Stapleton Ballet performs its Nutcracker at Marin Center on December 1 and 2.

Tchaikovsky's classic ballet The Nutcracker is time-honored Christmas tradition in many communities. You'll find a wide variety of Nutcracker performances throughout Marin and the San Francisco Bay Area this holiday season, from fun introductions for younger kids to puppet shows to elaborately staged, full-length ballet productions. Here's our guide to performances of Bay Area Nutcrackers.

Just Dance Academy Winter Performance

Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium, San Rafael
Sunday, November 18, 2 pm
Families will enjoy an abbreviated production of the classic holiday ballet The Nutcracker including all the classic characters such as Clara, the Sugar Plum Fairy, Rose Queen and more! A fun, highly entertaining family event! Tickets: $27 adult, $22 seniors and children 12 and under. Event details

Nutcracker Story Time with the Marin Ballet

Book Passage, Corte Madera
November 30, 4:30 pm
Join Marin Ballet at Book Passage to hear the magical tale of The Nutcracker. This unique telling of the holiday classic will feature a costumed visit by some of the characters from the ballet’s cast. The dancers will be available to take photos and sign autographs after the reading. This is the perfect opportunity to introduce the Nutcracker tradition to little ones! Free. Event details

City Ballet Nutcracker

Palace of Fine Arts Theater, San Francisco
November 30, 7 pm, December 1, 1 & 7 pm, December 2, 1 pm
Come see the beautiful dancers of City Ballet and experience the magic of the timeless holiday classic The Nutcracker at the iconic Palace of Fine Arts Theatre. This show is affordable for the entire family and suitable for all ages! Tickets: $40. Event details

Stapleton Ballet’s Nutcracker

Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium, San Rafael
December 1 & 2, 1 & 5 pm
The vibrant Stapleton Ballet Nutcracker provides a magical start to the holiday season! Now in its 30th year, this production features inspired dancing, exquisite costumes and lavish sets. Tickets: $39 adults, $26 seniors and children. Event details

San Francisco's Youth Ballet Nutcracker

Mercy High School Theatre, San Francisco
December 1 & 2, 1 & 5 pm
This 2-hour production is geared toward families and is a perfect opportunity to introduce young children to this holiday ballet tradition. As always, there will be photo opportunities with different characters after all performances. Tickets: $24–$50. Event details

Mark Foehringer's Nutcracker Sweets

Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason, San Francisco
December 8–23, 11 am, 1 pm & 4 pm
Celebrate the holidays at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture with Mark Foehringer‘s Nutcracker Sweets, a 50-minute production of the classic holiday ballet for families with small children and audiences of all ages. This special production is danced storytelling that is affordable, magical, zany, and fun. Tickets: $22.50–$42.50. Event details

Nutcracker Puppet Show

Belvedere Tiburon Library
December 13, 4–5 pm
The Puppet Company's version of The Nutcracker features dancing candies, the Snow Queen spreading snow over all the children, prancing clowns, mechanical toys, and Chinese dragons. And of course the big battle between the Mouse King's armies and the toys and candies! A winter treat for all ages, featuring over 40 puppets. Free. Event details

Marin Ballet Nutcracker

Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium, San Rafael
December 9 & 10, 1 & 5 pm
Candy Cane Party - immediately following each 1 pm performance $10
Celebrate Marin County’s beloved Nutcracker tradition with Marin Ballet’s full-length ballet classic, rich in the dazzling enchantment of old-fashioned theatrical grandeur and holiday sentiment. Enjoy free photo ops before each performance in our sumptuously decorated Redwood Foyer. Or, come to a Candy Cane Party to meet costumed characters for autographs and photographs. One weekend only! $45 adults, $25 youth and seniors; Candy Cane Party (immediately following each 1 pm performance) $10. Event details

San Francisco Ballet Nutcracker

San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House
December 12–29 (various times)
Experience 200 costumed characters, dazzling scenery, Tchaikovsky's beautiful score performed live by the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, and the opulence of the War Memorial Opera House decorated for Christmas. Tickets to this time-honored holiday tradition are going fast! This is a full-length ballet performance, so the SF Ballet recommends Nutcracker for children ages 5 and up, and requests that no children under 3, including infants in arms, attend. Tickets: $39 and up. Event details

Petaluma School of Ballet Nutcracker

Sonoma State University, Rohert Park
December 14–16 (various times)
Petaluma School of Ballet and North Coast Ballet California present a full-length production of The Nutcracker. Tickets: starting at $19. Event details

Santa Rosa Dance Theater Nutcracker

Spreckels Performing Arts Center, Rohnert Park
December 14–16 (various times)
Set to the beloved music of Tchaikovsky and featuring new choreography by incoming Artistic Director Joshua Trader, Santa Rosa Dance Theater invites you to spread the joy, share the magic, create an annual tradition and make memories to cherish for years to come at their production of The Nutcracker. Tickets: $30 general, $28 seniors, $25 youth 12 and under. Event details

Berkeley City Ballet Nutcracker

Smith Center Ohlone College, Fremont
December 15 & 16, 1 pm & 5 pm
The Berkeley City Ballet features a cast of over 40 dancers with elegant costumes and sets. Perfect for the entire family. Tickets: $17–$30. Event details

Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker

Luther Burbank Center, Santa Rosa
December 18, 8 pm
The original, direct from Russia, Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker! “Knock Out!” raves the New York Times. Enchant the whole family with larger than life magical props, a 60-foot growing Christmas tree, and spectacular Russian-made costumes and sets. A must-see event, witness the world’s best dancers on stage in Santa Rosa! Tickets: $34–$181. Event details

Russian Ballet Nutcracker

Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco
December 21, 8 pm (doors open at 7:30 pm)
The Nutcracker, based on a fairy tale by Hoffman isn't just for Christmas. Tchaikovsky's lustrous music and the magnificent choreography of Marius Petipa have made this beloved story a must-see for children of all ages. Tickets: $25–$75. Purchase tickets.

Graham Lustig's Nutcracker

Paramount Theatre of the Arts, Oakland
December 22, 1 pm & 5 pm, December 23, 1 pm
Celebrate the holiday season with the Oakland Ballet's production of Graham Lustig's Nutcracker, at the Paramount Theater with the Oakland Symphony. Tickets: $24–$97. Event details