browse events by category
future events tagged school holiday
Pinocchio
Visit the incredible world of Stuff and Nonsense as they bring Pinocchio to our stage for Christmas 2024.
This is the unique story of ‘when dad was made of wood’...
One cold night Pinocchio, Geppetto and Sonny go on a journey in search of a place to live. Little do they know the house they’re staying in is a playground for their imaginations...
Join the trio as they embark on adventures to the land of play, inside a whale and much more! Will Pinocchio ever turn back into a real boy?
Stuff and Nonsense are leaders in family theatre. Their adaptation of Pinocchio combines classic elements of the story – a poor woodcarver, the tell-tale growing nose, the dream of becoming a real boy – with their hallmark hilarity, skilled puppetry, original music, fantastic staging, outstanding performers and extraordinary physical tricks.
Invest in your children’s imaginations: join us in the theatre and take playfulness home with you!
★ Take a look at what the reviews are saying! ★
'This is a show for kids that has been influenced by kids, and that magical quality is evident from the first very scenes' Maidenhead Advertiser
‘A festive trip to Norden Farm is our favourite way to kick off the Christmas holidays!... The children found the performance very funny with lots of giggles’ Maidenhead Mum
'Oodles of festive fun, silliness, and joy, Norden Farm’s take on the classic tale is what every kid needs this Christmas' Muddy Stilettos
'The actors move seamlessly between the characters and the show is peppered with music. it’s also really funny! It really felt like a show that would ignite the imagination of children watching it' Red Kite Days
'A very clever and creative way to tell the story of Pinocchio and a definite must see this Christmas' Face2Face Maidenhead
'Pinocchio and his father Geppetto have many adventures on the way with the imagination of the young audience egging them on' Marlow FM
Age guidance
Suitable for all the family - age guidance 3 - 10 years.
Relaxed Performances
The performances on Saturday 30 November at 11am and Friday 27 December at 11am are Relaxed. Ideal for families with babies or toddlers and children with SEND. Everyone is welcome to join us for this friendly format.
Signed Performance
The performance on Saturday 21 December at 2pm will be signed.
Run time
Pinocchio is 70 minutes long without an interval.
Tickets
£16 | £14 Under 16s
£56 Family and Friends (4 people)
Tickets for children under 18 months
For this show, tickets/seats are not required for children under 18 months who are happy to sit on laps.
Creative Team
Directed by Niki McCretton
Music by Dom Coyote
With additional music by Tim Dalling
Stuff and Nonsense Theatre Company's website
X Stuff and Nonsense Theatre Company
Insta loadofstuff
Fb Stuff and Nonsense Theatre Company
Tiktok loadofstuff
Pinocchio Chill Out Space
Norden Farm's Pinocchio Chill Out space is a wonderful place to relax and play this festive season.
We are working with artist Amelia Pimlott, The Autism Group, Achieving for Children, Care for Calais and local schools; Wessex Primary School, Furze Platt and Cookham Dean Primary School, to create a magical Gallery space at Norden Farm which will bring the story of Pinocchio to life with shadow puppets and animations.
The exhibition will be open to visit throughout the Christmas holidays, this is a wonderful opportunity to see our local young people's artwork and to explore shadow puppets and animations in this innovative immersive exhibition.
Open Tuesdays - Saturdays
Tues 26 Nov - Sat 28 Dec
Entry is Free
- 24 Dec FREE
- 27 Dec FREE
- 1 more dates...
Paddington in Peru (PG)
Dir: Dougal Wilson 2024 | 106 mins
Paddington returns to Peru with the Brown family to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears.
A thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon rainforest and up to the mountain peaks of Peru.
£10.50 | £9.50 conc
Neon Members - Free membership for ages 16 - 25
£5 (offer applied in basket once logged in). Find out more about Neon Membership here.
Three Films Ticket Offer
£9 | £8 conc tickets when you book for three films at the same time. Offer excludes event cinema screenings. Offer applied in basket.
Relaxed February Half Term Screening
Fri 21 Feb 11.30am
£9 | £7 under 16s
Family & Friends (4 people) £28
Open Captioned Screening
The screening on Wed 15 Jan 2pm is an Open Captioned Screening. These screenings provide a transcription of the audio from a film. Captions are displayed at the bottom of the cinema screen along with the dialogue from the film.
