Cinderella

Derby’s most spectacular all-star family pantomime returns to Derby Arena this Christmas.

Starring Richard Blackwood (EastEnders) as Buttons, Eilish O'Carroll (Mrs Brown's Boys) as the Fairy Godmother and Lloyd Warbey (Art Attack) as Dandini.

Cinderella is the classic fairytale of a girl forced to serve her jealous stepsisters. Aided by the silly but loveable Buttons and a Fairy Godmother carefully watching over her, Cinderella dreams of escaping her misery and finding true love and happiness.

A pumpkin magically transformed into a sparkling coach, mice into white horses, a glass slipper and a spell that breaks at midnight, this is the classic rags to riches story of a downtrodden girl forced to serve her jealous stepsisters.

Along with Cinderella’s best buddy Buttons and the magical Fairy Godmother pantomime goers will join the journey to escape the misery of her dastardly diva sisters and find true love in the arms of a dashing Prince.

This Christmas there will be dazzling new sets & costumes, hilarious comedy, fabulous music and dance routines, lots of audience participation and fun for all the family. Join Derby LIVE and Paul Holman Associates as Derby Arena hosts the glittering Cinderella.

No one should miss Derby’s biggest ball – at Derby Arena. 

VIP tickets

We have a limited number of VIP tickets for our Fri 16 Dec, 7pm performance. VIP tickets include a top price seat (choice of two price bands - depending on where you sit), complimentary programme and your chance to meet the cast in an after-show drinks reception. Tickets are £45.25 (£35.25 for concessions and under 16s) or £43.25 (£33.25 concessions and under 16s). 

Christmas Evelegr

The man himself, Father Christmas, will be paying a special visit to the pantomime performances on Christmas Eve for some last minute requests - so make sure you're on your best behaviour.

DCFC football fixtures

Derby County Football Club match fixtures overlap with some performance of Cinderella. This has resulted in changes to advertised times of two performances, and will affect traffic and parking arrangements for four performances.

Sun 11 Dec at 1pm

DCFC match at 12noon. The performance time will not change.

On the day of the performance traffic is likely to be very heavy at times with some temporary road closures in place. Some public transport is affected by the match, with diversions and different stops in use. Visit http://www.wearederby.com/travel/ipro/matchday-bus-services/  or http://www.derbyconnected.com/  for up to date information.

There will only be extremely limited car parking available at Derby Arena strictly only from 12:15pm for this performance (at the usual cost of £3), with priority for disabled people, so we strongly advise using alternative parking we have arranged at the Cattle Market, on Chequers Road, off the A52 Pentagon Island. The parking will be safe and family-friendly, with security lighting and stewarding in place. There will be free shuttle buses to take people to and from the Arena. You can buy a parking ticket in advance for the discounted price of £3 (alternatively £5 on the day, cash only). The option to buy the car park pass will come up when you buy tickets for this performance. Alternatively call us on 01332 255800 to buy over the phone.

Sun 11 Dec at 5pm

DCFC match at 12noon. The performance time will not change.

On the day of the performance traffic is likely to be very heavy at times with some temporary road closures in place.  Some public transport is affected by the match, with diversions and different stops in use. Visit http://www.wearederby.com/travel/ipro/matchday-bus-services/  or http://www.derbyconnected.com/  for up to date information.

Car parking should be available at Derby Arena as normal for this performance (at the usual cost of £3), but strictly only from 2:45pm.

Tue 27 Dec at 1pm

DCFC match at 3pm. Because of this, the performance time has changed to 1pm.

On the day of the performance traffic is likely to be very heavy at times with some temporary road closures in place. Some public transport is affected by the match, with diversions and different stops in use. Visit http://www.wearederby.com/travel/ipro/matchday-bus-services/  or http://www.derbyconnected.com/  for up to date information.

There will only be extremely limited car parking available at Derby Arena (at the usual cost of £3), with priority for disabled people. Therefore we strongly advise using alternative parking we have arranged at the Cattle Market, on Chequers Road, off the A52 Pentagon Island. The parking will be safe and family-friendly, with security lighting and stewarding in place. There will be free shuttle buses to take people to and from the Arena. You can buy a parking ticket in advance for the discounted price of £3 (alternatively £5 on the day, cash only). The option to buy the car park pass will come up when you buy tickets for this performance. Alternatively call us on 01332 255800 to buy over the phone.

Tue 27 Dec at 6:30pm

DCFC match at 3pm. Because of this, the performance time has changed to 6:30pm.

On the day of the performance traffic is likely to be very heavy at times with some temporary road closures in place. Some public transport is affected by the match, with diversions and different stops in use. Visit http://www.wearederby.com/travel/ipro/matchday-bus-services/  or http://www.derbyconnected.com/  for up to date information.

Car parking should be available at Derby Arena as normal (at the usual cost of £3) for this performance, but strictly only from 5:45pm.

Audio described performances

Wed 14 Dec at 2pm, Sat 31 Dec at 2pm and Mon 2 Jan at 2pm are Audio Decribe performances. These shows are ideal for blind and partially-sighted people, audio description is a form of audio-visual translation, using the natural pauses in dialogue or between critical sound elements to insert narrative that translates the visual image into a sense form.

Free touch tours take place 75 minutes before the performance, with the chance to look closely at the set and costumes and often with a chance to meet some of the actors! Please let Box Office know if you want to attend the touch tour, tickets are free, but should be booked in advance.

BSL sign-interpreted performances

The following performances are BSL Sign-Interpreted performances: Thu 8 Dec at 10:15am, Sat 10 Dec at 7:30pm, Tue 27 Dec at 6pm and Mon 2 Jan at 2pm.

The traditional setup of sign-interpreted performances keeps interpreters off to one side of the stage and means that audience members who are hard of hearing, have to choose whether to watch the action on stage or the professional interpreter on the side.

Captioned performances

The following performances are captioned performances: Fri 30 Dec at 2pm and 7pm.

In a captioned performance, words appear on screens either side of the stage at the same time as they are spoken - ideal for those who are deaf, hard of hearing or if you'd just like to read along.  

Restaurant offers

Why not start off your Cirtsmas Pantomime treat with a choice of great meal offers, right on the doorstep of Derby Arena. To find out more please see our Dinner and a show page.

Relaxed performance

Please note that Thu 29 Dec at 2:30pm is a relaxed performance show and as which is specifically designed and adapted for customers with a wide range of disabilities and those on the autistic spectrum. They have a less formal, more supportive atmosphere in order to reduce anxiety levels. The relaxed performance is still the same show but there are small changes to the sound levels, lighting and no pyrotechnics or strobe lighting are used.

Please see the relaxed performance flyer below for more information.