Christmas Plays and Musicals 2026: Famous Shows and Where to See Them
The most famous Christmas play is A Christmas Carol, and in 2026 you can see major productions at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago (November 13 to December 31), the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis (November 11 to December 27) and Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC (November 19 to December 31). If you would rather see a Christmas musical, the two big touring options this year are Elf The Musical and Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical. For dance, New York City Ballet’s Nutcracker and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular are the anchors in New York.
Below you will find the major 2026 productions with dates checked against each theater or producer, a quick way to match a show to your group, and the buying mistakes that cost people the most money in December.
Christmas plays and musicals at a glance
| Show | Type | Good fit for | A 2026 production to start with |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Christmas Carol | Play, often with carols and music | Mixed ages, first-time theatergoers | Goodman Theatre, Chicago: Nov 13 to Dec 31 |
| Elf The Musical | Touring musical comedy | Families with kids who know the movie | Hollywood Pantages, Los Angeles: Dec 1 to 13 |
| How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical | Touring family musical, short running time | Younger children | ASU Gammage, Tempe: Dec 1 to 6 |
| The Nutcracker | Ballet, no dialogue | Dance fans, children who can sit through two acts | New York City Ballet, Lincoln Center: Nov 27 to Jan 3 |
| Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes | Dance and stage spectacular | New York trips, groups | Radio City Music Hall: Nov 4 to Jan 4 |
| Trans-Siberian Orchestra | Rock concert with a Christmas story | Teens and adults | The Ghosts of Christmas Eve tour: Nov 19 to Dec 30, 50+ cities |
A run of dates is not a promise of a show every day. Theaters go dark on some days and add matinees on others, so check the exact performance before you book travel.
A Christmas Carol: the most famous Christmas play
Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol in 1843, and stage versions have been a December tradition at American regional theaters for decades. Every theater uses its own adaptation, so two productions can feel very different. Some lean into ghost-story scares, some are closer to a musical with full carols, and running times vary. Pick the production, not just the title.
Goodman Theatre, Chicago
The Goodman’s production plays the Albert Theatre from November 13 to December 31, 2026, and Chicago audiences have been seeing it there for five decades. Two details matter for families: the Goodman does not admit children under 5, and it schedules special performances that many theaters do not. In 2026 those include an ASL-interpreted show on Friday, December 4 at 7:30 p.m., a touch tour and audio-described performance on Saturday, December 5 at 2:00 p.m., an open-captioned matinee and a Spanish-subtitled evening on Sunday, December 6, and a sensory-friendly performance on Sunday, December 27 at 2:00 p.m. The accessible performances are $50 each including fees through the Goodman’s promo codes, and groups of 15 or more can ask the theater for group rates. At the time of checking, the Goodman’s page showed no tickets available, so look for returned seats on the official page before you turn to resale.
Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis
The Guthrie stages its version on the Wurtele Thrust Stage from November 11 to December 27, 2026. A thrust stage puts the audience on three sides, so even seats on the sides of the house are close to the action. If you have never sat at a thrust stage before, side sections are a good value: you trade a straight-on view for being nearer the actors.
Ford’s Theatre, Washington, DC
Ford’s Theatre runs its production from November 19 to December 31, 2026. The theater lists a running time of about two hours with an intermission and recommends the show for ages 5 and up. That recommendation applies to this production only. Ford’s is also a working historic site, which makes a matinee here a natural pairing with a day of sightseeing.
Not near any of these? Most regional theaters with a resident company stage their own Christmas Carol. Search your state’s largest professional theater first. A professional production with a printed running time and age guidance is usually a safer pick for young kids than an unfamiliar touring version.
Christmas musicals touring in 2026
Elf The Musical
Elf follows Buddy, the human raised by elves at the North Pole, as he goes to New York to find his father. The 2026 tour plays a tight holiday route through the West:
| City | Theater | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Yakima, WA | Capitol Theatre | Oct 31 to Nov 1 |
| Folsom, CA | Harris Center for the Arts | Nov 4 to 8 |
| Tucson, AZ | Centennial Hall | Nov 10 to 15 |
| Reno, NV | Pioneer Center | Nov 17 to 22 |
| Las Vegas, NV | The Smith Center | Nov 24 to 29 |
| Los Angeles, CA | Hollywood Pantages Theatre | Dec 1 to 13 |
| San Francisco, CA | Golden Gate Theatre | Dec 15 to 20 |
| Denver, CO | Buell Theatre | Dec 22 to 27 |
| San Diego, CA | Civic Theatre | Dec 29 to Jan 3 |
The Los Angeles stop has the longest run. If you are booking it, our Hollywood Pantages seating guide explains the orchestra and mezzanine trade-offs.
