The Floral Pavilion sits on the promenade at New Brighton and its panto is the big family event, Aladdin this year. It is a traditional one, with the staging and lighting to match, and the dearest seats are not cheap.
Around it the theatre does more for children than you might expect. The Big Story Bash on 7 November is a free-entry day of author talks, comic-making and performances (Frank Cottrell-Boyce is the headline, ticketed), there is a West End-themed Halloween holiday club on 26 October, and Dinosaurs Live from the Natural History Museum arrives on 17 February.
The ground-floor cafe is open to everyone, which makes it a useful dry stop on a seafront day.
What it costs: Aladdin (5 December to 3 January) is £15 to £38.50 for adults and £15 to £35.50 for children, with family-of-four tickets from £120 in some price bands. The Big Story Bash author event on 7 November is £23 for an adult and one child, £6 for each extra child.
New Brighton's seafront panto, with Blackpool breakfast radio presenter Scott Gallagher making his debut as a dame, as Widow Twankey. Every performance has a few £15 stalls seats, so book early for those and walk the prom afterwards if it is not blowing a gale.
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One email a week: what is on this weekend within a sensible drive, and the places worth booking before they go.