The Rose Theatre's Christmas show is The Wind in the Willows, 25 November to 3 January, 44 performances. Access dates, Christmas gaps and the nearest panto.

Kingston’s Christmas show is The Wind in the Willows at the Rose Theatre, High Street, KT1 1HL, from Wednesday 25 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. There are 44 performances.

It is worth saying at the start what it is and is not. This is not a traditional pantomime with a dame and a horse. It is a Rose Theatre production, a play by Rob Evans with music by John Biddle, directed by Owen Horsley, based on Kenneth Grahame, and it is performed by a professional cast alongside the Rose Youth Theatre. If you want boo-hiss panto, you will need to leave the borough, and there is a note on the nearest two at the bottom of this page.

The performance dates that actually matter

Most of the run is straightforward. These are the dates people get wrong:

  • There is no performance on 25 December or 1 January.
  • Boxing Day, Saturday 26 December, is a single 2.30pm matinee, not the usual two shows.
  • Christmas Eve is 11am and 3.30pm, both earlier than the normal times.
  • Monday 28 December is evening only, 5.30pm.
  • The last performance is Sunday 3 January at 3pm.

The rest of the run alternates 11.30am and 5.30pm on the busy days, with 2pm matinees on 8, 9, 10 and 16 December and 6.30pm evenings on 11 and 18 December.

Five previews run first, on 25, 26, 27 and 28 November at 6.30pm and on 2 December at 2pm. Press night is Thursday 3 December at 7pm. Preview tickets are usually the cheapest seats of a run, and they are already on sale.

Access performances

The Rose lists three, and there is one discrepancy in its own published information that is worth a phone call:

  • Audio described with a touch tour: Monday 21 December, 5.30pm. The theatre states touch tours start two hours before the performance, and it sells the touch tour as a separate free listing.
  • Captioned: Tuesday 22 December, 5.30pm. This is how the performance is flagged in the theatre’s own booking system.
  • BSL signed: Wednesday 23 December, 5.30pm, per the show page.
  • Relaxed performance: Tuesday 29 December, 11.30am. The theatre asks you to contact the box office for details.

The show page’s access note lists the BSL performance on 23 December but does not mention the captioned one on the 22nd, while the booking system flags the 22nd and not the 23rd. Ring the box office on 020 8174 0090 before booking if you need a specific one.

Prices, and the one price that is published

The Rose does not put a price band on the show page. Seat prices appear only when you pick a performance and open the seating plan, so we are not going to quote a figure we cannot verify.

What the theatre does publish is the group and schools rate. Its tickets for schools page says schools, colleges and universities can get tickets from £15 on selected performances for groups of 10 or more, and that an eleventh teacher ticket is free for every ten purchased. Groups of 10 or more get discounts on selected shows generally; the box office has the detail.

Running time and age guidance were both listed as TBC on 5 September. One firm rule does apply: children must not be unaccompanied in the auditorium under the age of 14, and must be with someone over 16.

Also on at the Rose this half term and Christmas

  • Room on the Broom, 27 October to 1 November, the family show for the October half term.
  • Comedy Crackers, Friday 4 December, 7.30pm.
  • Live at Christmas, Monday 7 December, 7.30pm.
  • The Overtones, Jivin’ Home For Christmas, Monday 14 December, 7.30pm.

The nearest actual pantomimes

Both are a short train ride away and both run Saturday 5 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027:

  • Peter Pan at the New Wimbledon Theatre, with Jessie Wallace as Captain Hook and Aston Merrygold as Peter Pan.
  • Jack and the Beanstalk at Richmond Theatre.

Neither publishes a price on its listing page; both are booked through ATG.

Getting there

The Rose is on the High Street, a few minutes’ walk from the Ancient Market Place, so a matinee combines neatly with the Christmas market. The theatre notes there are coach drop-off points opposite and “plenty of car parks nearby”, which is true but not cheap: see our parking guide for the tariffs, and note that five council car parks charge 24 hours a day including bank holidays. Check the roadworks and travel page before an evening performance.

Sources

All checked on 5 September 2026.