Orchard Theatre Dartford Reopens 12 December with Cinderella

Dartford’s Orchard Theatre reopens on Saturday 12 December with the pantomime Cinderella, which runs to Sunday 3 January 2027. Tickets start at £21.50. (Trafalgar Tickets)

That leaves a gap of about three months in the town’s main theatre programme. Orchard West, the temporary venue that has kept shows running during the closure, has only a handful of dates left. The last performance currently listed there is Al Murray on Friday 4 September.

Orchard West’s remaining shows

Eight dates are still listed at Orchard West:

That matches what Dartford Borough Council approved in January. Its Cabinet agreed £330,000 “to allow Orchard West to continue providing theatrical performances for Dartford until September this year”. (Dartford Borough Council)

Between the two venues, the operator has listed events at Acacia Sports Hall instead. A writing and performance workshop for adults runs on Thursday 24 September at £25, and a free Community Fair is listed for Saturday 3 October.

Why the theatre closed, and what the works cost

The council owns the Orchard. It says it has carried out “the full removal of RAAC concrete from the roof, upgrades to key areas of the building, and enhanced accessibility for customers”. Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete is the lightweight panel material that forced closures in schools and public buildings across the country from 2023. Taking it out of a roof is a structural job, not a refit.

The council’s Cabinet approved a capital project budget of up to £11.6m on 22 January to finish the essential work.

It also said the job had taken longer than expected. Council leader Jeremy Kite said the project “has turned into a marathon, not a sprint, but it was essential to address every issue that we’ve encountered”.

Trafalgar Theatres, the venues division of Trafalgar Entertainment, runs the building. The council said it was preparing a phased handover at the end of November 2026, with all safety systems operational, and that some final work would continue into December.

The council also warned in January that “a small number of upcoming performances will need to be cancelled” to allow the handover, and that Trafalgar would contact affected customers directly.

What is booked for the reopened theatre

Sixty-four events are now listed at the Orchard Theatre, running from the pantomime through to 2027. They include:

• musicals: Blood Brothers, Jersey Boys, Dirty Dancing, Singin’ in the Rain and The Full Monty
• comedy: Alan Carr, Ed Gamble, Phil Wang and Fascinating Aida
• a DAODS production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Cinderella has three accessible performances listed:

• a relaxed performance at 10am on 17 December
• a chilled performance at 11am on 19 December
• an audio described performance at 1pm on 28 December

What it means for you

If you have been using Orchard West, plan around 4 September. There is nothing listed at either theatre between that date and 12 December, so autumn dates you might normally book in Dartford are not there this year.

If you are booking the pantomime, note that it opens on a Saturday and runs across Christmas into the new year, so the popular slots will go early. The theatre is in Home Gardens, in the town centre. Our guides to parking in Dartford and Dartford train times to London cover the ways in.

For everything else happening locally, see things to do in Dartford.

Listings and dates were taken from the Orchard Theatre’s own what’s-on pages on 23 August 2026 and are subject to change. Figures, quotes and the handover timetable come from Dartford Borough Council’s statement of 23 January 2026.