Varna International Ballet and Orchestra returns to the UK in 2026, with its most extensive tour to date, visiting 23 venues around the country. Presented by RG Live, Varna International Ballet will bring beloved classics Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.
Founded in 1947 and renowned for its award-winning soloists and magnificent corps de ballet, Varna International Ballet has been delighting audiences for decades at home in Bulgaria and abroad with performances of the highest quality. Led by Artistic Director Daniela Dimova, the company presents much-loved classics to charm audiences who are new to ballet and balletomanes alike. The performances are accompanied by live music from the Varna International Ballet Orchestra, led by Azat Maxutov, Music Director and Chief Conductor.
The tour begins in Manchester on Tuesday 6 January 2026, and visits Liverpool, Nottingham, Buxton, Bradford, Glasgow, Darlington, Brighton, Southend, Oxford, Leicester, Bournemouth, Wimbledon, Ipswich, Portsmouth, Edinburgh, Reading, Hull, Blackpool, Wolverhampton, Cardiff, York, and Torquay. Full details are below.
Often considered the greatest romantic ballet of all time, Swan Lake is brought to life by Tchaikovsky’s haunting and unforgettable score, with choreography by Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, Sergey Bobrov and Natalia Matus-Marchuk. From the impressive splendour of the Palace ballroom to the moon-lit lake where swans glide in perfect formation, this compelling tale of tragic romance has it all.
The Nutcracker begins as night falls on Christmas Eve. When midnight strikes, we are swept away to a fairy-tale world where nothing is quite as it seems: toy dolls spring to life, the Mouse King and his army battle with the Nutcracker Prince and we travel through the Land of Snow to an enchanted place where the magic really begins. The spellbinding ballet features Tchaikovsky’s timeless score, and stunning choreography by Vasily Vainonen, revised by Sergey Bobrov.
Daniela Dimova said: “We are thrilled to be bringing our highly talented company of dancers and musicians back to the UK. We can’t wait to perform for British audiences again and to bring these magical ballets to life on stage.”
MANCHESTER Bridgewater Hall bridgewater-hall.co.uk
6 Jan Swan Lake, 7pm 7 Jan Nutcracker 2pm, 7 Jan Swan Lake 7pm
LIVERPOOL Empire Theatre ATG Tickets
8 Jan Swan Lake 7.30pm 9 Jan Swan Lake 7.30pm 10 Jan Nutcracker 2pm & 7.30pm
NOTTINGHAM Royal Concert Hall trch.co.uk
12 Jan Swan Lake 7.30pm 13 Jan Swan Lake 7.30pm 14 Jan Nutcracker 2pm & 7.30pm
BUXTON Opera House buxtonoperahouse.org.uk
16 Jan Swan Lake 7pm, 17 Jan Nutcracker 2pm & 5.30pm, 18 Jan Swan Lake 2pm
BRADFORD Live bradfordlive.co.uk
19 Jan Swan Lake 7.30pm, 17 Jan Nutcracker 2pm & 5.30pm, 18 Jan Swan Lake 2pm
GLASGOW SEC Armadillo sec.co.uk
23 Jan Swan Lake 7.30pm, 24 Jan Nutcracker 2pm, 24 Jan Swan Lake 7.30pm
DARLINGTON Hippodrome darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk
25 Jan Swan Lake 2pm & 5.30pm,26 Jan Nutcracker 7.30pm,27 Jan Cinderella 7.30pm
BRIGHTON Theatre Royal ATG Tickets
29 Jan Cinderella 7.30pm 30 Jan Nutcracker 7.30pm 31 Jan Swan Lake 2.20pm & 7.30pm
SOUTHEND Cliffs Pavilion thecliffspavilion.co.uk
1 Feb Nutcracker 2pm & 5.30pm 8 Mar Swan Lake 2pm & 5.30pm
OXFORD New Theatre atgtickets.com/oxford
2 Feb Cinderella 7.30pm 3 Feb Nutcracker 7.30pm 4 Feb Swan Lake 2.30pm & 7.30pm
LEICESTER De Montfort Hall demontforthall.co.uk
5 Feb Swan Lake 7.30pm 6 Feb Swan Lake 7.30pm 7 Feb Nutcracker 12pm & 5.30pm
BOURNEMOUTH Pavilion bournemouth.co.uk
8 Feb Swan Lake 2pm & 5.30pm
WIMBLEDON New Theatre atgtickets.com/Wimbledon
9 Feb Nutcracker 7.30pm 10 Feb Cinderella 7.30pm
11 Feb Swan Lake 2.30pm & 7.30pm
IPSWICH Regent Theatre ipswichtheatres.co.uk
12 Feb Cinderella 7.30pm, 13 Feb Swan Lake 7.30pm, 14 Feb Nutcracker 2pm & 5.30pm
PORTSMOUTH Kings Theatre kingsportsmouth.co.uk
15 Feb Swan Lake 2pm & 5.30pm
EDINBURGH Playhouse atgtickets.com/Edinburgh
19 Feb Cinderella 7.30pm 20 Feb Swan Lake 2pm & 7.30pm 21 Feb Nutcracker 2pm & 7.30pm
READING Hexagon whatsonreading.com
23 Feb Cinderella 7.30pm 24 Feb Swan Lake 7.30pm
HULL New Theatre hulltheatres.co.uk
26 Feb Swan Lake 7.30pm 27 Feb Swan Lake 7.30pm 28 Feb Cinderella 2pm & 5.30pm
BLACKPOOL Grand Theatre blackpoolgrand.co.uk
1 Mar Nutcracker 7.30pm 4 Mar Swan Lake 2.30pm & 7.30pm
WOLVERHAMPTON Grand Theatre grandtheatre.co.uk
3 Mar Nutcracker 7.30pm 4 Mar Swan Lake 2.30pm & 7.30pm
CARDIFF New Theatre newtheatrecardiff.co.uk
5 Mar Swan Lake 7.30pm 6 Mar Swan Lake 7.30pm 7 Mar Cinderella 2pm & 5.30pm
YORK Grand Opera House atgtickets.com/York
9 Mar Swan Lake 7.30pm 10 Mar Swan Lake 7.30pm 11 Mar Cinderella 2.30pm & 7.30pm
TORQUAY Princess Theatre atgtickets.com/torquay
13 Mar Swan Lake 7.30pm 14 Mar Nutcracker 2pm 14 Mar Cinderella 7.30pm
The Nutcracker
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