It’s that time of year! Holiday plays and shows in the DMV are starting now!
Here you’ll find a roundup of all the holiday shows in the area and what they’re about.
There’s even a couple of free shows available for families.
Make sure to get your tickets early to get the best prices and the best seats.
DC Holiday Shows
Dorrance Dance: Nutcracker Suite
Nov 30 – Dec 2
In Nutcracker Suite, explosive tap dance meets your favorite holiday classic. This Nutcracker boogies, slides, struts, and dives into Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s intoxicating interpretation of the Tchaikovsky classic.
Step Afrika!’s Magical Musical Holiday Step Show
Dec 8-17
As the world’s first holiday show highlighting the African American tradition of stepping, Step Afrika!’s Magical Musical Holiday Step Show is a feast for the eyes and ears. Fabulous and furry friends from the Arctic Kingdom–Popper the Penguin and Polo the Polar Bear–along with DJ Nutcracker ensure a fun and exciting experience for the entire family!
Handel’s Messiah: Family Edition
Dec 9
Experience the best of Messiah with the whole family: an abbreviated performance of Messiah highlights, perfect for busy families with young children.
Madeline’s Christmas
Dec 1 – 17
“In an old house in Paris, covered in vines, lived 12 little girls in two straight lines.” And with that familiar phrase, author and illustrator Ludwig Bemelmans sets in motion the adventures of the brave and resourceful Madeline! In this musical adaptation, Madeline’s schoolmates and tutor are all sick in bed on Christmas Eve, unable to go home for Christmas to be with their families. So it’s Madeline to the rescue! And with the help of a magical rug merchant she takes her friends on a Christmas journey they will never forget.
HOT 99.5’s Jingle Ball
Dec 11
Get ready for another amazing night at Capital One Arena with OneRepublic, Jelly Roll, Big Time Rush, Doechii, Flo Rida, David Kushner, Melanie Martinez, NCT Dream, and (G)I-DLE on Monday, December 11th!
A Family Christmas
Dec 16 – 24
Bring the kids for an unforgettable holiday experience as the Choral Arts Chorus fills the concert hall with holiday classics just for them! We’ll take you on a merry tour of Christmas favorites that will have your family singing all the way home. Expect a visit from Santa, Frosty, and Rudolph!
Extraordinary Cinema: The Nightmare Before Christmas
Dec 17
Join us for a FREE film screening in the Justice Forum at the REACH. The Nightmare Before Christmas follows the misadventures of Jake Skellington, Halloweentown’s beloved pumpkin king, who accidentally stumbles on Christmastown.
Disney’s Frozen
Dec 20 – Jan 21
From the producer of The Lion King and Aladdin, Frozen, the Tony® Award–nominated Best Musical, is now on tour across North America—and the critics rave, “It’s simply magical!” (LA Daily News). Frozen features the songs you know and love from the original Oscar®-winning film, plus an expanded score with a dozen new numbers by the film’s songwriters, Oscar winner Kristen Anderson-Lopez and EGOT winner Robert Lopez. It’s everything you want in a musical: It’s moving. It’s spectacular. And above all, it’s pure Broadway joy.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts of Christmas Eve
Dec 14
The holidays rock a whole lot harder than they ever have thanks to Trans-Siberian Orchestra. By infusing seasonal classics with rock flamboyance, a symphonic sense of scope, and an eye-popping visual presentation complete with lasers and pyrotechnics, what began as a side project for a veteran group of American hard rockers has grown into one of today’s top-selling acts, with over 10 million concert tickets sold since 1999.
A Christmas Carol
Nov 17 – Dec 31
Originally conceived by Michael Baron, this music-infused production captures the magic and joy of Dickens’s Yuletide classic, with familiar characters, ghosts and a children’s ensemble in the spirit of the holidays. Acclaimed actor Craig Wallace returns to play Ebenezer Scrooge in Ford’s annual tradition heralded as a “rich visual and vocal treat” (TheaterMania) and “infectiously jolly” (The Washington Post).
Northern Virginia Holiday Shows
Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker with The Fairfax Ballet
Dec 16-17
The Fairfax Symphony joins The Fairfax Ballet in a special collaboration to present the timeless holiday favorite, The Nutcracker. This production is unique in the Washington metropolitan region as one of few presented with LIVE musical accompaniment. The Fairfax Ballet Company, with soloists from New York City Ballet, dance to Tchaikovsky’s score performed live by the Fairfax Symphony.
Enjoy a winter wonderland of dancing snowflakes, candy canes, sugar plum fairies, and epic battles between heroic toy soldiers and mischievous mice. It’s the perfect holiday treat for the entire family!
City Band “Christmas in Fairfax” @ Fairfax HS
Dec 16
City of Fairfax Band and Fairfax Choral Society presents Christimas in Fairfax, on Saturday, December 17th. Free.
Maryland Holiday Shows
Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins
Nov 30 – Dec 31
Hershel just wants to celebrate Hanukkah with the community, but the Queen and King of the Goblins have forbidden the lighting of the candles. Can Hershel save the day and lift the curse for this shtetl (village)? Recommended for ages 5+. Read the detailed Our Kids review here.
The Nutcracker
Dec 9-11
A Frederick holiday tradition, this full length ballet features artists from the New York City Ballet and students from the Frederick School of Classical Ballet.
See the 2004 classic film on the big screen! A young boy who is beginning to doubt the magic of Christmas, boards a train that emerges from the mist, and embarks on a fantastical journey to the North Pole.
Midweek: The Nutcracker: A Magical Tale In Mount Vernon
Dec 6
Get ready to be swept away by excerpts of this reimagined version of The Nutcracker, choreographed by Amy Hall Garner and set in the Baltimore neighborhood of Mount Vernon, featuring inspiration from many of our iconic community landmarks such as The Walters Art Museum, Restaurante Tio Pepe, and even the Fireworks from the Monument Lighting! Dancers from the Baltimore School for the Arts will be front and center as they perform to Tchaikovsky’s timeless score and bring the magic all around us to the stage!
How The Grinch Stole Christmas In Concert
Dec 7 – 9
Discover the Magic of the Mean One this holiday season. Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a celebration of the holiday spirit no home should be without! Why is the Grinch such a grouch? No one seems to know, until little Cindy Lou Who takes matters into her own hands and turns both Whoville and the Grinch’s world upside down, inside out and funny side up in her search for the true meaning of Christmas.
Baroque Christmas
Dec 15
Celebrate the holidays with brilliant Baroque music sure to stir the soul and lift the spirit. Rejoice with treasures from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Handel’s Messiah, and more with Baroque masters at their most irrepressibly joyful and effervescent.
Cirque Nutcracker
Dec 16 – 17
The audience’s favorite holiday program, Cirque Nutcracker returns with Troupe Vertigo’s acrobats, jugglers, and high-flying aerialists. They join the BSO for a spectacular twist on Tchaikovsky’s holiday classic The Nutcracker. Make this performance a part of your holiday tradition today!
Holiday Spectacular
Dec 22 – 23
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Celebrate the holidays with the BSO and Holiday Spectacular. Byron Stripling is joined by the Baltimore Choral Arts Society for a program featuring your favorite holiday music. Plus, the ever-popular tap-dancing Santas return to the stage.
Period-Perfect Messiah
Dec 9-10
Celebrating its 87th year, Handel Choir is back, Live Onstage in Baltimore! This season, we are celebrating our city and its resilience with Baltimore composers, Baltimore celebrities, and collaborations with Baltimore students and institutions. Purchase a season subscription and save up to 20% off of individual tickets
