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The Nutcracker Ballet and Other Holiday Shows for Kids Near DC in 2022

See The Nutcracker performed by the Kansas City Ballet. Photo courtesy of the Kennedy Center
See The Nutcracker performed by the Kansas City Ballet. Photo courtesy of the Kennedy Center
11/20/22 - By Jennifer Swope

Seeing The Nutcracker ballet is one of the most classic holiday experiences for families, and no two productions are alike. We've found over a dozen variations of The Nutcracker taking place in the DC area in 2022, from the Washington Ballet's historic twist to The Hip Hop Nutcracker to Maryland Youth Ballet's abbreviated version of the show, The Mini-Nut.

In addition to the The Nutcracker, families can take in a variety of other holiday shows, including A Christmas Carol at Ford's Theatre, Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins at Glen Echo Park, and contemporary shows such as Step Afrika! Magical Musical Holiday Step Show.

Read on for our list of performances of The Nutcracker ballet and other holiday shows near DC. For more holiday fun in 2022, check out our Christmas Activities and Holiday Guide for DC kids and our Family Activity Calendar.

Many of these holiday shows are popular and sell out quickly, so be sure to purchase advance tickets. Subscribe to our newsletters to get stories like this delivered directly to your inbox.

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The Hip Hop Nutcracker is a high-energy, modern version of the ballet. Photo courtesy of Strathmore Arts
The Hip Hop Nutcracker is a high-energy, modern version of the ballet. Photo courtesy of Strathmore Arts

The Nutcracker Ballet Performances Near DC

Kansas City Ballet: The Nutcracker

Washington, D
Wednesday - Sunday, November 23-27, 2022
Kansas City Ballet’s seasonal tradition, The Nutcracker, returns to the Kennedy Center Opera House. The company’s production promises grandeur, laughter, and a snowfall of holiday magic as audiences relive their favorite moments. READ MORE

The 35th Annual Nutcracker

Glen Echo, MD
Friday, November 25, 2022 - Sunday, January 1, 2023 (Various dates)
The Puppet Co. at Glen Echo Park presents its 34th annual performance of The Nutcracker, featuring the familiar story of Clara and the nutcracker prince with some nursery rhyme spin. READ MORE

The Washington Ballet: The Nutcracker

Washington, DC
Wednesdays - Sundays, November 25 - December 30, 2022 (except December 25)
Watch the classic ballet with a historic twist this holiday season in one of DC's most iconic theaters, the Warner Theatre. The Washington Ballet's adaptation is set in 1882 Georgetown, with characters that include George Washington, Harriet Tubman, King George III, and others.  READ MORE

Northern Virginia Ballet's The Nutcracker

Manassas, VA
Saturday, November 26, 2022
Kick off the holiday season with the Northern Virginia Ballet’s traditional and family-friendly production of The Nutcracker. Featuring guest artists and company dancers, the performance includes exquisite costuming and Russian-produced sets. READ MORE

The Rockville Civic Ballet: The Nutcracker

Rockville, MD
Saturday, December 3 - Sunday, December 11, 2022
Join Clara on her magical journey as the Rockville Civic Ballet presents the holiday classic The Nutcracker for six performances. READ MORE

Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet

Fairfax, VA
Tuesday, December 6, 2022
This acclaimed holiday tradition is live in theaters for its 30th Anniversary tour. The show includes larger-than-life puppets, breathtaking acrobatics, and dazzling costumes. The international cast features stars of Ukraine ballet, performing at the highest level of classical technique.  READ MORE

The Mini-Nut

Silver Spring, MD
Saturday & Sunday, December 10 & 11, 2022
The Mini-Nut, Maryland Youth Ballet's abbreviated version of The Nutcracker, is a one-hour performance with no intermission. It's a wonderful introduction to ballet for families with young children. READ MORE

Ravel Dance Company presents The Nutcracker

Tysons, VA
Sunday, December 11, 2022
The Ravel Dance Company presents the beloved holiday tradition The Nutcracker. Featuring lavish costumes and magical dancing, the show is a treat for ballet lovers of all ages. READ MORE

The Nutcracker at Lyric Baltimore

Baltimore, MD - Thursday, December 14, 2023
The State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine presents a captivating production of The Nutcracker, featuring Tchaikovsky's iconic score. READ MORE

Nutcracker: The Motion Picture

Fairfax, VA - Free
Friday, December, 16, 2022
Come out to watch Nutcracker: The Motion Picture (1986), featured as part of the ArtScreen Film Series Celebrating the Arts in Fairfax City. This holiday classic is brought to the big screen, designed by famed children's author and artist Maurice Sendak and written to be close to the original story. It is based on the Pacific Northwest Ballet's original production.  READ MORE

Manassas Ballet Theatre's The Nutcracker

Manassas, VA
Friday, December 16 - Friday, December 23, 2022
Manassas Ballet Theatre stages its popular production of The Nutcracker for eight performances this holiday season, with live music accompaniment by the Manassas Ballet Theatre Orchestra. READ MORE

Maryland Youth Ballet: The Nutcracker

Rockville, MD
Friday, December 16 - Friday, December 23, 2022 (plus Monday, December 26)
The Maryland Youth Ballet's live production of The Nutcracker features mechanical dolls, life-sized mice, dancing snowflakes, and an enchanting kingdom of sweets, set to Tchaikovsky’s timeless score. READ MORE

Fairfax Symphony Orchestra: Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker

Fairfax, VA
Saturday & Sunday, December 17 & 18, 2022
The Fairfax Symphony joins The Fairfax Ballet to present The Nutcracker. This production is unique in the Washington region as one of few presented with live musical accompaniment. READ MORE