Bring Baby Screening
The screening on Sat 11 Jan 11.30am is exclusively for parents, carers and grown-ups with children under 2 years. Lights are kept on low level and you can move around if you need to. Tickets are £5.50 for adults (including a cup of tea/coffee); babies and infants are free of charge. Seating is unreserved and unaccompanied adults are not admitted.
Arts and Crafts Session
Come along to Norden Farm for 45 minutes of Arts and Crafts.
Autumn
Sat 21 Dec 12.30pm
Led by Jess Thompson
Come along and create a beautiful glowing trinket box house using collage and decoupage techniques.
Sat 28 Dec 12.30pm
Led by Kayleigh Robinson
Get creative in our Pinocchio puppet themed arts and crafts workshop.
Hop into creativity with our fun arts and crafts workshops inspired by The Frog and the Princess
Spring
Tues 18 Feb 12pm
Led by Kayleigh Robinson
Create your own frog using paper, lolly sticks and glue.
Thur 20 Feb 1.30pm
Led by Maria Chernyak-Belenky
Create a beautiful 'stained glass' design based on the fairy tale.
Fri 21 Feb 1.30pm
Led by Maria Chernyak-Belenky
Design and make a beautiful marionette puppet using recycled materials.
Sat 22 Feb 11.30am
Led by Maria Chernyak-Belenky
3D papercraft workshop, make a fun free-standing character.
Sessions are 45 minutes | Suitable for ages 5 - 11 years | All materials provided.
£5 per person
Please note that children must be accompanied by a paying adult.
The Frog and The Princess
Presented by Box Tale Soup.
What if wishes were granted? What if magic was real?
When a Storyteller appears everyone is enchanted… Beasts and breadcrumbs, wolves and witches, but all Froggy really wants is to hear a story starring someone like him. Head into the woods with Hansel and Gretel, help little elves make beautiful shoes, meet the princess who’s champion of hide-and-seek, and see if Froggy finally gets his wish!
Box Tale Soup present a stunning adaptation of Grimm’s most magical tales, featuring wonderful puppets and spellbinding original music… Now let’s have a story about a Frog!
'They are wonderful' The Times
Age guidance
3+ years
Studio
£12 | £10 under 16s
Family and Friends (4 people) £40
X BoxTaleSoup
Insta boxtalesoup
Fb Box Tale Soup
Moana 2 (PG)
Dir: David G Derrick Jr, Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller 2024 | 100 mins
Moana 2 reunites Moana and Maui three years later for an expansive new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.
£9 | £7 under 16s
Family & Friends (4 people) £28
Relaxed screenings
All of our screenings of Moana 2 are Relaxed - everyone is welcome to join us for this friendly format. The lights are kept on low and the audience are free to move around, make noise or come in and out of the theatre as needed.
The Wild Robot (U)
Dir: Chris Sanders 2024 | 102 mins
The epic adventure follows the journey of a robot—ROZZUM unit 7134, 'Roz' for short - that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling.
£9 | £7 under 16s
Family & Friends (4 people) £28
Relaxed screenings
All of our screenings of The Wild Robot are Relaxed - everyone is welcome to join us for this friendly format. The lights are kept on low and the audience are free to move around, make noise or come in and out of the theatre as needed.
Hold On To Your Butts
65 million years ago, dinosaurs ruled the Earth…
30 years ago, a movie about dinosaurs ruled the box office…
This season, you are invited to Hold On To Your Butts!
Hold On To Your Butts is a must see shot-for-shot parody of the greatest dinosaur film of all time. After selling out in New York and at the Edinburgh Festival, this wildly inventive tour-de-force of comedy, Foley sound and physical theatre is coming to Norden Farm.
Don’t walk, run to get your tickets!
'Painfully funny... made us cry actual tears of laughter... a pure joy from start to finish' Critics’ Pick - Time Out New York
Age guidance
8+ years.
Courtyard Theatre
£18 I £16 Supporters and Under 16s | Family & Friends (4 people) £56
Whipped Up!
Dottie is an eager to please 50s style diner server on their first day on the job – where the baby is the customer, and caregivers are along for the ride.
As the server waits on their demanding clientele (imagine babies doing what babies do best – creating adorable chaos!) the server grows increasingly frazzled – and more and more entertaining!
Stimulating for tiny audience members with sensory play served up throughout the show, and hilarious for parents / adults watching their loved ones take on roles in an unfolding comedy.
Age guidance
2 months to 2 years.
Run time
50 minutes without an interval.
