REVIEW – Zog UK Tour: Our Family Trip to See Julia Donaldson’s Dragon Live

Apr 16
5 min read

Updated: May 2

Orange dragon holds a gold star on a blue background with stars. Text: Zog, based on Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler, live on stage.

A Roaring Family Day Out: Our Zog UK Tour Visit at The Lowry 🐉

We were kindly invited to the press performance of Zog at The Lowry on Wednesday 15th April, and after previously loving this show when we saw it here in 2023, we were all very excited to return for more dragon-sized fun.

With Lawrence working, my mum joined me and the children for this theatre trip, while my dad kindly dropped us off at our usual spot opposite the Imperial War Museum. From there, we made the familiar walk over the bridge to The Lowry—a route that always adds to the excitement of a family day out at the theatre.

We arrived around 12:40pm, giving us plenty of time before the 1:30pm performance to enjoy the pre-show atmosphere.

Child smiling through a Zog-themed frame with a cartoon dragon, text "WE HAD A ROARSOME TIME AT ZOG!" and background view of a river.

Arrival, Merch and Pre-Show Fun

Zog was once again staged in The Lowry’s Quays Theatre, which always feels like the perfect setting for this type of family production. Its smaller, more intimate space works brilliantly for younger audiences, creating an engaging atmosphere while still offering fantastic views.

After collecting our tickets from the press desk, the children were each given a free little programme and a sticker by the staff, who were handing them out to all the children. It was such a lovely touch and immediately added to the excitement for Alice and Leo. We then stopped for some fun photos with the Zog selfie frame before heading over to the merch stand.

There was a fantastic selection of merchandise available for little dragon fans, including:

Princess Pearl plush – £24.99
Pink Dragon plush – £14.99
Green Dragon plush – £14.99
16” Large Zog plush – £64.99
11” Zog plush – £29.99
Zog plush keyring – £14.99
Zog paperback book – £7.99
Zog activity book – £6.99
Pins/Badges – £5

Zog Merch - Stuffed toys, including dragons and a girl, on a table with a river and modern buildings in the background. Bright and colorful scene.

Zog Merch - Plush toys in a bowl and a children's book titled "The Zog" on a table. Bright orange and green colors are prominent.

Alice had proudly brought along her own pink dragon plush from a previous visit, so we decided to buy Leo a Zog plush keyring so he could have his own dragon-themed toy to hold during the performance too.

While waiting for the auditorium to open, the children enjoyed some of the free activity sheets provided. Leo tackled a Zog word search, while Alice happily coloured in a picture of Zog. We also made the most of the wait by enjoying the packed lunch I’d brought along, which kept things simple and budget-friendly.

A child holds a Zog toy in front of a colorful Zog poster on a pink wall, featuring the text "Zog" and "Live on Stage" in blue.

Seats, Booster Seats and View

Once the auditorium opened, we headed downstairs to the stalls, where booster seats were conveniently available just by the stalls entrance doors—always a helpful touch when visiting with younger children. We picked one up before making our way to our seats

in Row K.

Although we were seated towards the back, the Quays Theatre is so well designed that the view was still excellent. The seating felt nicely raked, meaning the children could see comfortably, and we never felt too far from the stage. There was also plenty of legroom, which is always a big bonus on family theatre trips

It’s definitely a seating area we’d happily choose again.

Stage with blue backdrop, yellow scaffolding, orange stars, and abstract props. Audience seated in red chairs, theater setting.

Three people smile in a theater. A child holds a pink stuffed toy and another reads a colorful booklet. Red seats fill the background.

The Show

Zog remains every bit as fun, lively and heartwarming as we remembered.

Based on Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s much-loved book, the story follows Zog, an eager but accident-prone young dragon, as he navigates dragon school under the guidance of Madam Dragon. From learning to fly and roar to capturing a princess, Zog’s journey is packed with humour, catchy songs and plenty of valuable life lessons about perseverance, friendship and finding your own path.

The stage adaptation perfectly captures the charm of the original story, combining colourful costumes, puppetry, energetic performances and audience interaction to create a show that feels both magical and accessible for younger audiences.

The songs are incredibly catchy and lots of fun, with both children fully engaged throughout. Alice especially loved joining in roaring like a dragon with Zog during his lessons, while Leo’s favourite moment was seeing Zog finally earn his golden star—a moment that felt particularly rewarding after cheering him on throughout the show.

One of the standout interactive moments came when children from the audience were selected to become princesses, complete with crown headbands, before the dragons ventured into the audience to find them. This was such a lovely touch and had the children absolutely captivated.

And of course, by the finale, both Alice and Leo were up on their feet dancing along—always the sign of a truly successful family show.

Performers in colorful outfits and lab coats raise arms on stage. Blue background with stars and planet. Playful and lively mood.

Post-Show Meet and Greet

As an extra special treat for invited guests, we were also given the opportunity to meet members of the cast after the performance—including Zog himself and the pink dragon.

Alice and Leo absolutely loved this experience, and it was such a lovely way to round off an already fantastic day. Alice was especially thrilled and gave the Zog puppet a huge hug, which was such a sweet moment to watch.

Afterwards, she declared it “the best day ever,” which really says it all.

For young Zog fans, experiences like this make the magic of theatre feel even more real, and it was a truly memorable ending to our family trip.

Children pose with actors in colorful costumes in front of a "Lowry" backdrop. Everyone is smiling, creating a joyful atmosphere.

Final Thoughts

Zog is everything you could want from a family theatre trip—funny, engaging, interactive and packed with heart.

From the warm pre-show atmosphere and thoughtful family-friendly touches to the joyful songs, gorgeous puppetry and uplifting story, this production once again proved why it remains such a firm favourite for families.

Whether you’re catching Zog at The Lowry or another venue on its wider UK tour, this is a brilliant introduction to theatre for younger children and an equally enjoyable experience for grown-ups too.

We had such a lovely afternoon, and it’s safe to say that this Zog UK tour review still earns a golden star from our family.

More Zog Fun: Tickets, Tour Dates and Watch Our Visit 🐉✨

Zog will be at The Lowry until Sunday, 19th April 2026. Tickets are available for purchase through the Lowry's website.

If you can’t make it to The Lowry, the good news is that this fantastic family show is touring the UK and Ireland until August 2026.

You can find upcoming venues and tour dates on the official website

If you’d like to read our more detailed theatre-focused review of Zog, you can head over to our sister site, All About Theatre.

🎥 Watch Our Visit in Weekly Vlog #450

If you’d like to see what we got up to during our visit to see Zog at The Lowry, you can watch it in Weekly Vlog #450 below. Our trip to the show begins at 3:30 in the video, although the vlog also includes some other family moments from our week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx0o7Y0F3ac