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical
The Grinch musical is built for young audiences and is narrated by Old Max, the Grinch’s dog, looking back on the story. Check each engagement’s listed running time before you go, since that matters more than anything else with preschoolers. The 2026 tour books many cities for only a few days with several shows a day, so performances sell out fast. Stops include Hershey Theatre in Pennsylvania (November 10 to 15), the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh (late November), the Music Hall at Fair Park in Dallas (late November) and ASU Gammage in Tempe (December 1 to 6). The Tempe engagement is a special holiday add-on that is not part of the Gammage season package. See our ASU Gammage seating guide before you choose seats there. It walks through each level and what to check before buying.
Other Christmas musicals your local theater may stage
- Irving Berlin’s White Christmas: the stage version of the 1954 film, with the title song and “Blue Skies.” A good pick for grandparents.
- A Christmas Story: The Musical: Ralphie and the Red Ryder BB gun, with songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Best for kids 7 and up who will get the jokes.
- Scrooge musicals: several musical versions of Dickens exist, and they vary a lot in length and tone. Check the running time on the theater’s page before you commit young kids.
The Nutcracker: ballet instead of a play
The Nutcracker has no spoken dialogue. The story of Clara, her nutcracker prince and the Land of Sweets is told through Tchaikovsky’s score and dance, which makes it a good first ballet but a harder sit for children who need a plot explained.
New York City Ballet performs George Balanchine’s production at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center from November 27, 2026 to January 3, 2027. The company has danced it every year since 1954, with the New York City Ballet Orchestra in the pit and a large cast of young dancers from the School of American Ballet. The theater is wheelchair accessible and has an assistive listening system.
Ballet Arizona performs at Symphony Hall in Phoenix from December 11 to 27, 2026, with a running time of about two hours including an intermission. Its schedule includes a separately listed sensory-adapted performance with different music arrangements, which is worth booking if anyone in your group is sensitive to loud sound or sudden lighting changes.
When comparing Nutcrackers, check three things: whether the music is live or recorded, whether the company is a professional ballet company or a school production, and the running time. School productions are cheaper and often charming, but they are a different evening from a company with a full orchestra.
The Rockettes and Trans-Siberian Orchestra
The Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes runs at Radio City Music Hall from November 4, 2026 to January 4, 2027, with 230 performances, the most since the show began in 1933. The 2026 version adds a new Rockettes number, bringing the show to ten, plus new technology that gives closer views of the dancers. Tickets start at $50 at the Radio City box office in person and $55 online, which includes $5 in service charges. That box office price is a useful benchmark: if a reseller is charging several times that for a weekday morning show in November, wait or pick another date.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra is a rock concert with a narrated Christmas story, not a play. The 2026 winter tour marks the 30th anniversary of The Ghosts of Christmas Eve and plays more than 50 cities from November 19 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, to December 30 in St. Louis and Buffalo. Most cities get an afternoon show and an evening show. Expect arena volume and pyrotechnics, so it suits teens and adults more than small children.
Other famous Christmas plays
If your local theater is not doing A Christmas Carol, it is probably doing one of these. They are all widely licensed, so the production quality depends on the company.
- It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play: Joe Landry’s adaptation stages the film as a 1940s radio broadcast with live sound effects. Short cast, short running time, very family friendly.
- The Santaland Diaries: David Sedaris’s account of working as a Macy’s elf, adapted by Joe Mantello as a one-person show. Adults only in spirit, and very funny.
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: Barbara Robinson’s story of the unruly Herdman kids taking over a church pageant. Often cast with children, which makes it a strong pick for school-age kids.
- Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!): three actors race through holiday classics. A good choice for a group that has seen A Christmas Carol too many times.
