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The Gruffalo’s Child leads Warwick Arts Centre’s Christmas programme, running from Saturday 28 November to Sunday 27 December. Around it are comedy, folk and swing concerts, carols, Christmas films and a free makers’ market. The centre is on the University of Warwick campus in Coventry, and tickets are on its website.
On this page
For families
- The Gruffalo’s Child (Tall Stories), 28 November to 27 December: one hour with no interval, recommended for ages 3 and up. Tickets are £21.50, £18 or £14, rising to £23.50 or £20 from 24 to 27 December. Every child over 12 months needs a full-price ticket; younger babies go free with a Baby Pass from the box office. The relaxed performance is on Sunday 29 November at 1.30pm, with a free familiarisation session at 12.30pm (book ahead), and the BSL-interpreted one is on Saturday 12 December at 1.30pm.
- Free Gruffalo family workshop, Saturday 12 December: drop in, no booking. Nature Makers Coventry will help children sculpt a clay Gruffalo and paint a snowy forest with pine-tree brushes. The show’s page says it runs from 11.30am to 3.30pm; the centre’s press release says it ends at 3pm.
- Christmas Lectures, Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 December, Butterworth Hall: University of Warwick scientists with experiments and loud bangs, £7.50, recommended for ages 7 and up. Both nights are the same show, and Wednesday is BSL-interpreted. Hands-on Live Labs open in the foyer from 5.30pm.
- The Puppet Folk Experience celebrates The Muppet Christmas Carol, Saturday 5 December: an hour of live puppetry, then the film, at several times, booked through Mockingbird Cinema.
Concerts and comedy
- A Time of Snow, University of Warwick Chamber Choir: Friday 4 December, 7pm, Helen Martin Studio, £8.
- Manchester Carols, University of Warwick Symphony Orchestra and Chorus: Sunday 6 December, 4pm, Butterworth Hall, £12.
- City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra: Wednesday 9 December, 7.30pm, with Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker and Duke Ellington’s jazz version. £28 to £47.50, or £15.50 for under-26s.
- Live at Christmas: Thursday 10 December, 7.30pm, with David O’Doherty, Bridget Christie, Rose Matafeo and Michelle de Swarte, hosted by Jen Brister. £33, ages 16 and up.
- Kate Rusby at Christmas: Saturday 12 December, Butterworth Hall, £45.50 or £28 for under-16s.
- The Albion Christmas Band: Tuesday 15 December, 7.45pm, in the Studio, £33.
- Swing into Christmas with the 30-piece Down for the Count Swing Orchestra: Wednesday 16 December, 7.30pm, £29.50 to £47.50, or from £17.50 for under-18s.
Gifts and films
The free Seasonal Makers Market fills the Gallery Foyer on Thursday 10 December, from 4pm to 9pm, with no need to book. The centre says more than 30 independent makers will be there.
The centre’s release also promises Christmas films, though they aren’t on its cinema listings yet. A Ghost Story for Christmas on 10 December screens the BBC’s 1972 A Warning to the Curious. Scrooge (1951) and Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint start on Friday 11 December, and It’s a Wonderful Life and Arthur Christmas, with relaxed screenings, on Friday 18 December.
The box office is on 024 7649 6000. For Christmas in Warwick itself, from the Victorian Evening to the castle, see our Christmas in Warwick guide.
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