The Adventures of Pinocchio

Edinburgh panto 2026: The Adventures of Pinocchio at the King's

Panto returns to Edinburgh's King's Theatre with The Adventures of Pinocchio, running from Saturday 28 November 2026 to Sunday 17 January 2027. The show celebrates the theatre's reopening and brings Capital Theatres' panto back to its traditional home, reuniting the much-loved trio of Allan Stewart, Grant Stott and Jordan Young. It is produced by Crossroads Pantomimes.

The story and what to expect

Pinocchio dreams of becoming a real boy, and this year's story has been specially tailored to celebrate the return to the King's, with the theatre woven into the heart of the adventure. In Toy Toon, May Geppetto and Pinocchio are desperately trying to raise enough money to reopen their beloved King's, so they join the Great Stromboli's travelling puppet show when he promises them a share of the takings. When the money is stolen, Pinocchio sets off to recover it, save the theatre and prove he has what it takes to become a real boy. Expect song and dance numbers, special effects, costumes, laughter, magic and plenty of mayhem.

Cast

Allan Stewart plays May Geppetto, Grant Stott plays the evil Stromboli and Jordan Young plays Pinocchio, as the trio return to the King's together.

C.J. Borger plays Jiminy Cricket. The musical theatre star comes fresh from the West End hit Back to the Future the Musical.

Clare Gray, an Edinburgh panto favourite, plays Kitty the Cat in her eighth year with the Edinburgh panto, after playing Pat the Cow in Jack and the Beanstalk last year.

Gail Watson, another Edinburgh panto favourite, plays Phyllis the Fox. Bonnyrigg born and bred, she has just finished a successful Fringe run of Doris, Dolly and the Dressing Room Divas at the Gilded Balloon.

Dates and times

The run opens on Saturday 28 November 2026 and closes on Sunday 17 January 2027 with a 5pm performance. Matinees are generally at 2pm and evening performances at 7pm, with Sunday performances at 1pm and 5pm. On Christmas Eve and Hogmanay the performances are at 1pm and 5pm.

Who is it for (age guidance and running time)

Capital Theatres rates The Adventures of Pinocchio as suitable for all ages. A limited number of free babes in arms tickets are available for babies 12 months and under, without a seat of their own. The running time is to be announced by the venue.

Accessible performances

Audio described performances are on Friday 4 December at 7pm and Saturday 12 December at 2pm, with touch tours beforehand at 5.30pm and 12.30pm on those days. British Sign Language interpreted performances are on Saturday 5 December at 2pm and Friday 11 December at 7pm. The relaxed performance is on Friday 8 January 2027 at 2pm. Captioned performances are to be announced by the venue. Capital Theatres also offers access discounts for access users and essential companions.

Panto returns to the reopened King's Theatre

The King's Theatre reopened its doors on 1 August 2026, after a redevelopment that began in 2023, and the return of the King's panto is one of the highlights of its first season back. For over a century the King's has been a place for the people of Edinburgh to come together, and it lives up to its nickname as the People's Theatre. The Scotsman has described the King's panto as "a surge of pure Christmas joy".

Getting to the King's Theatre

The King's Theatre is at 2 Leven Street in Tollcross, Edinburgh EH3 9LQ. Haymarket is the nearest train station, about 20 minutes' walk away. The nearest tram stop, West End on Shandwick Place, is a 30 to 40 minute walk, so many people use the Lothian Buses routes that pass the theatre. It is on a busy main road, so there is limited space for drop-offs and parking.