Pantomime statistics 2026–27
Facts and figures on this season's UK pantomimes, from the 256 productions we track: how many have relaxed, signed and captioned performances, the most-staged titles, opening dates, run lengths and ticket prices. Every figure is worked out from the same records as the rest of this site, and the data is free to download.
Using these figures. You are welcome to quote them, use the charts and reuse the data (CC BY 4.0), with a credit and a link to this page: Source: Best Pantomimes (bestpantomimes.co.uk). The figures change as theatres announce more performances; the date above shows when they last changed. Questions or another breakdown? Get in touch.
Relaxed, signed and other access performances
- Of the 256 UK pantomimes we track for 2026–27, 197 (77%) have at least one relaxed (autism-friendly) performance.
- 179 of the 256 pantos (70%) have a BSL-interpreted performance, 94 (37%) an audio-described one and 71 (28%) a captioned one.
- 46 of the 256 pantos (18%) have announced no relaxed, signed, audio-described or captioned performance at all.
- Theatres have scheduled 246 relaxed panto performances between them this season; 106 of them (43%) are on or after Boxing Day, and 90 (37%) are at a weekend.
- Wales has the highest share of pantos with a relaxed performance (12 of 13, 92%), and London the lowest (10 of 18, 56%), among regions with 10 or more pantos.
- For 211 of the 256 pantos (82%), the theatre publishes its policy on tickets for a carer or companion; for the other 45 we could not find one.
Every date: relaxed performances and signed, audio-described and captioned performances.
The shows
- Cinderella is the most-staged pantomime in the UK this season, with 37 productions, ahead of Sleeping Beauty (32) and Jack and the Beanstalk (31).
- Those three titles account for 100 of the 256 pantos (39%).
- 19 different pantomime stories are on stage this season; 3 of them are put on by only one theatre.
Where each is on: pantos by show.
Dates and runs
- The first pantos of the season open on 14 November 2026 (Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Everyman Theatre, Liverpool), and the last closes on 31 January 2027 (Birmingham Hippodrome).
- 82 of the 256 pantos (32%) open in November and 173 (68%) in December.
- The median panto runs for 30 days, from first performance to last; the longest is at Everyman Theatre, Liverpool, 64 days.
Every panto by opening date: panto dates.
Ticket prices
- 207 of the 256 pantos publish a lowest ticket price; among them the median cheapest ticket is £18.
- The lowest starting price we found is £9 (Parr Hall, Warrington), and 37 pantos (18% of those priced) have tickets under £15.
- The median cheapest ticket varies little by region: from £16 in London to £18.75 in the West Midlands (regions with 9 or more priced pantos).
By region
| Region | Pantos | Relaxed | BSL signed | Audio described | Captioned | Median cheapest ticket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 18 | 10 (56%) | 10 (56%) | 8 (44%) | 7 (39%) | £16 (13 priced) |
| South East | 41 | 35 (85%) | 30 (73%) | 15 (37%) | 11 (27%) | £18 (33 priced) |
| South West | 23 | 19 (83%) | 15 (65%) | 10 (43%) | 8 (35%) | £18 (23 priced) |
| East of England | 30 | 22 (73%) | 17 (57%) | 10 (33%) | 9 (30%) | £16.25 (26 priced) |
| East Midlands | 21 | 17 (81%) | 14 (67%) | 7 (33%) | 5 (24%) | £18 (15 priced) |
| West Midlands | 19 | 17 (89%) | 15 (79%) | 7 (37%) | 4 (21%) | £18.75 (14 priced) |
| Yorkshire | 21 | 16 (76%) | 17 (81%) | 8 (38%) | 8 (38%) | £17.50 (15 priced) |
| North West | 27 | 18 (67%) | 17 (63%) | 4 (15%) | 3 (11%) | £17 (20 priced) |
| North East | 14 | 10 (71%) | 10 (71%) | 6 (43%) | 3 (21%) | £16 (13 priced) |
| Scotland | 25 | 18 (72%) | 21 (84%) | 11 (44%) | 6 (24%) | £18.50 (22 priced) |
| Wales | 13 | 12 (92%) | 10 (77%) | 6 (46%) | 4 (31%) | £18 (9 priced) |
| Northern Ireland | 4 | 3 (75%) | 3 (75%) | 2 (50%) | 3 (75%) | £18.75 (4 priced) |
How these figures are made
- What is counted: the 256 UK pantomimes on this site with confirmed dates for 2026–27: the professional pantos at theatres, arts centres and town halls across all 12 UK regions, one adults-only panto and one community production. Most amateur and school pantos are not included, so this is not every panto staged in the UK; percentages are of the pantos we track.
- Where the facts come from: each theatre's or producer's own web page, read and recorded by us, with the words that support each date quoted in our records. Every panto was last checked between 31 October and 7 November 2026, and we re-check each one as theatres update their pages. How we check.
- Access performances count only those the theatre has announced with a date. A panto with none listed may still add one, and theatres add them through the autumn.
- Prices are the lowest and highest standard ticket prices each theatre publishes, before booking fees; offers, group rates and family tickets vary and are in the CSV's price note. The median is the middle value, so one very cheap or dear theatre does not move it.
- Titles are grouped by story, so "Jack & the Beanstalk" and "Jack and the Beanstalk" count as one, as do local twists such as "Aladdie".
- Runs are from the first public performance to the last, counting both days.
Each row of the CSV is one panto, with its page on this site, theatre, town, county, region, dates, run length, prices, the number and dates of each kind of access performance, and the day we last checked it.