A Good Old Fashioned Christmas – The Bristol Way

There’s something special about Bristol at Christmas.

A bit scruffier round the edges than the postcards. A bit wetter and colder, too. But there are lights on in the windows, people piling into pubs: community is always right at the heart of our city – even on the coldest nights.

And right in the middle of the festive chaos, every year here at Tobacco Factory Theatres, we bring families together and tell a great story.

This year: A Christmas Carol

You know the bones of it.
A grumpy old miser. A few ghosts. A jolly tale of redemption.

But this isn’t some dusty, done-and-dusted version of A Christmas Carol.

This is Bristol. Christmas Eve. Frost on the cobbles, music cutting through the cold, and a story that feels like it’s happening right here, right now.

This new adaptation from Carl Grose, directed by Heidi Vaughan, leans into the weirdness and the wildness of it all – told through Jacob Marley and a gang of spirits who don’t behave themselves.

It’s got bite. It’s got mischief. It’s got proper festive heart.

And because it’s in the round, you’re not sitting back watching it happen “over there”, you’re right in it. Close enough to catch every look, every joke and every shift in the air.

Made by the people who live here

One of the things we’re most proud of is that the whole thing is made here.

Our Cast, creatives and musicians are all based within 25 miles of Bristol. People who know the city, who get its humour, who understand the audiences filling the room.

And it really matters. You can feel the difference: the whole thing feels like it really belongs to the place you’re sitting in.

Under Heidi’s direction, our Christmas shows have become a bit of a tradition – not because they’re flashy, but because they’re thoughtful, playful, and made with real care (and proper Bristol heart!)

So, come in from the cold

Bring your mates. Bring your mum. Bring the kid who’s never been to the theatre before.

Sit close. Wrap up warm. Let the story do its thing.

Because even in a city that doesn’t do things by the book, some traditions are worth holding onto – especially the ones that remind us we can still change, still connect, still look out for each other.

And if you leave feeling a bit lighter than when you came in?
That’s kind of the point.