Christmas at The Everyman 2026
Christmas at The Everyman to include The Traitors star Fionula Linehan in Jack and the Beanstalk, Ireland’s first-ever ‘Drag Panto’, John Spillane, Sunday Songbook Christmas Special, and The House Must Win star Niall McNamee
The Everyman today announced its Christmas 2026 season including: The Everyman Panto, Jack and the Beanstalk, directed by panto legend Catherine Mahon-Buckley; Candy in Pantoland, a new drag panto, directed by The Everyman’s Artistic Director Des Kennedy; Sunday Songbook Christmas Special, featuring some of the greatest Christmas songs ever recorded; the return of John Spillane for his annual Everyman Christmas concert; and a special Christmas concert by singer-songwriter Niall McNamee, star of Mick Flannery’s The House Must Win.
This year’s Everyman Panto, presented in association with CADA, will be Jack and the Beanstalk. Directed by panto legend Catherine Mahon-Buckley, Jack and the Beanstalk will star Fionula Linehan, most recently seen on RTÉ’s The Traitors, as Dame Peggy Twomey. The cast also includes Conor O’Cuinn as Jack, Caoimhe de Brún as Jill, Graham McDermott-Wood as Moo de Cow, Paul Ryder as Baron de Rude, Andrew Lane as Chad GPT, with further casting to be announced. Jack and the Beanstalk will run from Thursday 3 December to Sunday 10 January.
For the first time in The Everyman’s history, the theatre will present a late-night drag pantomime, co-produced with Promenade, in association with Mockie Ah!. Written by Candy Warhol, and directed by The Everyman’s Artistic Director Des Kennedy, Candy in Pantoland will feature an international cast, led by Candy Warhol. The full cast will be announced soon. There will be two late-night performances only of Candy in Pantoland, on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 December, so early booking is strongly advised.
Following an Irish showband concert in April and a Grand Ole Opry-themed concert in October, the Sunday Songbook team return to MacCurtain Street on Sunday 6 December for their annual Christmas special. This year’s programme will be a feast of the greatest Christmas songs ever recorded including: Fairytale of New York (The Pogues), I Don’t Want a Lot for Christmas (Mariah Carey), Feliz Navidad (Michael Bublé), Do They Know It’s Christmas? (Band Aid), White Christmas (Bing Crosby), Last Christmas (Wham!), The Christmas Song (Nat King Cole) and much more.
Having starred in Mick Flannery’s sold-out musical The House Must Win earlier this year, Niall McNamee returns to The Everyman for a Christmas concert with his band on Sunday 13 December. Niall is a dynamic singer-songwriter and actor rapidly making a name for himself with captivating and timeless songwriting and charismatic live performances. After a busy year appearing on TV (The Hardacres), in film (Saipan) and on stage (The House Must Win), Niall is taking time out from his acting career to go back on the road with his band.
On Sunday 20 December, John Spillane returns to The Everyman for his annual Christmas concert. As always, he will be joined by friends and special guests for what promises to be a very festive evening. Following a series of sold-out shows, advance booking is recommended.
Tickets for all shows as part of The Everyman’s Christmas 2026 season are on sale now, with further Christmas programming to be announced soon.
Des Kennedy, Artistic Director and Co-CEO of The Everyman: “The Everyman Panto is one of the most important shows in our year. We love welcoming so many young people who are experiencing theatre for the first time, as well as so many of our audiences who have been coming back to us since they were youngsters themselves. We’re thrilled as ever to have panto legend Catherine Mahon-Buckley direct this year’s panto, Jack and the Beanstalk, and we were so proud to watch our very own Fionula Linehan in the Traitors castle and are delighted to have her back ‘in the house’ as Peggy Twomey. I’m very excited to get into a rehearsal room with Candy Warhol and the Queens from Mockie Ah! to rehearse Candy in Pantoland, which is going to be a hilarious, camp and fabulous night out during the festive party season. The season will be rounded off with concerts by our annual Christmas favourites, John Spillane, Sunday Songbook and Niall McNamee, who returns to Cork following his star turn in the enormously successful The House Must Win by Mick Flannery.”
- Online bookings, www.everymancork.com
- Phone bookings, 021 450 1673
- In-person bookings, 15 McCurtain Street, Cork, T23 E094
- Group bookings, groups@everymancork.com, 0214501780
- Accessible performance bookings, access@everymancork.com, 021 450 1780
