Woolwich Works Christmas 2026: Circus, Drag and Disco

By Grace Hatchell

Woolwich Works unwraps an alternative Christmas of circus, drag, dance and festive chaos

If your Christmas traditions could use a little more roller-skating, Bollywood brass, drag bingo and competitive silent disco, Woolwich Works may have found the answer.

The Royal Arsenal venue has unveiled a festive programme running from late November into the new year, offering an alternative to the traditional Christmas pantomime.

That does not mean Christmas has been cancelled. Santa is still coming, Dickens is bringing his ghosts and there will be enough carols to keep everybody suitably seasonal. They are simply being joined by circus performers, drag artists, gospel singers, comedians, orchestras and adults fighting over whether their silent-disco channel is Naughty or Nice.

Personally, I think every Christmas benefits from a sensible contingency plan involving glow sticks.

The season begins on 22 November with the National Children’s Orchestras Winter Concert. Some of the country’s most talented young musicians, aged just 13 and 14, will perform under conductor Andrew Morley.

Their programme travels from Holst’s The Planets and Gershwin’s An American in Paris to John Williams’ music from Star Wars. At 13, I considered remembering my PE kit a significant achievement, so an orchestral journey through the solar system feels reasonably impressive.

The Comedy Store returns to the Fireworks Factory on 27 November with another evening of live stand-up. Its new line-up will be announced in early November, allowing audiences plenty of time to prepare their most supportive laugh and comedians plenty of time to pretend they are not nervous.

On 28 November, Brixton Chamber Orchestra will transform the Fireworks Factory into a giant dance floor with Disco Orchestrated.

Powerhouse vocalists will join a 19-piece ensemble for an evening inspired by disco favourites including Earth, Wind & Fire and the Bee Gees. With soaring strings, blazing brass and irresistible grooves, this is orchestral music which actively encourages audiences to leave their seats.

Anybody attempting to sit quietly with their hands folded throughout may be approached by a concerned member of staff.

Circus on wheels

Families can enter a neon-soaked world of circus and skating when Neon Sun – Roller Circus arrives on 29 November.

The show combines high-speed roller-skating tricks, circus stunts and 1990s street culture with an old-school hip-hop soundtrack. An international cast of performers will deliver an energetic family spectacle involving considerably greater balance than I possess while standing still.

It sounds bright, fast and gloriously excessive—the sort of production which sees a sensible pair of flat shoes as a failure of ambition.

Mozart gets moving

Woolwich Works’ resident artistic company Protein brings The Magic Flute to the venue on 5 December as part of its 2026 tour.

Adapted and directed by Luca Silvestrini, the production reimagines Mozart’s opera through dance, storytelling, singing and striking visual theatre.

Papageno and Prince Tamino set out to rescue Princess Pamina, encountering trials, strange creatures and the sort of complications that tend to occur when somebody embarks on an operatic rescue mission.

Created for children aged seven and above and their grown-ups, The Magic Flute follows Protein’s award-winning family production The Little Prince. It should provide a playful introduction to Mozart for younger audiences—and perhaps a diplomatic reintroduction for adults who last encountered opera during a particularly long school assembly.

The young performers take over on 6 December when British Youth Music Theatre presents BYMT Presents ’26.

Performers and musicians aged between 11 and 21 will reunite to share standout numbers from new musicals premiered during the company’s 2026 season. Those productions have appeared at venues including Greenwich Theatre, Birmingham Hippodrome and Hull Truck Theatre.

The showcase offers audiences an opportunity to hear new musical writing and discover emerging performers. It also offers everyone over 21 a useful reminder that the younger generation has been alarmingly productive.

Drag, bingo and festive disorder

Christmas takes a more irreverent turn on 10 December with Drag The Halls.

London’s queens, kings and things will be joined by burlesque, clowning, comedy and live singing for a festive cabaret which is unlikely to involve anybody quietly placing a satsuma in the toe of a stocking.

The following evening, Drag Bingo UK: Festive Edition combines bingo with camp comedy, live performance and enough glitter-soaked chaos to make an ordinary dabber feel woefully underdressed.

I cannot promise that shouting “house” will secure you a property in London, but it may win a prize.

Woolwich Works’ sell-out Christmas Ceilidh returns on 12 December with live music, dancing and festive merriment. Previous experience is unnecessary because the caller will explain the steps, although whether your feet choose to follow those instructions is a private matter between you and your shoes.

Elves in the factory

Families are invited inside The Elf Factory on 13 December.

The show takes place in a sherbet factory operated by three eccentric elves. Science, circus and magic collide when the machinery malfunctions and throws the production line into chaos.

