Traditionally, Christmas has been the time for theatre outings for the whole family. Yet, summer also provides a lush landscape of theatrical treats, many of them with the additional lure of outside space and picnic possibilities. And the 2026 season is no different, with a myriad of tempting treats all around the country.

Special offers tend to crop up at this time of year, particularly for a West End eager to attract holidaying punters of all nationalities, so keep a keen eye on a selection of ticketing websites. Don’t forget also to check for the possibility of child discounts and family group offers. Theatres are almost all air-conditioned nowadays, so watching a show can prove to be one of the very best ways to keep cool, as well as entertained.

Cats Open Air Theatre’s productions are a highlight of the London cultural calendar (Photo: Mark Senior)

As Sam Ryder stars in Jesus Christ Superstar, on-trend Andrew Lloyd Webber enjoys yet another revival in the loveliest of alfresco venues, an auditorium nestled in the sylvan heart of Regent’s Park. The Open Air Theatre’s musicals have become one of the high points in the London cultural calendar, raising anticipation levels for Drew McConie’s reboot of the singing felines (based on TS Eliot’s superlative poetry collection Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats). Forget the disastrous film iteration, remember that theatre is where the Cats legend started and stock up on Pimm’s and ice cream as Grizabella and the rest of the musical moggies strut confidently into town.

Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park, London NW1, July 25 to 9 September

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang The musical is based on a novel by James Bond creator Ian Fleming (Photo: Pamela Raith)

The Watermill, a delightful boutique venue housed in, yes, a converted watermill in the idyllic Berkshire countryside, has garnered a lofty reputation for its innovative musical productions performed by small casts of actor-musicians. This time it’s the turn of the classic family film about an eccentric inventor and his flying car, based on a 1964 children’s novel by James Bond creator Ian Fleming. It’s not unusual for small groups of ducks to escort punters across the Watermill’s beautiful lawns direct to the theatre entrance.

Watermill Theatre, Newbury, to 13 September

A Midsummer Night’s Dream This version of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is specifically aimed at children (Photo: Ellie Kurttz)

What better way to introduce youngsters to Shakespeare – as well as to enjoy a family day out on the banks of the balmy River Avon – than this collaboration between the august Royal Shakespeare Company and the Unicorn, the country’s leading children’s theatre? This evergreen tale of romantic shenanigans, amateur dramatics and mischief-packed magic in an Athenian forest is presented in a specially edited, 85-minute version, which is ideal for younger viewers, as well as adults whose memories of the play may require a little refreshing.

The Other Place, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, to 30 August

My Fair Lady ‘My Fair Lady’ will appeal to viewers across the age spectrum (Photo: Johan Persson)

The enduring power of one of the most tuneful musicals ever written, based on the George Bernard Shaw play Pygmalion, is something guaranteed to appeal to viewers right across the age spectrum, as charismatic Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle is transformed into a “lady” by imperious – but emotionally illiterate – linguistics expert Professor Henry Higgins. Chichester Festival Theatre, easily the country’s leading regional theatre, is rightly celebrated for its sumptuous annual musical productions, many of which hightail it straight into the West End. The expansive surrounds of Oaklands Park make Chichester a particularly delightful destination during warm summer days.

Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester, to 5 September

Operation Mincemeat ‘Operation Mincemeat’ has become a Broadway hit (Photo: Matt Crockett)

The little British musical that could – and did, as Operation Mincemeat went from humble fringe beginnings to triumphing on Broadway. Older children will relish the wit and invention of the story of this real-life Second World War secret mission to bamboozle the Nazis through misdirection, and everyone will admire the unflagging energy of the small-in-numbers, huge-in-heart quick-change cast. The British stiff upper lip is both celebrated and gently mocked as men in suits, often played by women, formulate a cunning plan and a woman, played by a man, thinks wistfully of a love lost to the fighting.

Fortune Theatre, London, WC2, booking to 20 February

Robin Hood

Each summer, the enterprising Duke’s, Lancaster, takes over nearby Williamson Park for a promenade production of outdoor theatre. What better story to tell in this expansive green space than that of Robin Hood and his merry men, as they go about their wealth distribution business of robbing the rich to pay the poor? An added bonus is that the park is open all day before the show, so arrive early with a picnic and enjoy the expansive views across Morecambe Bay, before settling in for the evening’s entertainment. When they promise a final scene that takes place at “the lake”, they really mean it.

Williamson Park, Lancaster, 17 July to 23 August

Six ‘Six’ is essentially history homework (Photo: Pamela Raith)

What do you mean you haven’t taken the kids to see Six? It’s essentially history homework, but of the sparkiest musical kind, as Henry VIII’s sextet of spouses ditch the patriarchy and proudly claim the stage to tell her-story. The catchy songs – a German club anthem-style paean to portrait painter Hans Holbein, for example – boast cherishably witty lyrics galore. If you feel that younger family members are in need of a little light inspiration during the lengthy summer break, remind them that co-writers Lucy Marlow and Toby Moss created this international mega-hit when they were still undergraduates.

Vaudeville Theatre, London, WC2, booking to November 2027

War Horse The life-size puppet horses are ingenious (Photo: Brinkhoff Moegenburg)

The global smash hit, based on the Michael Morpurgo book about a boy and his beloved horse on the battlefields of First World War France, returns for a limited season to the theatre where the magic started. The ingenious, innovative use of life-size puppet horses in this show proved to be a game changer for theatre and 19 years after its era-defining premiere, Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris’s production retains the capacity to reduce audience members of all ages to snuffling wrecks.

National Theatre, London SE1, to 30 July