Christmas pantos at Middleton Arena and Heywood Civic Centre postponed to 2021

The Christmas panto at Middleton Arena has been postponed until 2021

The 2020 pantomimes at Middleton Arena and Heywood Civic Centre have been postponed until 2021.

Link4Life, the charity that operates leisure and cultural venues on behalf of Rochdale Borough Council, confirmed that the pantos would not be going ahead this year due to the impact of Covid-19 and the continuing uncertainty of when theatres can re-open without social distancing restrictions in place. 

Peter Pan was due to be performed at Middleton Arena from 1 to 28 December and Cinderella was due to be performed at Heywood Civic Centre from 1 to 29 December.

Customers who have already bought tickets can transfer tickets to the 2021 Christmas pantomimes, or transfer the value of those tickets to another show. They may also ask for tickets to be refunded, although in a bid to help protect the long term future of two of Rochdale borough’s most prominent entertainment venues, Link4Life is asking that customers only request a refund if absolutely necessary.

Head of events Jonathan Higgins said: “We are incredibly sad that, owing to the Covid-19 crisis, we won’t be able to present ‘Peter Pan’ at Middleton Arena, or ‘Cinderella’ at Heywood Civic Centre this Christmas. Panto is such an important part of the festive season for many families. Last year we welcomed in excess of 20,000 people to our pantomimes and thousands of tickets for this years performance had already been snapped up by local schools and performances on Christmas Eve were sold out. The shows employ dozens of actors, dancers, musicians, theatre staff and technical crew; as well as offering a brilliant opportunity for local children to take part in the youth ensemble.

"The government has announced that no further guidance or decision will be made around social distancing in theatres until November, which is too late. There is a lot of work that goes into the productions and at this point in the year, we would normally be well underway with casting, creating stage sets and costumes and rehearsing.

"In addition to the bitter disappointment, our charity and our production partners also face an unprecedented challenge to navigate a way through these exceptionally difficult times for the live events and theatre industry.”

Both pantomimes will be rescheduled to next year:

• Peter Pan at Middleton Arena: 30 November to 28 December 2021
• Cinderella at Heywood Civic Centre: 18 to 28 December 2021

Link4Life’s Box Office Team will be contacting ticket holders to offer an automatic transfer to the rescheduled performances. Owing to reduced staffing, remote working and the importance of observing social distancing guidelines, customers are requested not to telephone the Box Office or to go to the venues.

Any enquiries should wherever possible be sent via email to arts.events@link4life.org