Opera North at Christmas: What you can expect from the hallowed national opera company this season
Take advantage of the offers ahead of the company’s 2026 season as the perfect stocking filler for first-time enthusiasts.
- Opera North have revealed their Christmas 2025 events, taking place in the month ahead.
- It includes the surreal ‘sort-of-opera’ Pass the Spoon and the annual Christmas Gala.
- Here’s when you can catch both, alongside the company’s commitment to the Leeds community this year.
Forget the usual festive fuss; Opera North is inviting audiences in Leeds and Yorkshire to trade predictable Christmas gifts for truly memorable experiences this year.
From surreal comedy to classical carols, and from perfect date night tickets to impactful charitable giving, the company’s seasonal offerings cover every possible angle.
For Opera North, the Christmas season is more than just a scheduling slot; it's a regular, crucial time for audience engagement, offering a welcoming gateway into the arts world.
As a major national company based in Leeds, their annual festive offerings are designed to provide a distinct contrast: blending the traditional grandeur of their Chorus and Orchestra with the kind of cutting-edge, unconventional work that defines the programming at the Howard Assembly Room.
They use this time to appeal to the "gift of experience" shopper, ensuring that a night out—or a voucher for a future performance—becomes a lasting memory rather than disposable clutter.
While the company is celebrated for staging the biggest classical productions (like The Marriage of Figaro later in the season), the Christmas period allows them to be agile and unexpected.
This year, the focus is split between “maximalist tradition” and “minimalist, witty chaos.”
So instead of fleeting material goods, swap socks for standing ovations by giving the gift of a ticket to Opera North’s upcoming 2026 season: For the first-time opera-goer, give tickets to Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro (opening January 30 at Leeds Grand Theatre) and secure the ‘New to Opera’ discount (two tickets for only £20 each).
For the musical fan, you can guarantee a stunning night out with tickets to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music (July 9 – August 1), or for those indecisive types, gift vouchers are available in various price options, providing the recipient with the choice of opera, orchestral concerts, or a variety of jazz, folk, and comedy acts at the Howard Assembly Room.
The festive entertainment kicks off with a dose of the decidedly unconventional, demonstrating the company’s dedication to commissioning fresh, genre-defying work.
What have Opera North programmed for Christmas 2025?
Pass the Spoon - December 12 - 21 (Howard Assembly Room)
This highly anticipated work is the first 'sort-of-opera' to have been penned by visual artist David Shrigley. He brings his trademark wit to the stage at the Howard Assembly Room, collaborating with composer David Fennessey and director Nicholas Bone.
The premise follows June Spoon and Phillip Fork, who are hosting a daytime cookery show and attempting to please the ravenous and insatiable diner, Mr Granules, with the help of just a box of vegetables, a banana, and an egg. It’s an invitation to leave the Christmas preparations behind for a while and enter the decidedly adult world of Shrigley’s surreal imagination.
As a memento of the decidedly unconventional show, a range of limited-edition Pass the Spoon merchandise—including instantly recognisable items like Mr Egg and Banana fridge magnets, tea towels, and prints—will be available both online and at each performance.
Christmas Gala - December 11 (Dewsbury Town Hall)
For a more conventional Yuletide activity, the Chorus and Orchestra of Opera North will be joined by a wealth of local talent, including the Opera North Young Voices, the Opera North Youth Chorus, and the BBC Leeds Bantam of the Opera choir.
This annual Christmas Gala at Dewsbury Town Hall is a staple of the festive season. Conducted by Anthony Kraus, the combined musicians will perform a glorious selection of seasonal favourites, building to the event's much-loved highlight: the moment they encourage everyone in the hall to get fully into the festive spirit by singing along with some well-known Christmas carols.
It's a large-scale, warm, and highly participatory event perfect for the whole family.
Opera North and the community
Christmas is a time for thinking about others, and Opera North provides several avenues for supporting the arts and young people across the region.
The In Harmony: More than Music campaign aims to raise crucial funds for Opera North’s transformational In Harmony programme. This initiative currently brings music-making into the lives of over 3,200 young people in 13 schools across the region every week, offering musicianship training for teachers and progression through the Young Musicians Studio for enthusiastic students.
For a gift that benefits both the recipient and the future of opera, a Friends membership ticks all the boxes. Not only does the recipient benefit from perks such as priority booking, special events, the opportunity to attend dress rehearsals, and regular newsletters, but the membership money directly goes towards keeping opera alive in Leeds and further afield.
Looking for more theatre coming to Leeds over the next few months? Check out our guide to what’s been programmed so far at the Playhouse, Carriageworks and other theatres across the city.