Cinderella at The Dukes
The Dukes' Christmas show, played in the round and billed by its writer as 'a show, not a panto'. The cheap standing tickets are marked unsuitable for young children, so pay for seats if you are bringing little ones.

The Dukes is Lancaster's theatre and cinema. Its Christmas show this year is Cinderella in the Round Theatre, written by Ian Kershaw with original songs performed live by the cast, running about two hours. Prices are sensible and there is a family ticket.
Outside Christmas there is a family show now and again, like There's a Monster in Your Show on 18 October at 1pm and 3.30pm, and the cinema listings have a family filter. The creative communities team runs youth theatre sessions all year plus holiday activities and workshops.
Every space is fully accessible except the Round's balcony. The cafe bar serves local tea and coffee and Mrs Dowson's ice cream, and you can take drinks in.
What it costs: Cinderella (21 November to 2 January) is £13 to £19.50 for children and £18 to £26 for adults depending on date and seat. A family ticket for two adults and two children saves £10. Christmas week (21 to 26 December) is the dearest. There are cheaper standing tickets, but the theatre says they are unsuitable for young children.
The Dukes' Christmas show, played in the round and billed by its writer as 'a show, not a panto'. The cheap standing tickets are marked unsuitable for young children, so pay for seats if you are bringing little ones.
Looking for more museums & science near Lancaster?
Sending it to the group chat?
★★★★★ 4.7 across 793 Google reviews.
Read all 793 reviews on Google - filter by star rating there
The Ashton Memorial dome you can see from the M6, with views across Morecambe Bay, a butterfly house, mini beasts and a good playground below it. Lancaster's best free afternoon.

Lancaster's council leisure centre doing triple duty: Energy soft play, XHeight climbing walls and a 33m pool with a waterslide and inflatable sessions. Cheaper than the private soft play chains, and everything is under one roof for a wet day.

Turner painted this view, which is worth nothing to a seven year old but does explain the crowds. A picnic site on the horseshoe bend of the Lune with tables, toilets and easy riverside walking.

Adults go in free and you only pay for the children who actually play. Giggles takes birth to ten in Lancaster Leisure Park, with the frames split by size so the crawlers are not flattened.

Forty-six acres north of the Lune with an accessible play area for under twelves, outdoor gym kit and five football pitches. Free parking, and a free junior parkrun every Sunday morning.

A pretend village for under 8s on the Lune Business Park: fire station, vets, supermarket, ice cream parlour and seven more wooden play shops. Booked sessions, calm by design, and very little climbing.
One email a week: what is on this weekend within a sensible drive, and the places worth booking before they go.