The Hip Hop Nutcracker

Bethesda, MD
Monday - Thursday, December 19-22, 2022
This remixed version of the holiday classic combines Tchaikovsky's music with fun, modern hip hop dance. MC Kurtis Blow, one of hip hop’s founding fathers, opens the show with a short set. READ MORE

Virginia National Ballet's Nutcracker

Tysons, VA
Thursday, December 22, 2022
Virginia National Ballet’s professional company presents its magical production of The Nutcracker, featuring beautiful scenery and costumes. This popular production sells out early and is perfect for the whole family.  READ MORE
Cirque: Spirit of Christmas wows young and old. Photo courtesy of Cirque du Soleil
Cirque: Spirit of Christmas wows young and old. Photo courtesy of Cirque du Soleil

More Holiday Shows for Families Near DC

Ford's Theatre A Christmas Carol

Washington, DC
Friday, November 18 - Saturday, December 31, 2022 (Various dates)
Experience a reinterpretation of Charles Dickens' classic Christmas story in historic Ford's Theatre. This version of Ebenezer Scrooge's story is a music-infused production, capturing the magic and joy of this Yuletide classic. READ MORE

The Greatest Story Stage Show

National Harbor, MD - Free
Wednesdays - Sundays, November 25 - December 31, 2022
Experience the birth of Jesus through the eyes of six international storytellers in a musical stage show and multicultural celebration of everlasting faith, hope, and love. Complimentary seating is available on a first come, first served basis. Guaranteed seating can be purchased online. READ MORE

Cirque: Spirit of Christmas

National Harbor, MD
Friday, November 25 - Saturday, December 31, 2022
This Broadway-style Christmas show featuring dazzling acrobatics, feats of flexibility, and high-flying stunts centers around Noel, a child dismayed and distressed by the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Trying to recapture her lost love of the season, she is visited by spirits who bring back the true meaning of the season in energetic, dreamlike chapters. READ MORE

Shine Light Show

National Harbor, MD
Friday, November 25 - Saturday, December 31, 2022
Brand new for 2022, Gaylord National's Shine Light Show features thousands of dancing lights synchronized to a high-energy, seasonal soundtrack. Animated light curtains glow with Christmas imagery around a centerpiece tree that magically transforms into a glowing holiday spectacle. READ MORE

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins

Glen Echo, MD
Thursday, December 1, 2022 - Sunday, January 1, 2023 (Various dates)
The Puppet Co. brings to life the children's book Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins. Hershel wants to light the candles and celebrate Hanukkah in his village, but the King and Queen of the Goblins have forbidden it. Attendees of the performance during Hanukkah from December 18-26 receive a special gift. READ MORE

A Celtic Family Christmas with Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy

Fairfax, VA
Saturday, December 3, 2022
Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy return for the holidays with their musical family for a jubilant evening of lightning-fast fiddling, lively step dancing, and loads of Irish music in A Celtic Family Christmas. READ MORE

Wolf Trap Holiday Sing-A-Long

Vienna, VA - Free
Saturday, December 3, 2022
Wolf Trap’s Annual Holiday Sing-A-Long hosts a performance by the United States Marine Band and a sing-a-long of Christmas carols and Hanukkah songs with local choir and vocal groups from the metropolitan DC area. READ MORE

Little Theatre of Alexandria: A Christmas Carol

Alexandria, VA
Wednesdays - Sundays, December 3-17, 2022
Little Theatre of Alexandria presents the holiday classic A Christmas Carol for the entire family to enjoy, complete with special effects, Victorian carols, and Tiny Tim himself! READ MORE

Seasons of Light

Washington, DC
Monday, December 5 - Friday, December 16, 2022
Discovery Theater's holiday classic show Seasons of Light is back this year. The show celebrates the history and customs of Diwali, Hanukkah, Las Posadas, Ramadan, Sankta Lucia Day, Kwanzaa, Christmas, and the First Nations’ tradition of the Winter Solstice. READ MORE

Vienna Boys Choir

Fairfax, VA
Friday, December 9, 2022
The Vienna Boys Choir features boy sopranos and altos ages 8-14. The group’s yuletide program has something for everyone: Baroque classics, contemporary popular hits, Christian hymns, Austrian folk tunes, polkas, waltzes, and more. READ MORE

A Magical Cirque Christmas

Washington, DC
Friday - Sunday, December 16-18, 2022
Accompanied by host Lucy Darling, cirque artists treat audiences to dazzling performances. Set to live holiday music, A Cirque Christmas gets the entire family into the magic of the holiday season.  READ MORE

Step Afrika! Magical Musical Holiday Step Show

Washington, DC
Friday, December 9 - Sunday, December 18, 2022 (except Mondays)
This fun holiday show highlights the African American tradition of stepping with engaging choreography and energetic beats. Furry friends from the Arctic, including Popper the Penguin and Polo the Polar Bear with DJ Nutcracker, take audiences on a magical holiday journey. READ MORE

A Family Christmas Concert

Washington, DC
Saturday, December 24, 2022
The Choral Arts Chorus sings holiday classics in this one-hour performance. Families are invited to sing along to their favorites and enjoy a visit from Santa, Rudolph, and Frosty. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

The Kennedy Center Opera House
F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre- Rockville Civic Center Park
George Mason University Center for the Arts
Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center
George Mason University Center for the Arts
Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center
Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center
Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center
George Mason University Center for the Arts
Wolf Trap Filene Center
Discovery Theater – Ripley Center
George Mason University Center for the Arts
The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts