Consumer Corner: The cost of Christmas entertainment - panto, cinema, skating and more

And one Christmas idea that might only cost you your dignity, if you can't handle the winter waters!

Fionula Linehan as Peggy Twomey and Andrew Lane as Johnny La Fool performing a scene from this years panto Beauty and the Beast at The Everyman which will run until Sunday 14 January. Pic: Darragh Kane

Christmas is expensive enough without throwing in the cost of entertainment over the festive period. 

Schools will be closed, many offices will be taking a break so it’s only fitting that kids and adults will need to be entertained. There will come a time when the Christmas movie just won’t cut it.

Presents are now just one of the elements adding to financial stress at Christmas with the lure of shows and events now taking centre stage also. 

Once the Santa visit is done there can be many more events that can look interesting over Christmas. 

However many don’t come free and they can prove costly, especially if the whole family is heading along.

A scene from the Jack and the Beanstalk at Cork Opera House. Picture: Shane Horan panto pantomime

Oh yes, it is!

Of course, the big event every year at Christmas is the panto and for many families, this will be a non-negotiable Christmas tradition. 

However with the panto comes the cost and when all the costs are factored in, it’s not a cheap night out.

In Cork City, there are two big pantos this year at the Cork Opera House and the Everyman Theatre. 

Costs are not a factor in ticket sales with many shows sold out over the Christmas period. 

The Cork Opera House in fact is expecting 60,000 people to attend their panto this year. 

The cost of the tickets for the Opera House panto, Jack and the Beanstalk, for a family of four, two adults and two children is €145 for most shows. 

However, the Opera House says that tickets are cheaper if you buy them in person at the box office as they don’t charge a booking fee for buying at the counter. 

They add €2.50 onto the ticket for anyone buying online to cover “administration and systems costs”.

Over the bridge, the Everyman has its panto running, Beauty and the Beast, and tickets are less expensive for this show. 

A family ticket here is €124 but then they add on an additional €10 in fees also.

In Dublin, the big panto is always the Gaiety panto. For four of what they say are the ‘best seats’ for a January show it will cost €200 for four tickets plus an additional €25 in what they say are ‘fees’. 

For Sleeping Beauty at the Limerick Concert Hall, it will cost €108 for a family of four to go and then you will also pay an additional €8 in ‘booking charges’.

Break a leg, not the bank

Also, the big show at the Bord Gais Theatre this year is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory which is when costs really soar. 

Here four of the ‘best seats’ will cost €282.40 for two adults and two children. 

This includes fees added on of €32.40 onto the face value cost of the ticket. 

Back in Cork the improv panto is for adults and runs at the Cork Opera House late in the evenings. A ticket for this costs €22.50.

Ben Leech and Amy Rodway loving the ice at the Alpine Skate Trail at Fota, Cork. Picture Dan Linehan

On your skates

In addition to live theatre, a craze sweeping the country in recent years has been ice skating. 

The Alpine Trail at Fota has a ticket for a family of four for €64 but they do run discounts if you are willing to go at quieter times. 

The Marina Market in Cork also has an ice skating rink this year called Marina Market on Ice. They charge €56 for a daily of four but you will also pay an additional €1.50 per ticket for their ‘booking fee’. 

In Dublin meanwhile, a family of four will pay €58 for a ticket to Dundrum on Ice and an additional €6 for the ticket in ‘fees’.

Fancy seats at the new Arc cinema in Cork City

The big screen

The cinema is also a popular choice over Christmas. 

One of the hot tickets this Christmas will be the movie Wonka, which is another take on the Roald Dahl classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 

A ticket for a family of four to go to see this at the cinema at Mahon Point in Cork will cost €43 but why should the fun stop there? 

If you want the full cinema experience will you fork out an additional €18.95 for Wonka's Wonderous Combo which will include a large popcorn, and a large drink which they say is “topped with candy in the official Wonka limited edition tin and cup.” 

If you add four of these to the ticket costs the trip will cost €118.80. 

Going to see Wonka at Cineworld in Dublin’s Parnell Street will cost €39.96 for a family of four and an additional €3.80 in booking fees. 

A ticket for a family of four, meanwhile, at the Gate Cinema in Mallow for Wonka, will cost €38 and this includes a €2 booking fee. 

The new Arc cinema has a competitive Family Ticket deal. For €32 before 3pm, a family of four can see Wonka. 

Their Family Combo is two regular popcorns, two regular drinks, and two kids combos, all for €19.95.

Cork is your playground!

After all that, however, if the weather is dry, there is plenty to do outside that doesn’t cost anything and there are loads of walks and playgrounds that can keep everyone entertained over the Christmas break. 

The websites of the local Councils have lists of playgrounds. Farran Woods in Cork is also a nice trip, you will have to pay a small fee for the car park but the walk is very festive. 

They also have now installed a card machine so don't have to rummage for coins.

Vitamin sea

Of course, for anyone more adventurous, there are lots of Christmas Day swims also happening that you can take part in.