The Sub Rooms panto runs 18 December to 3 January, tickets £15 to £25, with a relaxed show on 28 December. Plus the Playhouse panto and the adults-only nights.

Stroud’s main pantomime is Beauty and the Beast at the Sub Rooms, running from Friday 18 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. Tickets are £15 to £25 and the whole run is already on sale. It is staged by PJD Productions, who did Sleeping Beauty here in 2025. (The Sub Rooms, Beauty and the Beast)

There are 27 family performances, one relaxed performance, and two adults-only nights that are a different show in all but script. There is also a second, shorter panto at the Cotswold Playhouse in the same week, which is the cheaper option if you are buying for a family.

Every Sub Rooms performance

Doors open one hour before each show.

  • Fri 18 Dec: 6pm
  • Sat 19 Dec: 11am, 3pm, 7pm
  • Sun 20 Dec: 11am, 3pm
  • Mon 21 Dec: 11am, 3pm
  • Tue 22 Dec: 11am, 3pm
  • Wed 23 Dec: 1pm, 5pm
  • Thu 24 Dec: 11am, 3pm
  • Sat 26 Dec: 4pm
  • Sun 27 Dec: 11am, 3pm
  • Mon 28 Dec: 11am (relaxed), 3pm
  • Tue 29 Dec: 1pm, 5pm
  • Wed 30 Dec: 1pm, 5pm
  • Thu 31 Dec: 11am, 3pm
  • Sat 2 Jan: 2pm
  • Sun 3 Jan: 2pm

Two gaps to note. There is nothing on Christmas Day and nothing on Friday 1 January. Boxing Day has a single 4pm show rather than the usual pair, so it is the one date most likely to go early.

The relaxed performance is Monday 28 December at 11am, the only one in the run. Relaxed shows keep the house lights partly up, soften the sound and allow movement in and out, and they are the right choice for anyone who finds a normal panto overwhelming. There is one performance for the whole season, so book it early rather than at the end of term.

Tickets are £15 to £25 and the show is billed as suitable for all ages. It is sponsored by WSP Solicitors.

The adults-only version, 31 December and 2 January

For the third year the Sub Rooms are running an over-18s version of the same show. It is on Thursday 31 December at 8pm and Saturday 2 January at 8pm, and tickets are £25 to £30. (The Sub Rooms, Beauty and the Beast Adults Only)

The theatre’s own description is blunt about what it is: “the exact same show that the kids see, but with swearing and the real back story”. It follows the adults-only Robin Hood and Sleeping Beauty of the last two years.

The 31 December show at 8pm is a real new year’s eve option in a town that does not have many.

The Cotswold Playhouse panto is a different show, and cheaper

Three nights on Parliament Street, Stratford Theatre Company bring Jack and the Beanstalk to the Cotswold Playhouse. (Cotswold Playhouse, what’s on)

  • Thu 17 and Fri 18 December, 6.30pm
  • Sat 19 December, 3pm
  • Adult £12.50, under 16 £8, family ticket £35

That family price is the cheapest way to take four people to a panto in Stroud this year, and the 6.30pm start suits younger children better than an evening show.

There is an X-rated version on Saturday 19 December at 7.30pm, £15, over 18s only, from the same company.

The Playhouse is at Parliament Street, GL5 1LW, a five minute walk from the Sub Rooms.

If you look up “Stroud pantomime” you may find listings for Snow White and the Severn Dwarfs at the Cotswold Playhouse. That is not this season’s programme. The Playhouse’s current what’s-on page runs from September 2026 through to May 2027 and the only pantomime on it is Jack and the Beanstalk in December. The resident company, the Cotswold Players, are staging Orgreave in late November and Agatha Christie’s The Hollow from 26 to 30 January.

Getting there and parking

Both theatres are in the town centre and neither has its own car park. The Sub Rooms are on George Street, GL5 1AE, and the box office number is 01453 796880.

Evening parking is the easier half of the problem in Stroud: both London Road car parks stop charging at 2pm, so a 6pm or 7pm show costs nothing to park for. The full tariff list, including the car park that charges overnight and at weekends, is on our parking in Stroud page.

If you are driving in from the valleys, check roadworks and travel first, and note that the town centre is likely to be closed to traffic on the evening of the Goodwill Evening on 4 December, a fortnight before the panto opens.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Stroud pantomime in 2026?

Beauty and the Beast at the Sub Rooms, staged by PJD Productions, running from Friday 18 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. The Cotswold Playhouse has Jack and the Beanstalk from 17 to 19 December.

How much are Stroud panto tickets?

£15 to £25 for Beauty and the Beast at the Sub Rooms, and £25 to £30 for the adults-only nights. Jack and the Beanstalk at the Cotswold Playhouse is £12.50 adult, £8 under 16 and £35 for a family ticket.

Is there a relaxed performance of the Stroud panto?

Yes, one: Monday 28 December at 11am at the Sub Rooms. It is the only relaxed performance in the whole run.

Is the Stroud panto on over Christmas and new year?

There is no performance on Christmas Day or on Friday 1 January. Boxing Day has a single show at 4pm. The run ends on Sunday 3 January at 2pm.

Is there an adults-only Stroud panto?

Yes. The over-18s version of Beauty and the Beast is on Thursday 31 December and Saturday 2 January, both at 8pm, at the Sub Rooms.

Sources