Dick Whittington runs 9 to 13 December at Hanger Farm in Totton, and the New Forest Players stage Jack and the Beanstalk from 30 December at Ballard School.
The New Forest has two pantomimes this season and they sit at opposite ends of the holidays. Hanger Farm in Totton runs Dick Whittington from Wednesday 9 to Sunday 13 December, and the New Forest Players stage Jack and the Beanstalk at Ballard School in New Milton from Wednesday 30 December to Saturday 2 January. Both are on sale now.
Dates, times and prices below are from each company’s own website, read on 5 September 2026.
Pocket Panto: Dick Whittington, Hanger Farm, Totton
Hanger Farm Arts Centre brings back the Pocket Pantomime for what it calls its twelfth year at the venue. Dick Whittington heads for London convinced the streets are paved with gold, with Alice Fitzwarren, Sarah the Cook and Idle Jack. The venue’s own billing is cheerfully unbothered about the format: “it’s basically the same annual rubbish we’ve been serving up for years”.
Ten performances across five days:
| Date | Times |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 9 December | 19:00 |
| Thursday 10 December | 19:00 |
| Friday 11 December | 19:00 |
| Saturday 12 December | 10:00, 13:00, 16:00, 19:00 |
| Sunday 13 December | 13:00, 16:00, 19:00 |
Adults are £15 and children aged 16 and under are £10. The venue recommends booking early. Hanger Farm is on Aikman Lane in West Totton.
The four shows on the Saturday are the ones to aim for if you want a choice of seats, and the 10am Saturday start is the only morning performance in either production, which makes it the sensible one with small children.
Jack and the Beanstalk, New Forest Players, New Milton
The New Forest Players, a New Milton company and a registered charity, are staging Jack and the Beanstalk at the Ballard School Performing Arts Centre. It is written by Martin Cox and directed by Sarah Haberfield, and the company pitches it as a Twixmas and New Year show rather than a pre-Christmas one.
Six performances:
| Date | Times |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 30 December | 14:00, 19:00 |
| Thursday 31 December | 14:00 |
| Friday 1 January | 19:00 |
| Saturday 2 January | 14:00, 19:00 |
Note the two gaps. There is no evening show on New Year’s Eve and no matinee on New Year’s Day.
Adults are £14, children £10 and members of the company £9, with group discounts available. The box office number is 07503 202478 and tickets are on the company’s own website.
One caveat: the cast is not settled. The company’s panto presentation meeting and read-through was on Sunday 6 September at Ballard School, with auditions the following Sunday, 13 September. So if you are booking on the strength of a particular performer, wait.
The Players’ wider season at Ballard School is Caramba’s Revenge from 28 to 31 October, then Yes, Prime Minister from 7 to 10 April and The Welkin from 21 to 24 July.
No panto at Forest Arts Centre
Forest Arts Centre in New Milton, the district’s other regular theatre, is not doing a pantomime this season. Its Christmas programme, checked on 5 September, is craft workshops, a Hundred Watt Club Christmas night, a big band Christmas, and a straight play: Dyad Productions’ solo A Christmas Carol, performed by Andrew Margerison and directed by Rebecca Vaughan, on Monday 7 December. Good, but not one for children expecting a dame.
Getting there
Both venues are a short drive from the A35 or the A337. If you are coming by train, New Milton station is about a mile from Ballard School and Totton station is roughly a mile and a half from Hanger Farm. Roadworks and travel has the district’s current closures, and parking in the New Forest covers what you will pay where.
Sources
- hangerfarm.co.uk, Pocket Panto: Dick Whittington listing, read 5 September 2026.
- newforestplayers.com, Jack and the Beanstalk production page and ticket shop, read 5 September 2026.
- forest-arts.co.uk, event listings including A Christmas Carol (Dyad Productions), read 5 September 2026.
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