1 IT’S panto season again. Oh yes it is! After Christmas was somewhat restricted last year because of the pandemic the festive cheer has returned with a vengeance now. Panto queen Elaine C Smith and Johnny Mac are the stars of the big show at King’s Theatre in Glasgow, Cinderella. It promises to be the panto with everything. Sparkling sets? Check. Lavish costumes? YUP. Amazing song and dance numbers? Giggles galore and bags of audience participation? Absolutely. Unfortunately no one can wave a magic wand and make Covid disappear forever so all attendees over the age of 18 will be required to provide proof of their Covid-19 status to gain entry. Check with the venue on any other restrictions. The run starts next Saturday and continues until Sunday, January 2.

2 STILL in the panto mood, Sleeping Beauty wakes from her slumbers at the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh next weekend. The all-star cast includes Allan Stewart, Grant Stott and Jordan Young, with Clare Gray as Narcissa, continuing in the panto footsteps of her late father Andy. legacy left by her late father, Andy. It’s the panto of your dreams. The run starts next Saturday.

3 SLEEPING Beauty is also the choice of panto at Aberdeen Arts Centre, following up the hit production of Aladdin in 2019. This year the audience is invited to Help Prince Valentine defeat the evil fairy, Molevola and wake Sleeping Beauty with true love’s kiss. The arts centre promises its most spectacular pantomime yet, with lots of dancing, doric and delights. Again, next Saturday is opening night and the run continues until Christmas Eve.

4 AFTER that the panto trail leads to Perth, where Cinderella offers audiences a chance to have a ball over Christmas. It’s a real family show with all the traditional panto favourites present and correct. The run starts at Perth Theatre on Friday and ends on December 31. Lots more pantos are opening all over Scotland so I’ll include more details next week.

5 FESTIVE fun in a rather less tradition vein can be found at Fore Play Crazy Golf in the launch of their new Yuletide menu and winter activity. The whole place has undergone a fantastic festive makeover with sparkly fairy lights, Christmas tree and their infamous golf carts transformed into a Secret Santa-esque sleigh loaded with presents. The cocktail garden has become a winter wonderland with mini fire burners for guests to toast marshmallows and sip on boozy hot chocolates. Foreplay crazy golf at 14 Picardy place. Follow them on instagram for all the details @foreplaycrazygolf

6 GORDON Strachan has built up an immense reputation in the world of football, playing at the highest level with a range of clubs winning League titles on both sides of the border as well as European success. In An Evening With Gordon Strachan: My Life In Football, he talks about a career which included 50 international outings with Scotland and managing stints with Celtic, Coventry City, Southampton and Middlesbrough, as well as the Scottish side. Tivoli Theatre, Aberdeen, Monday, 8pm.

7 BOYZLIFE. Boy band heaven with former Boyzone member Keith Duffy teaming up with Westlife’s Brian McFadden for show which features some of both bands’ greatest hits with a few stories about on the road adventures. The very definition of guilty pleasure. Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Thursday, 19.30pm.