While the festive season may be too far off for some busy planning their holidays to contemplate, for the organisers of Peterborough's pantomimes – oh no it isn't.

Most people are packing picnics and dusting off their beach shorts this weekend, but bosses at The Cresset, Broadway and Key theatres all have their minds firmly set on tempting the biggest audience this Christmas.

Every year the Key and The Cresset put on pantos very different in their approach, but the Broadway has put the cat among the pigeons with the announcement it be staging Aladdin this year starring three well-known celebrities.

Former Steps singer Faye Tozer, X-Factor 2006 runner-up Ray Quinn, Coronation Street's Brian Capron – still remembered as serial killer Richard Hillman – and children's favourite Postman Pat are all booked.

Broadway theatre boss Dave King said: "This is going to be the best panto Peterborough has seen in a long time, I guarantee it.

"We have three fantastic stars of stage and screen. Ray sold out this venue on his UK tour last year – and I'm sure the people of Peterborough will be thrilled at his return.

"That combined with some of the best of the West End and a superb creative team – this show is a must see."

The news comes as a double blow for The Cresset, which announced in January on its website and to schools that it would be doing Aladdin, but has since decided to change to Snow White to avoid confusion – despite having already sold tickets.

Chief executive at The Cresset, Julian Stanley said: "We didn't want the public in Peterborough to have to choose between two shows with the same name and decided we would give the people of Peterborough a third choice."

Mr Stanley went on to say he was confident The Cresset would do well.

Artistic director at the Key, Michael Cross, who also writes the theatre's pantomime and appears as the dame, said he thought the arrival of a third show could be nothing but good news for audiences.

He added: "I don't have a crystal ball so I can't predict what will happen but at the Key we have a job to do which we have been doing for more than 30 years or more.

"How everyone else fits into that I don't know."

Among the Key's selling points are its unique venue and the fact that the show features only local stars.

Mr Cross has been the show's dame for more than 15 years and says the Key's production is very much a part of the festive fabric of the city.