From snow-dusted adventures and mischievous musical beasts to dazzling dance and reimagined fairytales, Lowry’s upcoming winter theatre programme promises an unforgettable season of spectacle and storytelling for audiences of all ages.
With festive favourites lighting up the stage through December and an unmissable season of eclectic entertainment arriving in the new year, Salford’s acclaimed arts venue offers the perfect yuletide entertainment for families or a uniquely thoughtful Christmas gift for your favourite theatre-lover.
Here are this year’s highlights.
Returning to Lowry for a five-week festive run, Fat Rascal Theatre’s Unfortunate follows maligned marine villain Ursula the Sea Witch as she raunchily recounts her version of events from The Little Mermaid. Celebrating a plus-size icon and ‘legendary queer queen’, Unfortunate is a hilarious Disney-after-dark night out with ‘a hot pop soundtrack and trademark filthy humour’.
★★★★★ ‘Wickedly Camp’ – Attitude
★★★★★ ‘Hilariously Naughty’ – The Upcoming
★★★★★ ‘Triumphant’ – The Stage
Suitable for ages 16+.
Based on Roald Dahl’s ravenous reptilian caper, The Enormous Crocodile invites audiences of all ages into the dense green jungle on the hunt for delicious human delicacies, in a mischievous musical featuring toe-tapping tunes, original lyrics and an assortment of mesmerising puppets.
★★★★★ ‘A perfect family outing’ London Theatre Reviews
Snap up your tickets below.
As the yuletide season gives way to the new year, join Little Bear and her woodland friends for a heartwarming seasonal adventure in Little Bear and the Christmas Lights.
It’s almost Christmas, and the fire is crackling while stockings hang ready for the big day – but there’s just one thing missing: the lights. Determined to source the ideal illuminations, Little Bear sets off on a gentle, enchanting journey to find them and add some sparkle to her decorations.
Presented by Colour The Clouds Theatre Company, this interactive, relaxed performance is filled with magical puppetry, music and playful surprises, offering the perfect introduction to live theatre for younger visitors.
Leading family theatre troupe Stuff and Nonsense bring their trademark creativity, comedy and craftsmanship to The Lowry with a marvelously madcap new version of Pinocchio.
Directed by Niki McCretton, the inventive adaptation sees three hapless men – Son, Father and Grandfather, one of whom is the misleading marionette himself – seeking refuge in an old, abandoned house, where an ordinary dining table becomes the stage for extraordinary storytelling.
With puppetry, original music by Dom Coyote and Tim Dalling, and heaps of side-splitting physical comedy, the trio bring to life the adventures of the wooden boy who dreamed of being real.
Retold with warmth and wit by Carol Ann Duffy, Ballet Lorent’s glittering production of Snow White brings a dark, glittering fairytale to life with eleven talented dancers, breathtaking visuals and a delightful blend of humour and heart for ages 5 and above.
In a kingdom obsessed with beauty, the Queen’s envy turns to dangerous obsession when her daughter, Snow White, surpasses her in both grace and goodness. With Lindsay Duncan’s captivating narration, a stunning original score by Murray Gold (Doctor Who), and dazzling costume and set design, this production transforms the timeless tale into an exquisite spectacle of movement and imagination.
Next March, BRB Director Carlos Acosta returns to Lowry with an entrancing revival of Cervantes’ legendary 17th century tale of the eccentric knight-errant.
Perfect for the whole family, Don Quixote brings a welcome shot of Spanish sunshine to the early Salford spring with two nights of joyous music from the Royal Ballet Sinfonia and thrilling pas de deux sequences.
Following their critically acclaimed adaptations of timeless literary classics including Heart of Darkness, Dracula and Macbeth, imitating the dog present their latest show: a nerve-shredding production of the terrifying alien invasion story, War of the Worlds.
Led by four performers, each wielding their own camera, the audacious and timely interpretation of the H.G. Wells masterpiece unfolds as an epic meta-movie using miniature environments, model worlds, camera tricks and projection, combining live narrative and recorded footage to create a bold tale of apocalyptic destruction and desperate survival in a uniquely innovative format.
Winner of the 2024 Olivier Award for Best New Musical and nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical on Broadway, the West End smash-hit Operation Mincemeat delivers a dynamic and razor-sharp recount of the impossible mission that secured victory in the Second World War.
Described as Singin’ in the Rain meets Strangers on a Train, the breakneck story of cloak-and-dagger espionage and inspiring courage unfolds in 1943, where the flagging allied forces face an unimaginable defeat. With a last-ditch gamble on a stolen corpse, a fake love letter and the help of Ian Fleming, they unleash a chain of hilarious mayhem that wrong-foots the Fuhrer and saves the free world.
The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ
thelowry.com
- Words:
- Wolf McFarlane
- Published on:
- Fri 14 Nov 2025
This December, the smash-hit West End production of the C.S. Lewis classic brings the snow-swept journey of a lifetime to Lowry.
Join Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter on their wintry odyssey through the wondrous kingdom of Narnia as they unite with Aslan and battle against the Ice Queen in a timeless tale of courage, sacrifice and love that promises ‘a fantastical family treat’ (Telegraph).