Looking for something new for your family to enjoy together this holiday season? Perhaps a holiday or Christmas show is just the thing.
We have rounded up the 2025 holiday stage performances, including Nutcracker performances for you to check out to make your season merry and bright in Chicagoland.
Want to find more holiday fun? Don’t forget to check out our calendar for events happening all November and December long.
Updated October 2025.
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas
Nov. 12-Jan. 11
- Address: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora
- Cost: $31-plus
Enjoy this holiday performance that features hits such as “Blue Skies,” “Count Your Blessings,” “I Love a Piano” and the title song, “White Christmas.”
A Christmas Carol
Nov. 15-Dec. 31, 2025
- Address: Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago
- Cost: $34-plus
Ages 5 and up can join Ebenezer Scrooge as he journeys through his past, present and future to discover the importance of friendship and love — with plenty of jubilant musical numbers, spectacular costumes and hilarious “Bah Humbugs!” along the way.
A Magical Cirque Christmas
Nov. 25-30, 2025
- Address: CIBC Theatre, 18 W Monroe St, Chicago
- Cost: $53-plus
This Christmas extravaganza will leave you on the edge of your seat with contortionists, trapeze artists, and aerialists who sing along to holiday hits.
CKC Presents: Mrs. Claus! A Holiday Musical
Dec. 3-23, 2025
- Address: Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W 111th St., Chicago, and Stahl Family Theater, 5900 W Belmont Ave., Chicago
- Cost: $18-plus
Presented by the Chicago Kids Company, families can join Mrs. Claus and the elves as they try to find Santa’s missing list in time to save Christmas. For ages 2-10.
The Joffrey Ballet’s The Nutcracker
Dec. 5-28, 2025
- Address: Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago
- Cost: $99-plus
Journey to Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair with Christopher Wheeldon’s holiday masterpiece. Magic is on the horizon for young Marie and her mother, a sculptress creating the iconic Statue of the Republic. As they prepare for their annual holiday celebration, a visit from the charming but mysterious Great Impresario sets off a Christmas Eve dream of whirlwind romance and adventure.
The Art Deco Nutcracker
Dec. 6, 2025
- Address: The Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago
- Cost: $22-plus
Set in 1920s America, Kremnev’s “The Art Deco Nutcracker,” featuring Tchaikovsky’s beloved score, is a fresh, yet traditional take on the beloved holiday favorite with costume and set design inspired by the unique sophistication of the Art Deco era.
Beyond the Nutcracker by School of Ballet 5:8
Dec. 6-7 and 13-14, 2025
- Address: Lincoln-Way North Performing Arts Center 19900 S. Harlem Ave., Frankfort
- Cost: $21-plus
“Beyond the Nutcracker” features over 300 dancers from the School of Ballet 5:8 alongside live music by the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra. Named by Pointe Magazine as one of Chicagoland’s Top 10 Nutcrackers.
Ballet Chicago’s 30th Anniversary: The Nutcracker
Dec. 12-14, 2025
- Address: Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago
- Cost: $20-plus
All ages can enjoy seeing Ballet Chicago’s performance of “The Nutcracker” at Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture. This performance takes the audience on an unforgettable journey with young Marie as she travels from her home on Christmas Eve to the Kingdom of Snow and the Land of the Sweets.
NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet
Dec. 14, 2025
- Address: Rosemont Theatre, 5400 N. River Road, Rosemont
- Cost: $55-plus
This nutcracker performance features jaw-dropping acrobatics, larger than life puppets and stunning hand-crafted sets and costumes.
Rocky Mountain High Experience: A John Denver Christmas
Dec. 19-22, 2025
- Address: Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago
- Cost: $56.50-plus
This performance is an intimate experience that will take you back to the ’70s. It features John Denver’s music, including hits such as “Rocky Mountain High,” “Sunshine On My Shoulders” and more.
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