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1st January 2026
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🎭It’s national Panto Day - oh yes it is! 🎭So let’s celebrate this fabulous theatrical festive tradition with a few scenes from Harriet Cooper’s review of this year’s pantomime at Norwich Theatre Royal - a coastal Cinderella 🎭It’s during the energetic opening number that we meet Cinders (a perfectly pitched performance by Georgia May Foote, Coronation Street, Strictly Come Dancing) and learn how she’s toiling away at the Hardup Hotel for her Wicked Sisters - Lavinia aka ‘Lav’ and Louisa aka ‘Lou’ - following the death of her parents. 🎭There is nothing quite like a pantomime dame and the siblings are played brilliantly by Kenny Moore and Owen Evans respectively. There’s a Fairy Godmother (Hannah-Jane Fox), whose attempts to speak in rhyme don’t go according to plan; Prince Charming (Danny Hatchard), who is more concerned with launching his singing career than settling down; and his faithful sidekick Dandini (Jeevan Braich, who can certainly belt out a tune). Plus Cinderella’s bestie, the lovable Buttons, the talented Joe Tracini IRL, who also wrote this year’s panto. 🎭Expect two hours of non-stop fun. Aimee Leigh’s dance routines are dynamic and the ensemble delivers them brilliantly; and you’ll likely recognise all the songs, albeit with lyrics rearranged by musical director Lee Freeman. 🎭My absolute favourites are Lou and Lav, whose comic timing is delightful. And their costumes… Kirsteen Wythe has excelled herself. In the final scene, which takes place at a vintage funfair, the Wicked Sisters’ helter skelter/carousel/big top-themed outfits are genius. 🎭Bravo to all the creative team. I can totally believe they start planning the next panto even before this year’s one has begun - the level of detail is striking; the going-to-the-ball scene, when Cinderella’s voluminous dress shimmers with what seems like a thousand diamonds and she rides in a glittery carriage pulled by twinkling feather-plumed carousel horses. Well, it’s the stuff of fairytales. 📍Cinderella is at the Norwich Theatre Royal until 4 January 2026 #pressinvite #panto #cinderella 📷 © @richardjarmy @norwichtheatre
@girlnextthesea

🍴Tuck into tapas 🍴We’d been looking for

🍴Tuck into tapas

🍴We’d been looking forward to this for ages - a long-planned lunch at The Victoria in Holkham before visiting Holkham Hall by Candlelight - and happily, the new winter menu had just been launched in the two AA Rosette restaurant.

🍴Alongside mains and plats du jour, at lunchtime The Victoria also serves a small plates menu which we opted for. Our dishes brought together really delicious, interesting complementary flavour combinations, light but generous portions and there was a lovely, buzzy, festive atmosphere.

🍴We shared:

🫜Beetroot cured salmon with whipped goats curd and balsamic pearls (gluten free)
🦀Citrus crab cakes with wilted spinach and aioli (gluten free)
🍴Pumpkin and roasted chestnut fritters with beetroot hummus (vegan and gluten free)
🥚Spanish omelette with aioli and smoked pepper coulis (vegetarian and gluten free)
🥬Sides of focaccia with balsamic and rapeseed oil (vegan) and Lady Leicester’s superfood salad (vegan and gluten free)

📍Replete, we headed outside to admire the wonderful ombre sky and rowdy geese, honking overhead. Like them, we’ll be back!

📍The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner to all. Booking advisable.

@victoriaholkham
@holkhamestate

#tapas #eatingout #northnorfolk

On a wet December evening, the crib on Little Wals

On a wet December evening, the crib on Little Walsingham’s Common Place offered a moment to pause and reflect. It’s one of our favourite local Christmas traditions, its beautiful simplicity is always a special experience. This is the 10th year of this nativity scene and it will be in situ until around 6 January. #christmasinnorfolk #northnorfolk #nativity @walsinghamvillage

✨It’s panto time!✨ 🎭I was invited to t

✨It’s panto time!✨ 🎭I was invited to the final dress rehearsal of Princess Theatre’s pantomime Aladdin in Hunstanton last week and it was so much fun… 🎭Prepare to be transported to old Peking in this classic panto for all the family; think toe-tapping song and dance routines, jokes and slapstick, special effects, a deliciously nasty baddie aka Jafarazad (Jessica Broadbent), a few surprises (all aboard the magic flying carpet), mischievous topical and local references, and our dame, Widow Twankey, played by Josh Rettie, is just brilliant! 🎭The cast is a really talented bunch: Sam Littlewood is back in Hunstanton, as Aladdin; Freya Barton is Princess Jasmine - her ‘Shake it off’ will be a hit with Swifties; Amy Robinson plays the Spirit of the Ring and Lewis Southall is the Emperor. Hats off, too, to Harrison Fox and Georgia Parker, and the dancers from the Rollason Stage School in Dersingham, plus the crew behind the scenes. I loved the sets and costumes - especially Widow Twankey’s eye-catching wardrobe. 🎭There’s plenty of opportunity for audience participation - oh yes there is (and yes, I did, and my YMCA moves were quite respectable at the end!) All in all, it was a fabulously fun and festive experience, I only wish it had gone on for a bit longer… where’s that genie of the lamp when you need a wish or three?! 🎭Aladdin at the Princess Theatre, Hunstanton, runs until 4 January, select dates. #pantomime #livetheatre #aladdin @princess_hunstanton

✨Christmas on the coast✨ Blakeney looking oh-

✨Christmas on the coast✨ Blakeney looking oh-so-festive yesterday evening with sailing barge Juno and the Blakeney Hotel decked out in pretty white lights. @blakeneyhotel
@neilthompsonboatsnorthnorfolk #northnorfolk #christmasonthecoast #coastalchristmas

