The Everyman's Christmas 2026 Season Has Something for the Whole Family
If you’ve been waiting for something to actually look forward to this Christmas — something that’ll get the kids bouncing off the walls with excitement and give you a perfectly legitimate reason to book a babysitter for a late-night drag show — The Everyman in Cork has just delivered the goods.
The theatre announced its full Christmas 2026 season today and honestly, it’s one of the strongest line-ups they’ve put together. There’s something for everyone: a classic family panto with a very familiar face, Ireland’s first ever drag pantomime, and a clutch of festive concerts that’ll have you humming all the way home.
The Traitors star is heading to the panto stage
This year’s Everyman Panto is Jack and the Beanstalk, running from Thursday 3 December 2026 to Sunday 10 January 2027, and it’s already got a serious talking point attached to it. Fionula Linehan — yes, that Fionula Linehan from RTÉ’s The Traitors — will be playing Dame Peggy Twomey. If your household was glued to the telly watching her, the kids are going to absolutely love seeing her in the flesh.
The panto is directed by Catherine Mahon-Buckley, a genuine legend of the Irish panto world, and the cast also includes Conor O’Cuinn as Jack, Caoimhe de Brún as Jill, Graham McDermott-Wood as Moo de Cow, Paul Ryder as Baron de Rude and Andrew Lane as Chad GPT — a character name that will either make you groan or cackle, depending on your mood. The panto is presented in association with CADA.
Ticket prices are really well structured for families: previews start at €21, standard tickets are €38.50 and a family of four ticket comes in at €138. There are also special offer nights at €26 on 10 December, 11 December and 7 January, which is worth knowing if Christmas has already done a number on the budget. Accessible performances are included in the run, with an ISL interpreted performance on Saturday 2 January, an audio-described performance and touch tour on Sunday 3 January, and a relaxed performance on Sunday 10 January.
Ireland’s first ever drag panto — and it’s a late one
This is genuinely new territory for The Everyman. Candy in Pantoland will be the first late-night drag pantomime ever staged by the theatre, co-produced with Promenade in association with Mockie Ah!, written and led by the fabulous Candy Warhol and directed by The Everyman’s own Artistic Director Des Kennedy. There are just two performances: Friday 18 December at 10.30pm and Saturday 19 December at 11pm, with tickets at €26. Early booking is strongly advised — this one is going to sell out fast.
Des Kennedy described it as “a hilarious, camp and fabulous night out during the festive party season” and honestly, that’s all we need to hear. Line up the group chat.
Festive concerts to round out the season
The Christmas concerts at The Everyman are something of a Cork institution and this year is no different. The Sunday Songbook Christmas Special lands on Sunday 6 December at 7.30pm (tickets €32), promising a setlist packed with the greatest Christmas songs ever recorded — we’re talking Fairytale of New York, Mariah, Wham!, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole and more. It’s the kind of evening that turns even the most Scrooge-ish adult into a fully committed Christmas enthusiast.
Niall McNamee, who wowed Cork audiences earlier this year in Mick Flannery’s sold-out musical The House Must Win, returns to the stage for a Christmas concert with his band on Sunday 13 December at 8pm, with tickets at €25. And the season wraps up with the annual John Spillane and Friends Christmas concert on Sunday 20 December at 8pm (tickets €30) — Spillane’s Everyman Christmas shows have a habit of selling out, so advance booking is the way to go.
Tickets for the entire Christmas 2026 season at The Everyman are on sale now. You can book online at everymancork.com, by phone on 021 450 1673 or in person at 15 McCurtain Street, Cork. Group bookings can be made at [email protected] and accessible performance bookings at [email protected].