2022 Show Times
Stage Schedules are also included in the free Event Program offered upon entry at the Front Gate to the Dickens Fair.
(Program subject to change; check the menu boards posted outside each theatre for that day’s schedule.
ASL interpreter available on December 10, 17 and 18 for select shows – see schedules below and our FAQ/Accessibility page.)
Download the full Stage Schedule.
In the Streets of London
Characters You May Meet:
A multitude of characters from the imagination of Mr. Charles Dickens come to life in our Victorian London – Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit & Tiny Tim, the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet-to-Come; David Copperfield and Betsy Trotwood; Nicholas Nickelby and his Family; Oliver Twist & Nancy, mingling with chimney sweeps, musicians, carolers, music hall performers, saucy sailors and more. Hundreds of costumed players create living history all around you – and you are heartily welcome to join in!
Parades:
12:50 – Father Christmas Parade to Father Christmas Stage
4:00 – Father Christmas Parade from Father Christmas Stage around the Fair
5:15 – Boar’s Head Procession(arrives at Fezziwig’s 5:30pm)
Fezziwig's Dance Party
Mr. & Mrs. Fezziwig, young Scrooge’s employers, invite you to their holiday party – and you are most welcome to join in the fun! Be entertained by shows, scenes from A Christmas Carol, entr’actes, and special guest acts! Throughout the day, Greenwich Meantime provides lively ballroom & English country dance music, with reels, jigs, polkas and waltzes for the public to enjoy.
10:00 – Mr. Fezziwig & Mr. Dickens Welcome
10:15 – Mister Scrooge in his Office (A Christmas Carol)
11:00 – Dancing to Greenwich Mean Time
11:30 – Special Performances
12:00 – An Irish Christmas Celebration
1:00 – Dancing to Greenwich Mean Time
1:45 – Scrooge & Belle (A Christmas Carol)
2:00 – An Irish Christmas Celebration
2:45 – Showcase of the Fair’s Stage Shows
3:00 – Dancing to Greenwich Mean Time
4:00 – An Irish Christmas Celebration
4:30 – Dancing to Greenwich Mean Time
5:30 – Scrooge & Bob Cratchit celebrate Boxing Day (A Christmas Carol)
5:45 – Sing-A-Long Hallelujah Chorus
Victoria & Albert Bijou Music Hall
Join the Chairman in welcoming the finest talents & timeless traditions of the London stage!
11:30 – Pantomime: “Puss In Boots”
12:15 – All’s Well That Ends Badly
1:00 – Music Hall Variety Show
1:45 – Opera Bohemia
2:30 – Pantomime: “Puss In Boots”
3:15 – Music Hall Variety Show
4:00 – All’s Well That Ends Badly
4:45 – Opera Bohemia
5:30 – Music Hall Variety Show
Paddy West Stage at the London Docks
Welcome to The London Docks, Thameside home to the PADDY WEST SCHOOL OF SEAMANSHIP and other nautical riffraff.
11:00 – Paddy West Nautical Music & Songs
12:30 – Sing-A-Long Sea Shanty Session
1:30 – Coventry Carolers (Paddy West is at Mad Sal’s)
2:30 – Congress of Wonders & Atrocities (The Worst Sideshow in London)
3:00 – Paddy West Nautical Music & Songs
4:30 – Coventry Carolers (Paddy West is at Mad Sal’s)
5:30 – Paddy West Closing Songs
Entertainment throughout the day: Yet more music and seafaring songs; knot tying, games & sailing skills; navigation lessons with model ships; traveling tattoo parlour
Father Christmas Stage
Sweet caroling rings out and Father Christmas himself magically appears! Young folks may join him for a holiday photo memento (no family portraits please). Family fare continues as children are chosen to participate in delightful shows and sing-a-longs. Across the way you’ll find the Traveling Piccolo Puppet Players with illuminating antics from Mr. Punch and his mischievous friends.