✨Holkham Hall by Candlelight: a festive feast fo

✨Holkham Hall by Candlelight: a festive feast for the senses✨ #pressvisit As the sun set, we followed the festoons of pretty lights, serenaded by a honking chorus of pink-footed geese overhead. Enter via the big red bow and the scene is set - welcome to the magical, candlelit world of Christmas at Holkham Hall. ✨Take your time and take in all the details, we were advised by the lady who greeted us - and we did. So, look up, look down, look again; at the trees decorated with twinkling lights in the Marble Hall, with the sound of ‘O Holy Night’ beautifully played on the harp; at the wonderful floral-inspired festive tablescape and decorated dining room by local florist @hannah.hunnam. Think poinsettias suspended from the ceiling, a tree adorned with dried flower baubles, hydrangea heads and more. ✨Enchanted, we continued through the State Rooms and will share just a few highlights here and in the carousel. ✨Sights… The Statue Gallery’s gingerbread house by @alice_king_stylist, complete with a ‘hundreds and thousands’ chair; the dreamlike ‘Night Before Christmas Suite’ in the South Sitting Room; Santa’s desk and ledger (with lists of names!) in the South Dining Room, with a spectacular breakfast spread by @fakefoodworkshop, and an ‘elf-ed’ portrait 🎨 🎵Sounds… mischievous elves, the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ and robin song; a moving sound and light installation in the Chapel by Audio Resolution. Do pause here to take it all in. 🌲Scents… flickering candles and Christmas trees galore, the 14-foot tree in the Saloon dressed in all gold, echoing the room’s gilding. 🍫Tastes… alas you can’t, of course, but there’s a chocolate banquet by @theediblemuseum in the Old Kitchen. The artistry is incredible with a Christmas feast made entirely from chocolate, including the pigs in blankets. Look for the gravy boat! ✨The Countess of Leicester, Catherine Zoll and their talented team of creatives, makers and volunteers have truly outdone themselves this year. Holkham Hall by Candlelight? It’s a magical Christmas masterpiece - just don’t let those naughty elves loose on it! 📍Holkham Hall by Candlelight continues until 30 December, select dates. @holkhamestate

The skies have it… Bright blue skies; vibrant

The skies have it… Bright blue skies; vibrant sunsets; ombre and the prettiest pinks. Norfolk’s big skies are truly magnificent so here’s a celebratory carousel of delightful December days and evenings past of skywatching (and listening, where those honking geese are concerned!) Cley-next-the-Sea l Brancaster Staithe l Blakeney l Wells-next-the-Sea l Burnham Overy Staithe #skywatching #bigskies #northnorfolk

🎭Cromer Pier’s Christmas Show makes waves onc

🎭Cromer Pier’s Christmas Show makes waves once again with plenty of live music and laughter, says NNL’s Harriet Cooper, aka @girlnextthesea #presstickets This year’s festive spectacle is packed with seasonal song and dance, standup comedy and magic - all at the end of the seaside town’s famous pier. It is entertaining and energetic from start to finish or as my Mum, who came with me, said, ‘it was full of bounce’. 🎭The ensemble is small - just 11 in total - led by the treasure that is Olly Day, who returns to host the Show for his 16th consecutive year. He is genuinely funny and has us all chuckling from the get-go, when he appears amongst the audience dressed as a parking warden, issuing tickets to latecomers! 🎭And so begins two-and-a-half hours of merriment. Danny Lee Grew performs a series of magic tricks in his amusing, affable way; Norwich-based Trish Dunn is a mastermind of ventriloquism; and singers Caris Kerr and Robbie Vaughn can certainly belt out a tune. The six dancers’ synchronicity never misses a beat. But what I love is that everyone pitches in - Olly and Danny perform a comic sketch at Cromer FM; the dancers can sing and the singers can dance; and Trish has excellent comic timing. 🎭And, importantly, they all look like they’re having a really great time as they take the audience from the circus Big Top to a Regency ballroom, by way of London’s rooftops and a 1950s bowling alley. 🎭This year’s LED visuals bring a whole new layer to the Show - a highlight for me is the song-and-dance number dedicated to the ‘unsung heroes’ of the sea, with archive film footage of the RNLI lifeboat going out from Cromer and the fishermen who work so hard along this stretch of coastline. 🎭As Olly reminds us during the Show, the Cromer Pier Pavilion Theatre and all those who come to see its light-hearted, nostalgia-filled, utterly unique annual shows are ‘keeping variety alive’. And we must continue. 🎭The Cromer Pier Christmas Show runs until 28 December. 📷Note, the pier photo is an archive image, there isn’t a helter skelter currently📷 @thecromerpier
@olly_day_entertainer #varietyshow #christmas

🎄Moving and magical in equal measure… 🎄E

🎄Moving and magical in equal measure…
🎄Every year, Fakenham Parish Church is transformed by twinkling trees for its Christmas Tree Festival; each tree is decorated by a local group or charity, raising funds and awareness of their work.
🎄This year’s festival - the 25th - features more than 40 trees, donated by Fakenham Garden Centre, and over its quarter century, the event has become a real highlight of the season for many. 🎄As well as pausing to reflect as you view the trees, chat to volunteers and learn more about the work of local charities and groups, it is so lovely to see families and friends visiting together - and younger visitors popping their pennies in the trees’ collection buckets and adding to the prayer trees.
🎄For me, it’s a true celebration of community, creativity and the spirit of Christmas.
🎄Fakenham Christmas Tree Festival continues until 8pm on Thursday 4 December, open 10am to 8pm daily. There’s a pop-up cafe, open until 7pm, and stalls, too.
🎄To find out more about this event, have a read of @sarahhardymedia21’s article in our winter issue - the link is in our bio.
@fakenhamparishchurch
@fakenhamgardencentre