I have never visited a sherbet factory operated by three elves, but I suspect the machinery malfunctioning is less an unexpected plot development and more an inevitable consequence of the recruitment process.

The combination of sherbet and faulty machinery does, however, sound rather more entertaining than an elf factory receiving an entirely satisfactory inspection.

Dickens meets Bollywood brass

Audiences looking for a more traditional Christmas story can see A Christmas Carol on 17 December.

One actor will use Dickens’ unaltered words to bring Scrooge, the spirits and the familiar Victorian world vividly to life through voice and performance alone.

There will be no enormous ensemble to hide behind and no dancing turkey to distract the audience—just a performer, a story and enough ghosts to force one businessman into a complete personality overhaul before breakfast.

Also on 17 December, Bollywood Brass Band returns with Jolly Bolly Christmas.

Beloved carols and festive favourites will be transformed through Indian rhythms, soaring brass and infectious percussion, filling Woolwich Works with the colour and energy of Bollywood.

It offers a useful solution for anybody who loves Christmas music but feels that some familiar carols would benefit from considerably more brass.

Pass the microphone

Binkie and Maud host Karaoke at The Works: Festive Favourites in the Visitors’ Book Café on 18 December.

Younger singers will be given the microphone first before the evening becomes adults only. Entry is free throughout, although dignity may be surrendered voluntarily upon selecting All I Want for Christmas Is You.

Every karaoke evening contains three certainties: somebody will choose Mariah Carey, somebody will perform with far more confidence than accuracy and somebody who insisted they “never sing” will need to be physically removed from the microphone.

Silent night takes on a new meaning

Santa’s Silent Disco gives younger audiences a chance to dance on 19 December, with glow sticks, festive singalongs, face painting, snow-filled slushies, seasonal treats and a visit from Santa.

Later that evening, the grown-ups take over for Santa’s Silent Disco: Ages 18 to 118.

Three DJs will compete for Naughty or Nice supremacy while audiences choose their preferred soundtrack through wireless headphones. Christmas cocktails will be available, presumably to assist anyone who suddenly realises they have been enthusiastically singing along in a room where nobody else can hear the music.

The upper age limit of 118 feels generous. Anyone older will need to contact the venue and explain their circumstances.

Quizzes, gospel and bubbles

Quizmas arrives on 20 December, testing festive knowledge and potentially exposing which member of the family has been bluffing their way through Christmas trivia for several years.

Baby Gospel follows with a Christmas special on 21 December. Members of CK Gospel Choir will perform seasonal favourites and timeless carols alongside soul, gospel and Motown.

The baby-friendly show encourages families to sing and clap along, with bubbles included for good measure. Babies are not generally known for respecting conventional theatre etiquette, so this may be the one performance where joining in, wriggling and providing unsolicited vocal accompaniment are all positively encouraged.

Santa’s Grotto will also return to Woolwich Works, with further details to be announced. Tickets are due to go on sale on 1 October.

Welcoming 2027

Woolwich Works will see out 2026 with a free New Year’s Eve celebration on 31 December.

Multiple bars will be open across the venue, with DJ Baz providing a mixture of familiar favourites and newer hits throughout the night. A live-streamed countdown will take audiences towards midnight, accompanied by music, drinks and fireworks magic.

Entry is free, available on a first-come, first-served basis and open to all ages.

There is no guarantee that attending will make anybody more organised in 2027, but they will at least enter it on a dance floor.

The festive programme finally concludes on 3 January with Quiz of the Year – A Look Back Over 2026.

Picture, music and mystery-voice rounds will test how much audiences remember about the previous twelve months. After Christmas food, New Year celebrations and several weeks of wondering what day it is, remembering anything that happened before Boxing Day should probably earn a bonus point.

Nick Williams, Director of Woolwich Works, said the programme reflects the full breadth of the venue’s work, bringing together circus, comedy, cabaret, family productions, live music and opportunities to dance.

“We want people to have fun in the festive season and come together with friends and family and share the spirit of the season,” he said.

That invitation appears to cover almost every possible approach to Christmas. Audiences can listen to Mozart, dance to disco, investigate the elf-manufacturing process, sing karaoke, meet Santa, watch circus performers on wheels or place their festive reputation in the hands of a drag bingo caller.

Traditional? Not always.

Festive? Absolutely.

Find tickets, event times and further programme information at woolwich.works.

Tickets and information for confirmed events are available here.

LISTINGS

NATIONAL CHILDREN’S ORCHESTRAS WINTER CONCERT

Sunday 22 November

3:00pm

Tickets: £23

Venue: Fireworks Factory

Age guidance: All welcome

THE COMEDY STORE – WOOLWICH