Cirque Alice Tickets at the Royal Festival Hall
Alice in Wonderland told as a circus, at the Southbank Centre for Christmas: aerialists, contortionists, acrobats and puppets, set to new arrangements of well-known classical music.
- Price
- From £38 all-in
- Running time
- 2h
- Age
- 5+
- Performances
- Mon to Wed, Sat and Sun 7:30pm, Mon, Tue, Thu, Sat and Sun 3pm
- Closes
- 3 January 2027
Prices live · Page updated 13 November 2026
Real people on the phone
020 7193 9050 · Monday to Saturday 8am to 8pm, Sunday 10am to 8pm
Help choosing your seat
What Tickets Cost
Tickets start from around £35. Most seats are around £70 to £115, and the best in the house go up to around £155. The prices are the same at every performance, so New Year's Day costs no more than a Tuesday evening.
Special Offer on selected dates from 13 December. Offer dates have a dot.
Next available
- Sat 12 Dec · 7:30pm from £38
- Sun 13 Dec · 3:00pm from £38
- Sun 13 Dec · 7:30pm, offer date from £38
- Tue 15 Dec · 7:30pm, offer date from £38
- Wed 16 Dec · 7:30pm, offer date from £38
Prices and dates checked 13 November 2026
All-in pricing, the price you see is what you pay. Call us on 020 7193 9050 and we'll help you find seats together for the whole family.
Performance Schedule
34 performances, with no show on Mondays 14 and 21 December, Christmas Day or 30 December:
| Week | Matinees | Evenings |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 12 to Sun 13 Dec | Sun 3pm | Sat and Sun 7:30pm |
| Tue 15 to Sun 20 Dec | Thu 3pm, Fri 2:30pm, Sat and Sun 3pm | Every day 7:30pm |
| Tue 22 to Sun 27 Dec | Tue 11am and 3pm, Wed 3pm, Christmas Eve 3pm, Boxing Day 3pm, Sun 11am and 3pm | Tue, Wed and Sun 7:30pm |
| Mon 28 Dec to Sun 3 Jan | Mon and Tue 3pm, New Year's Eve 1pm, New Year's Day 3pm, Sat 11am and 3pm, Sun 3pm | Mon, Tue, Sat and Sun 7:30pm |
A 7:30pm show finishes at about 9:30pm, and a 3pm matinee at about 5pm. The last performance is Sunday 3 January at 7:30pm.
Book Your Cirque Alice Tickets
Tickets from around £35, the same price at every performance. All-in pricing, the price you see is what you pay.
Book tickets • Call us on 020 7193 9050
Best Seats for Cirque Alice
The Royal Festival Hall is a big concert hall, with around 2,500 seats, so for a circus the centre of the Stalls is the place to be: close enough to see faces, far enough back to take in the aerial acts. For the closest view of all, the ringside tables sit on the stage. The Balcony is a long way up, and booster seats aren't allowed there, so it's not the best choice for small children.
Where to Sit
- Centre Stalls: the whole stage in view, aerial acts included.
- Ringside tables: on the stage, as close to the performers as you can get.
- Balcony: the furthest seats, with no booster seats, so better for older children and adults.
Who's Cirque Alice For?
Families first. The Southbank recommends it for 5 and over, and with matinees most days through the Christmas holidays, including three 11am shows, it's easy to fit around small children. Anyone under 12 has to sit next to an adult.
It isn't only for children, either: there's a 7:30pm show most evenings. If your family enjoyed Cirque Berserk! at half term, this is gentler: no motorbikes, and a Wonderland story running through it.
What Happens in Cirque Alice?
Alice falls down the rabbit hole and meets Lewis Carroll's characters, and each of them comes on as a circus act. The Southbank's own pictures show a White Rabbit spinning inside a giant metal wheel, contortionists stacked into a human pyramid, two acrobats balancing on ladders, and an aerialist in a vast white gown high above the stage. There are dancers, puppets and guest musicians too.
The story is there to link the acts rather than to follow closely, so children who don't know the book won't be lost. The music is classical favourites in new arrangements.
About Cirque Alice
This is its first run in Europe, after seasons in Australia and Singapore. It's made by Simon Painter and Tim Lawson, the producers of Circus 1903, which also played the Royal Festival Hall at Christmas, and Roast Productions and Senbla present it in London. The performers come from all over the world, and the London company hasn't been named yet.
Cirque Alice News and Reviews
Cirque Alice opens at the Royal Festival Hall on Saturday 12 December 2026, its European premiere, and plays until Sunday 3 January 2027. London reviews will follow the opening.
Cast and Creative Team
The London company hasn't been announced. The show features aerialists, contortionists, acrobats, dancers and guest musicians from around the world.
Created by Simon Painter and Tim Lawson. Creative directors Ash Jacks McCready and Kirsty Painter, choreography by Dane Bates, costumes by Angela Aaron, lighting by Hugo Mercier, and musical arrangements by Martin Raabe-Olsen and Marius Christiansen.
Getting to the Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is part of the Southbank Centre, on Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX, by the river next to the London Eye. Waterloo station (Northern, Bakerloo, Jubilee and Waterloo & City lines, plus trains) is about 3 minutes' walk. From Embankment (District and Circle lines) it's about 8 minutes, across the river on the Hungerford footbridge.
Buses 1, 59, 68, 76, 139, 172, 176, 188, 243, 341 and SL6 stop on Waterloo Bridge, a minute or two away. The 11, 77, 381 and C10 stop on York Road, behind Waterloo station.
Driving is hard work round here, but there's a drop-off outside Southbank Centre Square, and no Congestion Charge from Christmas Day to New Year's Day. More in our Royal Festival Hall guide.
Accessible Performances
- Thursday 17 December, 3pm: British Sign Language interpreted
- Monday 28 December, 3pm: captioned
- Tuesday 29 December, 7:30pm: audio described
No relaxed performance has been announced. Access bookings are handled by the Southbank Centre's own team, not by us.
Cirque Alice FAQs
Is Cirque Alice suitable for children?
Yes, from 5 years old. Under-12s must sit next to an adult. Haze is used during the show.
Do babies need a ticket?
Babes in arms aged 18 months and under don't need their own ticket. Everyone older does.
How long is Cirque Alice?
About 2 hours. The Southbank hasn't said whether there's an interval; in Australia the show had a 20-minute one.
Is there a show on Christmas Day?
No. There's a 3pm show on Christmas Eve and on Boxing Day, and a 1pm show on New Year's Eve.
Can I pay by cash at the venue?
No, the Southbank Centre is cash-free, so bring a card for drinks and programmes.
What time should we arrive?
Arrive 15 to 20 minutes before, no later. The Royal Festival Hall is a big building, and with a family it takes a while to find your door.
Cirque Alice
Royal Festival Hall - Southbank Centre
