Oh Yes It Is… Top Pantomimes To See in Kent This Christmas
He’s behind you! A visit to the pantomime is as synonymous with Christmas as decorating the tree or sharing a festive feast with your family and friends. Luckily for us, there is a show-stopping number of theatres throughout Kent that go all-out every year with their pantomime offering – you’re only dilemma is which one (or two, maybe three) you’ll choose to kick off your seasonal celebrations.
“Oh no, it isn’t… Oh yes, it is!” is undoubtedly one of the most famous calls in the whole of theatreland and heralds the of one of the UK’s oldest theatrical traditions – the pantomime. Although it first arrived on British stages in the 1600s, it was the Victorians who ramped up the fun and started to make panto into what we know and love today.
These days, there’s a much more family orientated feel to most pantos and the annual theatre trip has become something your kids will remember for years to come.
Pantomime season 2025 is raring to go, so read ahead to discover which sparkly and delightfully silly shows Kent has for you this year – all you have to do is choose!
Jack & the Beanstalk at the EM Forster Theatre, Tonbridge
Wicked Productions return to the EM Forster Theatre to celebrate 10 GIANT years with their biggest pantomime yet – Jack & the Beanstalk! Join Jack on a thrilling escapade as he exchanges his cherished cow for magical beans, sparking an extraordinary adventure.
Jack & the Beanstalk at EM Forster will run from 12 December – 3 January 2026.
Sleeping Beauty at The Rylance Theatre, Ashford
Blue Phoenix Productions returns to Ashford’s The Rylance Theatre this Christmas with the magical family pantomime, Sleeping Beauty.
When the evil Carabosse puts a curse on Princess Aurora, she pricks her finger on a spinning wheel on her 18th birthday and falls into a deep sleep for 100 years. Can her best friends Jingles and Nurse Nora save her? Will a prince’s true love’s kiss be enough? And will Princess Aurora live happily ever after with her handsome prince?
Sleeping Beauty will run at the Rylance Theatre, Ashford, from 19 December 2025 – 3 January 2026.
Jack and the Beanstalk at The Sinden, Tenterden
Get ready to climb into a world of magic, mayhem, and marvellous fun in Tenterden’s Fe-Fi-Fo-Fun pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk! Join Jack, his beloved cow and a hilarious cast of characters as they embark on a GIANT adventure full of laughs, adventure and enchanting surprises.
Jack and the Beanstalk at The Sinden is running from 11 December – 31 December 2025.
Sleeping Beauty at the Central Theatre, Chatham
Princess Aurora is searching for happiness, evil Carabosse is searching for revenge, Chester the Jester is searching for someone who will laugh at his jokes, while Dame Nellie Night Nurse is searching for a man… In the front two rows!
Sleeping Beauty will play at the Central Theatre from 11 December 2025 – 4 January 2026.
Aladdin at Orchard West
Take a magic carpet ride this festive season to the multi-award winning Orchard West theatre in Dartford, where you are promised a magical pantomime adventure that your family won’t want to miss.
Aladdin will have all the panto ingredients you know and love – expect a dastardly villain, a hapless comic, a hilarious panto dame, as well as fabulous musical numbers, bags of slapstick fun and a magic lamp to make all your panto dreams come true!
Aladdin runs at Orchard West from 13 December 2025 – 4 January 2026.
Sleeping Beauty at Malthouse Theatre, Canterbury
Five years ago, Gardner Hodges Entertainment and a fearless creative team at Malthouse Theatre set out to reinvent the pantomime. They wanted more than a simple ‘he’s behind you!’, dreaming instead of something richer with sharp-witted scripts, spectacular design, music that would have you humming for weeks and a sense of mischief that could charm both the smallest child and the most theatre-hardened grown-up.
In this special anniversary feature, we sat down with three-quarters of the panto power team to hear all about the last five years of panto excellence and their upcoming 2025 production.
Click here to read the full Q&A.
If you could sum up this year’s Sleeping Beauty in three words, what would they be? Why should audiences not miss it?
Joseph Gardner Hodges – producer and Dame Fanny – Magical. Festive. Fun. If you’ve seen our previous pantos, you already know the treat you’re in for. If you’re new to the legendary Malthouse panto, prepare for the highlight of your festive season…and with seats from just £10, who could ask for anything more?
Sleeping Beauty will run at the Malthouse from 10 December – 3 January 2026.
Image by: Robert Day
Peter Pan at Greenwich Theatre, London
For families across South East London (and beyond), Christmas can truly begin with a trip to Greenwich Theatre.
With Anthony Spargo returning as Captain Hook, audiences can expect his trademark mix of razor-sharp wit and devilish charm. He’ll be joined by a brilliant cast of familiar faces and new talent, and of course, the spectacular flying effects that will bring Neverland to life in Greenwich.
Peter Pan runs at Greenwich Theatre from 28 November – 11 January 2026.
For our full Panto Season 2025 round-up, click here to read our latest issue.