Match the show to your group
| Your group | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Kids under 5 | The Grinch musical or a radio-play version of It’s a Wonderful Life | Built for young kids, with bright music and simple stories. Note that the Goodman does not admit children under 5. |
| Ages 5 to 10 | Elf, Ford’s Theatre’s Christmas Carol, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever | Clear stories, familiar characters, intermission to reset |
| Teens | Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Every Christmas Story Ever Told | Loud, fast and funny beats sentimental |
| Adults on a date | The Santaland Diaries, a Guthrie or Goodman Christmas Carol | Sharper writing, strong production values |
| Multigenerational families | White Christmas, the Rockettes, The Nutcracker | Music and spectacle that work for every age |
For more ideas by age, see our guide to Broadway shows for kids.
How to buy holiday theater tickets without overpaying
I spent years as a ticket broker, and December is when buyers make the most expensive mistakes. A few rules hold up every season:
- Start at the official box office. Every production above sells through its theater or producer. Resale makes sense when the official seller is sold out for your date, not before.
- Check the exact performance. Confirm the year, city, theater, date and time on the listing. Old holiday listings and lookalike sites still show up in search results every year.
- Compare the total, not the headline. Fees can add a large share to a holiday ticket. Compare the price at checkout, then add parking and travel.
- Pick a weekday or early run date if you can. The week before Christmas and weekend matinees are the highest-demand performances for almost every show here. Early November and the days after Christmas are usually easier.
- Read the age rule before you buy. Many theaters require a ticket for every person regardless of age, and some, like the Goodman, set a minimum age. A ticket you cannot use is the most expensive one of all.
Our guide to keeping theater tickets safe covers mobile entry, transfer rules and how to spot a fake listing.
Christmas plays and musicals FAQ
What is the most popular Christmas play?
A Christmas Carol is the most produced Christmas play in the United States. Dozens of professional theaters stage their own adaptation every December, including the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC. Because each theater writes its own version, running times and tone vary, so check the specific production before you buy.
What Christmas musicals are touring in 2026?
The two major touring Christmas musicals in 2026 are Elf The Musical, which plays nine Western cities from October 31 to January 3, and Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, which plays short engagements across the country from early November through December. Many local theaters also stage White Christmas or A Christmas Story: The Musical.
Is The Nutcracker a good first show for kids?
It can be, if your child can watch a story told only through dance and music for about two hours. Children who need dialogue to follow a plot often do better with Elf or the Grinch first. If you choose a Nutcracker, look for a sensory-adapted or shorter matinee performance, which companies like Ballet Arizona offer.
How much are Rockettes Christmas Spectacular tickets?
For 2026, tickets start at $50 when bought in person at the Radio City Music Hall box office and $55 online, which includes $5 in service charges. Prices rise for prime seats and peak dates in late December. The show runs November 4, 2026 to January 4, 2027.
When should I buy Christmas show tickets?
Buy as soon as you know your date, especially for the week before Christmas and weekend matinees. Short touring stops like the Grinch sell out quickly because each city gets only a few days. If the official box office is sold out, check it again a few days before the show, since theaters often release held seats.
More holiday guides for 2026: A Christmas Carol productions by city, The Nutcracker by city and the Grinch musical tour.
More holiday theater: A Christmas Carol at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC and A Sherlock Carol.
For the Rockettes, see our Radio City Christmas Spectacular 2026 guide.
Sources and corrections
Dates, prices and policies on this page were checked on October 30, 2026 against these sources:
- Goodman Theatre: A Christmas Carol (dates, age policy, accessible performances, prices)
- A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie Theater listing (dates, stage)
- Ford’s Theatre: A Christmas Carol 2026 (dates, running time, age recommendation)
- BroadwayWorld: Elf The Musical 2026 tour (tour route and dates)
- KTAR: ASU Gammage 2026 to 2027 season (Grinch dates in Tempe)
- Theater Guide: Grinch musical tour listings (other November stops)
- NYC Tourism: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker (dates, venue, accessibility)
- Ballet Arizona: The Nutcracker (dates, running time, sensory-adapted performance)
- MSG Entertainment: 2026 Christmas Spectacular announcement (dates, performances, prices)
- Ultimate Classic Rock: Trans-Siberian Orchestra 2026 tour (tour dates)
Schedules change. Always confirm your performance on the official theater page before you buy. Spot an error? Email info@theatertickets.com and we will check it and update this page.