10:30 – Bold Tailor
11:00 – Mother Goose
11:30 – Special Performance (on certain days)
12:00 – Punch & Judy
12:30 – Bold Tailor
1:00 – Father Christmas Parade arrives; visits with children
2:00 – Special Performance (on certain days)
2:30 – Punch & Judy
3:00 – Mother Goose
3:30 – Special Performance (on certain days)
4:00 – Father Christmas visits with children
5:00 – Punch & Judy
Mermaid Tavern Stage
The sounds of spirited music and lively dance ring out all through the day. Grab a pint and enjoy the fun!
Port Tastings are also held at the venerable Mermaid Inn at 12:30 and 3:30 pm (excepting Nov. 19 & 20); reservations are required.
Chancery Lane
Where Mr Dickens’ characters and stories come to life in lively scenes interspersed with rollicking musical interludes! This is the location of Scrooge & Marley’s Counting House, the Cratchits’ humble home, and much more!
10:45 – Scenes from Dickens’ Novels
11:00 – A visit from The Ghost of Jacob Marley (A Christmas Carol)
11:30 – Scenes from Dickens’ Novels
12:00 – Coventry Carolers
12:30 – Scenes from Dickens’ Novels
1:00 – A visit from the Ghost of Christmas Past (A Christmas Carol)
1:15 – Scenes from Dickens’ Novels
1:30 – Rats in the Haggis
2:00 – Scenes from Dickens’ Novels
2:15 – A Visit from the Ghost of Christmas Present (A Christmas Carol)
2:45 – Scenes from Dickens’ Novels
3:00 – Special Performances (on certain days)
3:30 – A visit from the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come (A Christmas Carol)
4:00 – Special Performances (on certain days)
4:30 – Scrooge is Redeemed! (A Christmas Carol)
5:00 – Special Performances (on certain days)
The Athenaeum Club
Where the leading lights of the literary, artistic, scientific, and business worlds assemble to discuss their projects and to share them with the public in a variety of presentations and activities.
10:00 – Welcome to the Athenæum Club!
11:00 – Upstairs & Downstairs: Learn the British way to serve tea, set a table, or practice letters.
12:00 – Pre-Raphaelite Artists Salon: Sketch live models from romanticized medieval and classical themes. Pencils and pads provided; all ages are welcome!
1:00 – Naval Technology and Life at Sea
2:00 – Explorations in Science / Great Exhibition Preview
3:00 – Writers and Literati Discourse
4:00 – Children’s Christmas
4:30 – Salon at the Athenæum Club
5:00 – Christmas Carols: Join us as the finest voices in London raise their voices in celebration!
5:30 – A Toast to the Season
Dickens' Study at Tavistock House
This is where you may find the great novelist at work on his latest novel, visited frequently by his illustrious friends (including Edgar Allan Poe), his family, and a host of his characters.
11:30 – Charles Dickens reads A Christmas Carol, Stave 1
1:30 – A Christmas Carol, Stave 2
2:00 – Guest readings
2:30 – Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present witness Nephew Fred’s Party
2:45 – A Christmas Carol, Stave 3
4:30 – A Christmas Carol, Stave 4
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Games, interactions, and seasonal festivities throughout the day.
Mad Sal's Dockside Ale House
Raucous merriment draws the venturesome soul to “The Docks,” wherein Mad Sal herself presides over a host of talented singers, dancers, and more than a few shifty sorts. Watch your pockets – and your propriety!
(Some shows are shockingly scandalous. We do not recommend children at all shows.)
10:30 – Jim Chiminey (child friendly)
11:00 – Trickish Matters (child friendly)
11:30 – Cheapside Music Hall (featuring Le Cancan Bijou)
12:30 – Pipe & Bowl Morris
1:00 – Jim Chiminey (child friendly)
1:30 – Paddy West
2:00 – Trickish Matters (child friendly)
2:30 – Cheapside Music Hall (featuring Le Cancan Bijou)
3:30 – Pipe & Bowl Morris
4:30 – Paddy West
5:00 – The East End After Hours ‘oliday H’extravaganza! (featuring Le Cancan Bijou)
Green Man Inn
The beating heart of London, where the locals gather to celebrate the season, raise a glass, plan adventures, and share the news of the day! At any moment a lively round of song might erupt, or merry capers suddenly liven the parlour. This is also where, throughout the day, the Jolly Wassailers commence their spreading of seasonal cheer.
“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”
~ Charles Dickens