest school in Hammersmith. Book it.
A Christmas Carol
Old Vic Theatre, 12 November 2025 – 10 January 2026
Back at the Old Vic for its ninth year in a row, this iconic show returns with Paul Hilton now taking on the miserly role of Scrooge. Snow will fall – on stage, at least – and there’ll be live carol singers amid the arrival of spirits, past, present and future. Last year, the blockbuster broke box office records with a number of returning visitors. A must-see. Book it.
Paddington The Musical
Savoy Theatre, 1 November 2025 – 25 May 2026
A brand new all-singing, all-dancing West End musical about everyone’s favourite bear? Yes please! With catchy music and lyrics by McFly’s Tom Fletcher, slick choreography directed by Luke Shepherd (mastermind behind the smash revival of Starlight Express) and plenty of marmalade sandwiches, a rather wonderful adventure is about to begin. Book it.
Bluey’s Big Play
Royal Festival Hall, 18 December 2025 – 11 January 2026
Following sell out shows, Australia’s wildly popular cartoon dog family bounds back onto the stage with a raucous new UK tour. Masterful puppetry, playful storytelling and wacky dancing brings the dogs to life in this smash hit theatre show. Ending on a high, the play closes with a theatre-wide game of balloon keep-uppy. Utter joy for pre-schoolers. Book it.
Fireside Tales
Punchdrunk Enrichment Stores, Wembley Park, 6 December 2025 – 4 January 2026
Coming to Wembley this winter is a most enchanting interactive children’s show all about the stories we tell, the ones we pass down and the ones we forget. Keeping everyone captivated, young audiences are invited to help a new story into this world before it fades away. Aimed at tweens. Book it.
Christmas Carol Goes Wrong
Apollo Theatre, 6 December 2025 - 26 January 2026
If you take your family to one comedy this Christmas, make it this one. Mischief Theatre’s gloriously chaotic take on Dickens’ ghost story delivers belly laughs by the sleigh-load. Stage sets collapse, props break and tempers flare among the well-meaning but disaster-prone cast but the Christmas spirit somehow prevails. A brilliantly silly festive treat. Book it.
Top Hat
12 December 2025 – 17 January 2026, Queen Elizabeth Hall
Back in London for a six week run, this revival of Irving Berlin’s musical about tap dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers could be a glamorous dose of Christmas escapism. The ostrich-feathered costumes are glorious, the dialogue witty and the sets brilliantly lavish. Let’s face the music and dance! Book it.
How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney?
15 November 2025 – 3 January 2026, The Unicorn Theatre
Tackling one of Christmas’s greatest mysteries, this brand new play by the brilliantly anarchic theatre company Told By An Idiot delights the youngest of family members. With live music, gentle humour and a wink to the grown-ups, festive joy abounds in this cheery stage adaptation of Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen’s best-selling book. Book it.
Pinocchio
29 November 2025 – 4 January 2026, The Globe
Wrap up warm. A new musical take on Carlo Collodi’s classic fairytale will be staged outdoors in the historic open-air theatre – in the middle of winter. Beneath the night sky, the wooden boy’s magical journey of bravery and belonging feels timeless. This is the kind of Christmas storytelling that has a nostalgic innocence and a beautiful sense of escapism. Book it.
Ballet Shoes
National Theatre, 17 November 2025 – 21 February 2026
Hurrah. Happily for those who didn’t get tickets last time, Streatfeild’s blockbuster show returns to the National Theatre for a second Christmas. This coming-of-age story, that follows theatre-obsessed sisters who go to stage school, captures the infectious joy of chasing dreams. Book early - now is your chance to see what all the fuss was about. Book it.
