Exeter panto 2026: Pinocchio £16.50 until 30 September

Exeter has two pantomimes this Christmas and they barely overlap in price, tone or timing. Pinocchio is at the Corn Exchange from 12 December, Sleeping Beauty is at the Northcott from 27 November, and only one of them is running a discount that expires this month.

Both were checked against their own box office pages on 4 September 2026.

Pinocchio, Exeter Corn Exchange, 12 December to 2 January

The Corn Exchange follows what it calls “the record-breaking success of The Wizard of Oz” with Pinocchio, running Saturday 12 December 2026 to Saturday 2 January 2027 at George Street, EX1 1BU.

The early bird is the story. The theatre is selling all tickets at £16.50 until 30 September. After that the standard prices apply:

A family ticket, two standard and two under 16, is £92.50 in Band A and £72.50 in Band B. Band A is rows A to JJ. Band B is the ends of rows A and B, seats 1 to 4 and 17 to 20, plus rows KK to NN.

For a family of four, the early bird works out at £66 against £92.50, so the deadline is worth £26.50 to you.

Practical detail from the theatre’s own page:

• Running time: about 2.5 hours including the interval.
• Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
• Relaxed performance: Wednesday 16 December at 1.30pm.
• Group bookings of 10 or more go through the box office on 01392 665938.
• Online prices start at £18.50 including a £1 booking fee.

The public performance schedule runs from 2pm and 6pm on Saturday 12 December through to 3pm on Saturday 2 January. The 10am slots from Monday 14 to Friday 18 December are schools performances. There is no show on Christmas Day, and Boxing Day is a single 3pm. (exetercornexchange.co.uk)

Sleeping Beauty, Exeter Northcott, 27 November to 3 January

The Northcott’s panto with Le Navet Bete returns as Sleeping Beauty, Friday 27 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. It starts a fortnight before the Corn Exchange and it is the pricier of the two.

• Tickets: £21.50 to £75.00, varying by performance
• Under 16s: £2 off
• Age guidance: “Suitable for the whole family, recommended from age 5+”
• Running time: 140 minutes including interval
• The theatre also lists a members discount and an under-26 offer

Opening night, Friday 27 November at 7pm, is at the cheap end of the range at £21.50 to £27.50. Saturday matinees are the dearer ones.

Accessible performances are all in the first ten days:

• BSL interpreted: Thursday 3 December, 7pm
• Captioned: Saturday 5 December, 7pm
• Relaxed: Sunday 6 December, 11am, and Saturday 2 January, 2pm
• Audio described: Sunday 6 December, 3.30pm

Two things the Northcott does that the Corn Exchange does not. There is a separate Sleeping Beauty: No Kids Allowed, “strictly over 18s only”, running Tuesday 8 December to Saturday 2 January at 7pm and priced £28 to £80, described by the theatre as “the loudest, sweariest, naughtiest version of the same brilliant show”. And the final performance, Sunday 3 January at 3.30pm, is billed as “Panto Pandemonium”, the theatre’s own warning that the last show may go slightly off script. (exeternorthcott.co.uk)

Which one, and when to book

• Booking this month: the Corn Exchange, because £16.50 for any seat ends on 30 September and the family saving is real.
• Younger children: the Corn Exchange starts later in December and runs a relaxed 1.30pm matinee on 16 December. The Northcott recommends age 5 and up and has two relaxed performances.
• Access needs: the Northcott, which publishes BSL, captioned, relaxed and audio described dates in advance with named interpreters.
• A grown-up night out: the Northcott’s No Kids Allowed run, over-18s only.
• Cheapest seat once the early bird has gone: £18.50 for a concession in the Corn Exchange’s Band B, or £21.50 for a standard adult on a Northcott weekday evening.

Getting there

Corn Exchange, George Street, Exeter EX1 1BU, a couple of minutes off the High Street. The Guildhall car park is the closest at 397 bays, and Guildhall and John Lewis are free after 6pm on Thursdays, which covers the 7pm performance on Thursday 17 December. Tariffs and the blue badge rules are on our parking in Exeter page.

Northcott, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QB, on the university campus rather than in town. The theatre’s own advice: bus route 4 runs from the High Street and Exeter St Davids “to right in front of the theatre’s main entrance”, every 15 minutes Monday to Friday and every 30 minutes on Saturday. From St Davids it is “a 1 km walk up the hill”. Drivers use university car parks C and D a few minutes away, with A and B an 8 to 10 minute walk at busy times, and blue badge parking is free in Car Park C and at the rear entrance on The Queen’s Drive, seven days a week. (exeternorthcott.co.uk)

Roadworks that might affect your run into town are on our roadworks and travel page.

Sources

• Pinocchio, Exeter Corn Exchange for the run dates, the £16.50 early bird and its 30 September expiry, the price bands, the family ticket, the seating bands, the full performance schedule, the relaxed performance and the running time.
• Sleeping Beauty, Exeter Northcott Theatre for the run dates, the price range, the under-16 discount, the age guidance, the running time and the four accessible performances.
• Sleeping Beauty: No Kids Allowed, Exeter Northcott Theatre for the over-18s run, its dates and its price range.
• Christmas season, Exeter Northcott Theatre for the full festive programme.
• Getting here, Exeter Northcott Theatre for the address, the bus 4 route and frequency, the campus car parks and the free blue badge spaces.

Prices and performance times change. Check the box office before you book.