Guide
Pantomimes near Altrincham, Sale and Timperley 2026, compared
Every family panto near Timperley this Christmas: the Garrick, the Opera House and Stockport Plaza, cheap community pantos from £4, and every relaxed performance.
Published . Prices and booking status below are checked every week.
There are more than 30 family pantos within an hour of Timperley this Christmas, from a £4 community show in Sale Moor to the Opera House’s big production with Jason Manford. This guide picks out the nearest, the cheapest and the ones with relaxed performances. Prices, dates and booking status in the rows come from our weekly checks and update themselves.
Closest to Timperley
The Garrick’s own panto, ten minutes away, with 30 performances from 4 December. The theatre suggests it for ages 3 and up and warns of loud bangs and pyrotechnics. Weekend matinees before Christmas sell fastest; midweek evenings have more room.
A community panto from the Sale Nomads in January, after the Christmas rush: five family matinees across two weekends. It runs two and a half hours with an interval.
A panto story on skates at the Altrincham rink, with local Learn to Skate skaters and a touring cast. One day only, Tuesday 8 December, at 1pm and 7pm.
Cheapest
The Players Sale’s panto at Sale Moor Community Centre: £4 a child, £8 an adult, £20 for a family of four. Three shows, booked by phone or text with the group.
A traditional Cinderella in the Forum’s main hall, one weekend only, with two weekend matinees. The £24 family ticket covers two adults and two children.
A panto made up on the spot from the audience’s suggestions, at Waterside in Sale. It’s 75 minutes with no interval and aimed at 7 and up; the version for under-6s has already sold out.
The big shows
Manchester’s biggest panto, with Jason Manford and Ben Nickless and sets and costumes from the London Palladium. Tickets for the relaxed performance on 30 December start at £14.42.
Todd Carty plays the villain in the Plaza’s restored Art Deco theatre, about 25 minutes away. There are BSL-interpreted shows, and babies of 12 months and under need a free ticket booked by phone.
A comic, modern take from The Big Tiny, suited to primary-age children who like their panto silly. A few £13 “pinch” tickets are available.
After Christmas
Runs from 30 December into the second week of January, with shows from 9.45am, which helps with younger children. With a 2+2 family ticket, adults pay the child price.
Relaxed performances
House lights stay up, the sound is quieter, there are no bangs or pyrotechnics, and you can come and go:
- Altrincham Garrick, Robin Hood: Saturday 12 December, 5.30pm.
- Contact, Sleeping Beauty: Saturday 12 December, 1.30pm, with a chill-out space.
- The Met, Bury, Jack and the Beanstalk: Sunday 13 December, 11am, with a touch tour first.
- Opera House Manchester, Dick Whittington: Wednesday 30 December, 1.30pm, booked as a separate show.
- Octagon, Bolton, Cinderella: Sunday 3 January, 1pm.
- Parr Hall, Warrington, Aladdin: Saturday 9 January, 9.45am.
Further afield, Crewe Lyceum, the Regent in Stoke, Storyhouse in Chester, the Liverpool Everyman and Buxton Opera House also have relaxed shows: see SEN-friendly days out.
Side by side
| What | Price | When | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robin Hood: the Garrick pantomimeAltrincham Garrick Playhouse · 10 min | £17-£22 by seat area; programme £6; Friends discount | 4 Dec 2026 – 3 Jan | Selling fast |
| Aladdin and His Amazing LampSale Moor Community Centre, Norris Road · 10 min | Adults £8, children £4, family (2+2) £20 | 10–12 Dec | On sale |
| Christmas Pantomime: CinderellaWythenshawe Forum · 15 min | Adult £8, concession £6, family £24 | 4–6 Dec | On sale |
| Robin Hood and His Merry MenWaterside Arts · 10 min | Adult £17, concessions/under-16s £15, family ticket (2+2) £58 on most shows | 8–17 Jan | On sale |
| Peter Pan: A Magical Christmas PantomimeThe Evans Theatre · 25 min | £14-£22 | 10–13 Dec | On sale |
| Sleeping BeautyContact · 25 min | £25, concessions £20, under-16s £17; a few £13 pinch tickets | 10–31 Dec | On sale |
| Jack and the BeanstalkStockport Plaza · 30 min | Price not listed | 4 Dec 2026 – 3 Jan | On sale |
| Dick WhittingtonOpera House Manchester · 30 min | Relaxed performance from £14.42 | 5 Dec 2026 – 3 Jan | On sale |
| Sleeping Beauty - A Traditional PantomimeSalford Arts Theatre · 30 min | Prices on the theatre site; in-house professional panto | 5–31 Dec | On sale |
| Aladdin (Parr Hall family pantomime)Parr Hall · 30 min | £9-£20 plus booking and restoration levy | 30 Dec 2026 – 10 Jan | On sale |
| Jack and the BeanstalkThe Met · 40 min | From £15 | 5–28 Dec | Selling fast |
| Cinderella (Sally Cookson & Adam Peck)Octagon Theatre · 40 min | From £15 | 20 Nov 2026 – 9 Jan | On sale |
For every Christmas show, grotto and trail, see Christmas with kids; for Santa visits, Santa grottos compared.
Questions parents ask
What's the nearest panto to Timperley?
The Altrincham Garrick’s <a href=“/events/altrincham-garrick-robin-hood-pantomime/”>Robin Hood</a>, about 10 minutes away, from 4 December to 3 January. Also close by are The Players Sale’s <a href=“/events/aladdin-and-his-amazing-lamp-the-players-sale-panto-sale-moor-community-centre-n/”>Aladdin</a> at Sale Moor Community Centre and the Sale Nomads’ <a href=“/events/waterside-arts-robin-hood-and-his-merry-men/”>Robin Hood and His Merry Men</a> at Waterside in January.
What's the cheapest panto near Sale and Altrincham?
The community pantos. The Players Sale charge £4 a child and £8 an adult (£20 for a family of four), and Wythenshawe Forum’s Cinderella is £8 an adult or £24 for a family. Professional pantos nearby mostly start at £15 to £20 a seat.
Are there relaxed panto performances?
Yes, at most of the bigger theatres. The Garrick’s is on Saturday 12 December at 5.30pm, Contact’s at 1.30pm the same day, the Opera House’s on Wednesday 30 December at 1.30pm, and Parr Hall’s on Saturday 9 January at 9.45am. See the list in this guide, or <a href=“/things-to-do/sen-friendly/”>SEN-friendly days out</a>.
What age is panto suitable for?
Most say all ages, but theatres warn about loud bangs, flashing lights and pyrotechnics, and big shows run over two hours with an interval. For a first panto with under-5s, a morning or matinee show at a small venue is easier. The Octagon in Bolton recommends its Cinderella for 5 and up.
When should I book panto tickets?
Weekend matinees before Christmas go first; when we checked on 23 October the Garrick’s Sunday 20 December matinee was about 80% sold. Midweek evenings and the shows after Christmas have the most room.
Details change, so check with the organiser before you set off. Spotted something wrong, or know an event we've missed? Tell us.