The Bull Theatre in High Barnet stages Aladdin from 1 to 24 December 2026. Times and prices are not out, but artsdepot's festive shows are on sale now.

The borough has one traditional pantomime this Christmas and three family shows that sit next to it. The Bull Theatre in High Barnet is staging Aladdin from 1 to 24 December 2026. Tickets are not on sale yet and no performance times have been published. At artsdepot in North Finchley, by contrast, every festive performance has been bookable for months, so if you want a date locked in now, that is where to look.

Aladdin at The Bull: dates confirmed, everything else pending

The Bull has confirmed the run in the least glamorous place it could, its casting call. The theatre’s Aladdin auditions page gives performance dates of 1 to 24 December 2026 and an intensive rehearsal week of 19 to 23 October, and describes the show as “a fun, vibrant and magical pantomime packed with comedy, music, dance and audience interaction”.

Casting happens this month. Auditions are at the theatre on Saturday 19 September 2026: young performers aged 7 to 16 for the ensemble from 1.30pm to 3pm, then adults for the principal roles from 3.30pm to 5pm. The four principals being cast are Aladdin and Jasmine (playing age 18 to 28), the Dame, Widow Twankey (25 and over) and the villain Abanazar (25 and over). Applications go to the email address on that page, with a headshot, a CV and the role you want.

So on 3 September there is no cast, no price list, no schedule of performance times and no booking link. The dates are real and come from the theatre itself. Everything else should follow once the show is cast, which points to October.

Practical details that will not change. The Bull is at 68 High Street, Barnet EN5 5SJ, and the theatre says it is 400 metres from High Barnet Underground station. It also flags that the car park directly behind the theatre is a pay car park before 6.30pm, which matters for matinees more than for evening shows. That is Moxon Street, where the first hour is free and charging runs Monday to Saturday until 6.30pm; the rest of the tariffs are on our parking in Barnet page.

artsdepot: three festive shows, all on sale now

artsdepot at Tally Ho Corner, 5 Nether Street, North Finchley N12 0GA, runs the borough’s larger Christmas programme. All three shows below are on general sale, and the performance lists are taken from the venue’s own booking system on 3 September.

Aliens Love Panta Claus, Pentland Theatre, Tuesday 8 December to Sunday 3 January. Presented by Norwell Lapley Productions, 55 minutes with no interval, recommended for ages 3 and up, from £15. Thirty-seven performances. School and nursery tickets on term-time performances are £14 standard.

Rapunzel, Studio Theatre, Saturday 12 to Thursday 24 December. Presented by Wrongsemble, 50 minutes with no interval, recommended for ages 3 to 11, from £13.75. Twenty-three performances. Schools and nurseries pay £13 standard.

The Nutcracker, Studio Theatre, Tuesday 29 December to Sunday 3 January. Presented by Let’s All Dance, 52 minutes, all ages, from £13.75. Ten performances, two a day.

Book three or more shows across the season and artsdepot’s Pick and Mix takes 10 per cent off. Groups of 10 or more get a discount through the box office, 020 8369 5454. Our artsdepot autumn 2026 season page covers the rest of the programme.

The performance times, so you can plan the week

Every one of these shows is a morning or early afternoon show. None of the 70 performances starts later than 3.30pm, so treat all three as daytime outings.

Aliens Love Panta Claus never plays on a Friday. There is nothing on 11 or 18 December, nothing on Christmas Day and nothing on New Year’s Day. Most days carry two performances, at either 10.30am and 1pm or 11am and 2pm depending on the date. Nine dates have only one: Monday 14 to Thursday 17 December at 10.30am, Christmas Eve at 11am, Boxing Day at 2pm only, and Monday 28, Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 December at 11am. The run breaks after that 11am show on Christmas Eve and resumes at 2pm on Boxing Day.

Rapunzel is twice daily throughout except on Christmas Eve, when there is a single 11.30am performance, and it skips Friday 18 December. Its opening Saturday is 10.30am and 1pm, weekdays from 14 to 17 December are 11am and 1.30pm, Saturday 19 December is 11am and 1.30pm, and Sundays and the final week, 20 to 23 December, are 11.30am and 2.30pm.

The Nutcracker plays 1.30pm and 3.30pm on 29 December, then 11.30am and 1.30pm on 30 and 31 December and on 2 and 3 January. There is no performance on New Year’s Day.

Access performances

These are flagged by the venue itself, and they are the dates worth knowing if you need them:

  • Relaxed: Aliens Love Panta Claus, Wed 16 Dec 10.30am and Sun 20 Dec 11am; Rapunzel, Sun 13 Dec 11.30am; The Nutcracker, Sun 3 Jan 11.30am
  • British Sign Language interpreted: Aliens Love Panta Claus, Tue 15 Dec 10.30am, Sat 19 Dec 10.30am and Thu 24 Dec 11am; Rapunzel, Sat 19 Dec 1.30pm
  • Audio described: Aliens Love Panta Claus, Sun 20 Dec 2pm

Elsewhere, and what we could not confirm

Barnet’s other Christmas shows sit outside the panto tradition: artsdepot also has Baby Broadway Christmas on 29 November, A Most Wonderful Time! on 12 December and Jazz Noel on 19 December. The nearest big commercial pantomimes are outside the borough.

Nothing on this page is taken from a listings site. Aladdin’s dates come from The Bull’s own casting page, and every artsdepot date, time, running time and price comes from the venue’s own booking data, read on 3 September 2026. Times and prices change, so check before you book. We will update this page when The Bull publishes Aladdin’s performance times and prices.