A Christmas Carol will head to the north west for the first time outside of London as the Lowry’s big Christmas show

The Old Vic’s A Christmas Carol is heading to the north west for the first time for Christmas 2026(Image: Manuel Harlan)

One of the hottest Christmas theatre tickets in London is heading to the north west for the first time this year – as the award-winning A Christmas Carol heads to Salford’s Lowry theatre. It is being hailed a “real landmark moment” for the theatre to bring the show to audiences here.

The festive show has been a huge hit for London’s The Old Vic, where it will play for a tenth consecutive year in 2026. But it has now been announced that for the first time ever, it will also head to a second UK city for the festive period too.

The award-winning production takes Charles Dickens’ classic fable of the cold-hearted miser Ebeneezer Scrooge who is visited by four ghosts on Christmas Eve, and elevates it to new heights under the direction of The Old Vic’s Matthew Warchus, adapted for the stage by Jack Thorne.

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It is billed as “one of the most exciting, joyous and moving Christmas productions you’ll ever see.” It has played to almost one million people in London, America and Australia, as well across the globe as part of Old Vic in Camera in 2020, winning a raft of five star reviews in the process.

The festive show has won a raft of five star reviews(Image: Manuel Harlan)

Now, it will play at Lowry, Salford, from December 11, 2026, to January 10, 2027. It will be the first time since its world premiere in 2017 that the show will be seen in another UK city.

The Old Vic’s Artistic Director and Director of A Christmas Carol, Matthew Warchus, said: “For ten years now this production of A Christmas Carol has been delighting audiences from London and beyond and I am immensely proud of the impact it continues to have on audiences – whether it be their first time seeing the show or one visit of many.

“To now be able to share the joy of this production with the Lowry and its audiences makes this year a truly special one.”

It will be a landmark production for the Lowry this Christmas(Image: Manuel Harlan)

Lowry’s Chief Executive, Julia Fawcett, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be working with The Old Vic – one of the UK’s leading theatres – to present their landmark production of A Christmas Carol – one of the most exciting, joyous and moving Christmas productions you’ll ever see.

“It’s the first time the show will have been presented in the UK outside of London – a real landmark moment for theatre in the region. We know North West audiences are in for something very special this festive season and everyone at the Lowry is delighted to be welcoming the show to Salford and presenting it on our Lyric stage.”

The show begins on a bitter Christmas Eve night, when the cold-hearted miser Ebeneezer is visited by four ghosts. Transported to worlds past, present and future, Scrooge witnesses what a lifetime of fear and selfishness has led to and sees with fresh eyes the lonely life he has built for himself, and whether he can still change things for the better.

It’s set to be a moving and magical production when A Christmas Carol heads to the Lowry(Image: Manuel Harlan)

Theatre bosses say the show “fills the auditorium to the brim with mince pies, music and merriment” in a unique big-hearted production where audiences can expect music and festive cheer. It is recommended for ages 8+.

Tickets for the Lowry run of A Christmas Carol are on sale now priced from £27. Further details, including cast, are still to be announced.