Cinderella runs at the Assembly Hall from 12 December, and Elf The Musical is at Trinity from 11 December. Full dates, times and the cheapest days to book.
Tunbridge Wells has two Christmas shows on sale for 2026, and neither is the one the town’s own tourism pages still advertise. The Assembly Hall Theatre’s pantomime is Cinderella, Saturday 12 December to Thursday 31 December. The Trinity is staging Elf The Musical, Friday 11 December to Sunday 27 December.
Sleeping Beauty was last year. It is still on festivetw.com and on Visit Tunbridge Wells, both of which are a year out of date. See our Christmas lights and markets page for the other places those two sites will send you wrong.
Cinderella at the Assembly Hall Theatre
Little Wolf Entertainment, which has produced the Assembly Hall panto for several seasons, returns with Cinderella, promising “sparkling sets, fabulous frocks, side splitting slapstick and not one, but two outrageous dames” (Assembly Hall Theatre). The theatre is on Crescent Road, TN1 2LU. Box office 01892 554441, Monday to Saturday, 12pm to 6pm.
The full timetable
| Date | Morning | Matinee | Evening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 12 Dec | 1pm | 5pm | |
| Sun 13 Dec | 1pm | 5pm | |
| Mon 14 Dec | 10am | ||
| Tue 15 Dec | 10am | 1.45pm | |
| Wed 16 Dec | 10am | 1.45pm | |
| Thu 17 Dec | 10am | 7pm | |
| Fri 18 Dec | no performances | ||
| Sat 19 Dec | 1pm | 5pm | |
| Sun 20 Dec | 1pm | 5pm | |
| Mon 21 Dec | 11am | 3pm | |
| Tue 22 Dec | 1pm | 5pm | |
| Wed 23 Dec | 1pm | 5pm | |
| Thu 24 Dec | 11am | 3pm | |
| Fri 25 Dec | closed | ||
| Sat 26 Dec | 1pm | 5pm | |
| Sun 27 Dec | 1pm | 5pm | |
| Mon 28 Dec | 1pm | 5pm | |
| Tue 29 Dec | 1pm | 5pm | |
| Wed 30 Dec | 1pm signed | 5pm relaxed | |
| Thu 31 Dec | 11am | 3pm |
Two things people miss. Friday 18 December is dark, the only weekday in the run with nothing on. And Thursday 17 December has the only 7pm start; every other evening show is 5pm.
Access performances
Both are on Wednesday 30 December, and they are among the cheapest dates in the run:
- 1pm, signed. A BSL interpreter stands to the right of the stage.
- 5pm, relaxed. Reduced volume, brighter house lights, no pyrotechnics.
Prices
The theatre prices by performance colour, then by seating band.
| Performance | Band A adult | Band A child | Band B adult | Band B child |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue and Green | £33.00 | £23.00 | £30.00 | £20.00 |
| Red | £40.50 | £30.50 | £37.50 | £27.50 |
| Purple | £43.50 | £35.50 | £40.50 | £32.50 |
| Gold | £46.00 | £39.00 | £43.50 | £35.50 |
Read across the run, the pattern is clear. The first week is the cheap week, with every performance from 12 to 17 December starting at £20. Christmas Eve is the most expensive day, from £35.50, and 21 to 23 December are close behind. Then it falls again: Boxing Day at 5pm, and 28 to 30 December, are back down to £20, the same as the mid-December mornings, while the 1pm show on the same Boxing Day starts at £32.50. Booking the later show on the same day can save £12.50 a ticket.
Other savings:
- Groups save 10% for 8 to 14 people, 20% for 15 to 49 and 30% for 50 plus. Group rates and early bird are not available on Gold performances.
- Members get 10% off all tickets.
- Schools pay £14.00 on Blue and Green performances, with one free ticket for every ten bought. School performances run 14 to 17 December at 10am and 1.45pm and must be booked by phone or through group bookings.
Running time is listed as approximately 2 hours 15 to 45 minutes, still to be confirmed. Babes in arms need a ticket for this show. Wheelchair spaces and other access bookings go through the ticket sales team on 01892 554441.
Elf The Musical at Trinity Theatre
The Trinity’s own production company is staging Elf The Musical from Friday 11 December to Sunday 27 December 2026, listed under the theatre’s Christmas strand (Trinity Theatre). A separate Elf The Musical Gala Fundraiser is on Thursday 17 December.
Trinity is on Church Road, TN1 1JP, a converted church about five minutes’ walk from the Assembly Hall. Box office 01892 678 678. It is a registered charity, which is what the gala night funds.
The two runs overlap for a fortnight, so if one is sold out for your date the other probably is not.
Getting there and parking
Both theatres are in the town centre and neither has its own car park. Crescent Road car park is next to the Assembly Hall. Evening rates vary by car park and only six in the borough charge the cheaper £2.40 night rate, so check our parking page before assuming an evening show is cheap to park for. Current closures are on our roadworks and travel page.
If you are making a day of it, the Calverley Grounds ice rink usually runs through the same weeks: the position on that is on our SKATE page.
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