Studio
£15 for one adult and one child I Additional adult £12
Produced by Watford Palace Theatre
Created by Jill Rogati
Directed by Eva Sampson
The Farmer and The Clown
Presented by Flibbertigibbet Theatre.
Flibbertigibbet Theatre is delighted to announce that after a successful tour this year, The Farmer and The Clown, will be retouring nationally in Spring 2025. A wordless show for all ages, featuring dance, physical comedy and live music.
The story is about an unlikely friendship between an old farmer living in the middle of nowhere, and a baby clown, who has fallen from the back of a passing circus train. What happens when someone from a different world, lands in the world of another? The story delicately explores themes of loneliness, friendship, and care, across the divisions of age and community.
The Farmer and The Clown is an adaptation of the picture book by the multiple award-winning author and illustrator, Marla Frazee, whose book, Boss Baby became an international animation hit for Dreamworks and 20th Century Fox.
The beautiful pictures from the book were our storyboard, and took inspiration from silent movies, such as Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid, which, despite being over 100 years old, can still make audiences laugh and cry.
Playing without words, the show is accessible to a wide range of audiences. We worked with a Visual Language consultant and Deaf Access Support consultant, to ensure that the physical language created for the storytelling is clear and accessible for all audiences, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Anyone who does not speak English can still enjoy the show as language is not an issue.
‘UTTERLY HEARTWARMING AND RELATABLE…. What Flibbertigibbet have created is a beautiful, simple, and charming piece of theatre, suitable for all' Bristol 24/7
'The Farmer and The Clown has been created with such care, skill, artistry and talent that like all very special pieces of theatre it stays with you long after the event, feeding your soul and reminding you of how magical an experience theatre can be. I absolutely loved every second of it' Sally Cookson, Theatre Director
'…absolutely beautiful. I LOVED it! Beautiful performance and gorgeous music. Touched and delighted' Emma Rice, Wise Children
Funded by Arts Council England and with support from House South East, Bristol Old Vic Theatre and Wyldwood Arts, the show that aims to bring audiences together. Bring your Granny, Grandpa, Uncles, Aunts and neighbours. Suitable for ages 3 – 100.
Studio
£12 | £10 under 16s | Family and Friends (4 people) £40
How to Catch a Book Witch
Presented by Coppice Theatre.
Kira loves reading, visiting the library for a new book is her favourite thing. One day the words in the books start to disappear and the adults start to get grumpy. Graham Grey says the library will be knocked down to make way for a car park!
We her new friend the book worm, Kira has to uncover why words are vanishing and where these book monsters have come from! Could there be a Book Witch in the library?
An open hearted show exploring the importance of libraries, sharing stories and not judging people. The show features live music, puppetry and storytelling. Created with inclusion and accessibility in mind and including key word signing and integrated captions.
Coppice Theatre are a Cornish-based company that specialises in creating engaging, entertaining and educational productions for young people.
Winner of the Farnham Maltings Emerging Artist/Company Award at Brighton Fringe 2024.
This show was created thanks to kind support from The Arts Council England, Feast Cornwall and AMATA, Falmouth University.
Age guidance
3+ years
Courtyard Theatre
£12 | £10 under 16s
Family and Friends (4 people) £40
X CoppiceTheatre
Insta coppicetheatre
Fb Coppice Theatre
The Amazing Bubble Man
Louis Pearl thrills with the art, magic, science and fun of bubbles.
Louis Pearl has been thrilling audiences around the world for over 30 years with the art, magic, science and fun of bubbles. He is a favourite at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where he has enjoyed 14 years of sell-out success.
Louis explores the breath-taking dynamics of bubbles, combining comedy and artistry with audience participation and enough spellbinding bubble tricks to keep everyone mesmerized. From square bubbles, bubbles inside bubbles, fog-filled bubbles, giant bubbles, bubble volcanoes, tornados and trampolines to people inside bubbles, the Amazing Bubble Man conjures shrieks of laughter and gasps of amazement from all ages.
Most shows will also feature multi instrumentalist Jet Black Pearl accompanying Louis with bubbly music to double your pleasure.
