Most of London does Christmas theatre in the West End, where you pay West End prices, eat at a chain because it’s the only thing with a table, and fight through Leicester Square to get home.
Waterloo has four genuinely good shows this winter, all within about ten minutes’ walk of each other and of the station. Here’s what’s on.
A Christmas Carol – The Old Vic
10 November 2026 to 9 January 2027.
Jack Thorne’s adaptation, directed by Matthew Warchus, staged in the round. This is the tenth consecutive year and it’s become a proper Waterloo institution – the one people book before they book anything else.
Giles Terera is Scrooge this year, which is a considerable bit of casting. He won an Olivier for Hamilton and has done Othello and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest here.
Warchus stepped down as the Old Vic’s Artistic Director in September, with Rupert Goold taking over, so this is his first Christmas Carol since handing the building on. He’s still directing it.
Around two hours including a 20-minute interval. Age guidance 8+.
Tickets run £19.50 to £91.50 depending on date and seat. Worth knowing about two schemes: OV Local gives free membership to Lambeth and Southwark residents, and OV Access offers £23.50-£26.50 tickets for all performances plus a companion at the same price.
Access performances: audio described 12 December (2pm) and 4 January (7pm), BSL 12 December and 5 January, captioned 12 and 14 December, relaxed 12 December.
Eurotrash – The Young Vic
13 November 2026 to 9 January 2027.
Ben Whishaw and Kathryn Hunter, as son and mother. That’s the headline and it’s enough on its own.
Important clarification, because the title misleads everyone: this has nothing to do with the Channel 4 show. It’s a stage adaptation of Christian Kracht’s novel, adapted by Colin Teevan and directed by Walter Meierjohann. A blocked novelist and his mother – vodka, pills, a wheelchair – road-trip across Switzerland giving away a fortune built on arms investments, while reckoning with their family’s Nazi-era past.
It is not a Christmas show in any sense. It is probably the most interesting ticket in the area this winter.
Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm, with Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm. Age guidance 12+. There’s 15% off when you book three or more shows, rising to 20% for members. A lot of performances are already showing limited availability or sold out.
Running time hadn’t been published at the time of writing.
Club NVRLND – The Vaults
14 November 2026 to 31 January 2027.
Immersive nightclub musical, transferring after a sold-out Edinburgh run. Wendy Darling, a runaway bride, returns to Peter’s world – soundtracked by 2000s pop. Britney, Rihanna, P!nk, Outkast, Avril Lavigne.
Written by Jack Holden (Cruise, KENREX), conceived and directed by Steven Kunis. Diana Vickers plays Wendy Darling and Le Fil returns as Tiger Lily. Worth knowing if you’re booking for Vickers specifically: she doesn’t appear at Tuesday, Wednesday or Sunday performances in January.
A few practical things people get wrong. It’s recommended 16+, not 18+ – under-16s are admitted at parental discretion, and the ID checks are Challenge 25 at the bar rather than on the door. General admission is standing – seating is extremely limited and not guaranteed. Run time is 100 minutes and the club is open before and after, so it’s an evening rather than a show.
On the entrance: The Vaults lists Launcelot Street, SE1 7AD, while the show’s own site sends you through the Leake Street tunnel to the main entrance at SE1 7NN. Check your ticket confirmation, or call the box office on 0207 401 9603. Either way you’ll be walking past us.
Schedule: Tuesday and Wednesday 8pm; Thursday 6.30pm and 10pm; Friday 8pm; Saturday 4.30pm and 8pm; Sunday 4.30pm. Early bird tickets are £30 until 1 October, then £40 general, with Lost Boys (from £60) and Tinkerbell (from £75) tiers above that.
Strobe lighting and haze throughout.
The National Theatre
Four productions running across the winter:
- Some Woman with Anne-Marie Duff, 7 October to 21 November, Dorfman.
- Cloud 9, Caryl Churchill’s 1979 play directed by Dominic Cooke, 2 November to 13 January, Lyttelton.
- The Jungle Book, 13 November to 6 February, Olivier. The big family show.
- The Rise and Fall of Little Voice with Francesca Mills, 2 December to 23 January, Dorfman.
Doing It Properly
Here’s the thing about all four venues: they start at 7.30pm, and you’ll be at Waterloo by six with nowhere to go. Every bar on the South Bank knows this and prices accordingly.
We’re Draughts Waterloo, Arch 16, Leake Street, SE1 7NN – inside the graffiti tunnel under the station.
From here it’s about eight minutes to the Old Vic, five to the Young Vic, two to The Vaults and ten to the National Theatre. Bar, full kitchen, food and drinks to your table, and over 1,000 board games.
Come at six, eat properly, play something, walk to your show. It’s a better evening than a rushed pre-theatre menu and it costs less.
For matinees, come after instead. A 2.30pm finishes around half four, and there is nowhere better to be on a dark December afternoon than indoors with a game and a drink.
Book a table at draughtslondon.com – November and December fill up, particularly Thursday to Saturday.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Christmas theatre is on near Waterloo in 2026?
A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic (10 November – 9 January), Eurotrash at the Young Vic with Ben Whishaw and Kathryn Hunter (13 November – 9 January), Club NVRLND at The Vaults (14 November – 31 January) and four productions at the National Theatre including The Jungle Book from 13 November.
Who is playing Scrooge at the Old Vic in 2026?
Giles Terera, the Olivier-winning actor known for Hamilton, Othello and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. It’s the tenth consecutive year of Jack Thorne’s adaptation, directed by Matthew Warchus.
How long is A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic?
Around two hours including a 20-minute interval. Age guidance is 8 and up.
Is Eurotrash at the Young Vic based on the TV show?
No. Despite the title, it has no connection to the 1990s Channel 4 programme. It’s a stage adaptation of Christian Kracht’s novel, adapted by Colin Teevan and directed by Walter Meierjohann, about a novelist and his mother travelling through Switzerland giving away a fortune.
What is Club NVRLND?
An immersive nightclub musical at The Vaults, reimagining Peter Pan with a 2000s pop soundtrack. Written by Jack Holden and directed by Steven Kunis, starring Diana Vickers as Wendy Darling and Le Fil as Tiger Lily, it transfers after a sold-out Edinburgh run. It runs 100 minutes with the club open before and after.
Is Club NVRLND 18+?
No. The recommendation is 16+, with under-16s admitted at parental discretion, and Challenge 25 applies at the bar. General admission is standing only.
Where is The Vaults?
The two official sources differ. The Vaults lists its entrance on Launcelot Street, London SE1 7AD, while the Club NVRLND site routes arrivals through the Leake Street graffiti tunnel to the main entrance at SE1 7NN. Check your booking confirmation or call the box office on 0207 401 9603.
Where should I eat before the theatre in Waterloo?
Draughts Waterloo is at Arch 16, Leake Street, SE1 7NN, inside the graffiti tunnel. It’s roughly eight minutes to the Old Vic, five to the Young Vic, two to The Vaults and ten to the National Theatre. We serve food and drinks to your table alongside over 1,000 board games. Book at draughtslondon.com.
Are there cheap theatre tickets in Waterloo?
Yes. The Old Vic runs OV Local, which gives free membership to Lambeth and Southwark residents, and OV Access, offering £23.50-£26.50 tickets plus a companion at the same price. The Young Vic offers 15% off when booking three or more shows, rising to 20% for members. Club NVRLND has early bird tickets at £30 until 1 October.