'Greatest bubble show on Earth' SFGate.com
'It's a fantastic show. Louis Pearl playfully forms bubbles beyond imagination, and engages the audience with his easygoing nonverbal slapstick'
'Louis Pearl - aka The Amazing Bubble Man - truly deserves his title. Most of the show is accompanied by gasps and awes...and that's just the adults. Kids can be heard giggling with excitement'
'This show captivated its young audience and the adults loved it as well. Highly recommended' British Theater Guide
'The show is one giant, joyous caper' The Wee Review
'The eight year-old seated beside this reviewer summed it up neatly during the show, proclaiming after one nifty manoeuvre, he sure is the amazing bubble man’ The Wee Review
Suitable for all ages.
Courtyard Theatre
£15 | £12 under 16s
Family and Friends (4 people) £48
Tickets for children under 18 months For this show, tickets/ seats are not required for children under 18 months who are happy to sit on laps
The Amazing Bubble Man's Website
X Louis Pearl
Insta bubguy
Fb Amazing Bubble Man
Shadow Necropolis
A spooky fantasy adventure for the whole family.
A young girl named Minerva is a hero in her dreams but feels helpless in real life. When her friend is taken by Oizys, the Goddess of anxiety, Minerva must travel through a city full of skeletons to rescue her.
A touching tale for any child or adult who has ever struggled with the constant worry that they're not good enough.
Featuring award-winning cinematic shadow puppetry from Japan. Hundreds of puppets are projected on a large screen to create a live animated movie.
Age guidance
8+ years
Studio
£15 | £12 under 16s
Family and Friends (4 people) £48
Olaf Falafel’s Stupidest Super Stupid Show So Far
Winner of the Best Kids’ Show at the 2024 Leicester Comedy Festival.
After a sell out run at last year’s Fringe, comedian and children's author Olaf Falafel is dishing up another frying pan full of family-friendly comedy.
The comedy show comedians take their kids to is back and even funnier!
Join Olaf Falafel (if that is his real name) for an hour of kid's comedy which will be the stupidest he has ever let trickle from his brain. Expect sausage birds, radioactive bogies and truth-telling cheese. There will definitely be a time-travelling portal to the future, some farts and a live drawalong.
Be there or be a dodecahedron!
Time Out Top 10 Kids' Shows 2024.
The Times Edinburgh Festival Family Highlights 2024
'Olaf Falafel is a perfectly ridiculous festival must see' Shaparak Khorsandi
'My son’s favourite comedian, which is upsetting given my profession' Geoff Norcott
'Very very very silly' Josie Long
Studio
£12 | £10 under 16s | Family and Friends (4 people) £40
X OFalafel
Insta olaffalafel
Fb Olaf Falafel
The Museum of Marvellous Things
Welcome to The Museum of Marvellous Things, where the impossible can happen!
Discover stars in jars, catch moons like balloons, dance with Doo-Dahs in cages, sing with Noo-Nahs on stages. Because this is a museum like no other it’s made from the magic of your imagination and you get to bring it alive.
With giant puppets, songs, interactive storytelling, show stopping costumes, live original music and a chance to make your own special puppet. This is a fun-filled family show celebrating the magic of imagination and the power of creativity, based on the picture book by Kristina Stephenson, bestselling author and illustrator of Sir Charlie Stinky Socks. Meet sensible, serious Norbert Norris and wild, wonderful Tilly T. Pott, as they give you a sneak peek inside their amazing museum and ask YOU to fill it with magic!
So…come on in, let the magic begin!
Suitable for ages 3 - 8 years.
Courtyard Theatre
£12 | £10 under 16s
Family and Friends (4 people) £40
Practically Perfect Pictures website
X ThePPPShows
Insta practicallyperfectpictures
Fb PracticallyPerfectPictures
The Great Big Dinosaur Show
Which dinosaur had teeth as big as a banana? Which dinosaur weighed the same as 10,000 cats? And what could a chicken possibly be doing in The Great Big Dinosaur Show?!
Join poet Simon Mole and musician Gecko for a family show full of poems, raps and songs about all your favourite prehistoric protagonists (and some you haven’t heard of yet!). Come and get your groove on to some Jurassic Classics!
The show is inspired by Simon Mole’s 4th book; A First Book of Dinosaurs, illustrated by Matt Hunt, published by Walker Books in September 2023.
All audience members are invited to bring a sock of any size or colour to become part of our sauropod sock herd! We advise these being additional socks to the ones you will be wearing on your feet…
Supported by Norden Farm and artsdepot.
Funded by Arts Council England National Lottery Grants
Age guidance
4 - 11 years.
Studio
£12 | £10 under 16s | Family and Friends (4 people) £40