Last Updated on October 31, 2025
Christmas Is Not Christmas Without a Nutcracker (or two…)
The Nutcracker heralds Christmas. It’s the first ballet many children will see, and the one that, perhaps more than any other, will make for a special seasonal family treat.
So far, five Nutcrackers have been announced for London’s Christmas 2025 season, starting in November and stretching beyond Christmas Day to the very end of the year.
What follows is a guide to those five shows, all splendid in their own way, in chronological order. All are centred on a Christmas Eve party at Clara’s home, and the magic that happens as the clock strikes midnight, leading to a series of famous divertissements in Act II; but each of these shows has a very individual take on the story.
First off the blocks is Cuban ballet superstar Carlos Acosta’s Nutcracker in Havana.
This witty, vibrant adaptation of the traditional tale, danced by Acosta’s own Havana-based Acosta Danza, comes to the Hackney Empire from the 4th to the 6th of November as part of an extensive UK tour.
Acosta shifted the setting of the ballet from bourgeois Europe to make-do Havana, where three generations of Clara’s family are celebrating Christmas with a boisterous party, marked by much jostling, laughing, and traditional dances, including a conga, of course!
Magic happens courtesy of the rich Miami emigré, Uncle Elías, and his collection of mechanical dolls based on figures from Cuba’s tradition, including Santeria gods and the mambises, the guerrillas who fought for Cuban independence.
Act II takes place in a 1940s nightclub, where all the divertissements undergo a Cuban makeover, except for the famous Sugar Plum Fairy pas de deux, which Acosta had the good sense to leave untouched.
Tchaikovsky’s glorious score, sensitively arranged by composer Pepe Gavilondo, becomes a little Cuban, too.
Nutcracker in Havana is a co-production with the Norwich Theatre Royal and Valid Productions. It had its world premiere a year ago in Norwich, garnering instant acclaim.
You will see other wonderful Nutcrackers this season, but none more vibrant or life-enhancing than Carlos Acosta’s Nutcracker in Havana.
Nutcracker in Havana runs at the Hackney Empire 4/11 to 06/11
Hackney Empire
291 Mare Street,
London,
E8 1EJ
Next in the calendar comes The Royal Ballet’s The Nutcracker, in repertoire at Covent Garden from 22/11/25 to 05/01/26.
In Sir Peter Wright’s sumptuous, some would say definitive, production, this is the doyen of all Nutcrackers, a favourite among audiences since its premiere in 1984.
Detailed designs by the late Julia Trevelyan Oman transport the audience to the Biedermeier living room of the well-heeled Stalbaum family in 19th-century Germany, where a Christmas Eve party is in progress. The arrival of the mysterious Drosselmeyer with his gift to young Clara—a nutcracker doll — sets in motion the magical events that will unfold as the clock strikes midnight.
From the sumptuous party with its massive Christmas tree, through to the sparkling sugar-spun surroundings of the Act II Kingdom of the Sweets, where Clara and her now human nutcracker travel, every last minute of this production is a delight. The Act II divertissements – Spanish dance, Arabian dance, Chinese dance and so on – give individual dancers the opportunity to shine, and everything culminates in the thrilling Sugar Plum Fairy pas de deux.
And in this production, there’s a touching epilogue which bestows a very human touch on Drosselmeyer.
A word of warning: The Royal Ballet’s The Nutcracker sells out very quickly; so, if you’re planning to make it part of your Christmas festivities, get booking now.
The Royal Ballet, The Nutcracker is at the RBO 22/11/25 to 05/01/26
RBO
Bow Street
London WC2E 9DD
English National Ballet’s Nutcracker (dropping the definite article) is at the London Coliseum 11/12/25 to 11/01/26.
ENB’s brand new Nutcracker premiered last year, when I found it “fresh, lively and very sweet, and definitely a vast and much-needed improvement on the company’s previous production.”
Co-choreographed by ENB director Aaron S Watkin and the immensely original and daring Arielle Smith, with magnificent designs by Dick Bird, this Nutcracker simply fizzles with joy and magic. In particular, it achieves its creators’ aim to establish greater coherence between Acts I and II.
It adheres to the traditional storyline, carried over since the ballet’s 1892 St Petersburg premiere, but its setting is Edwardian London: in a prologue to the Christmas Eve party, young Clara and her mother cross a bustling Christmas street market peopled by dancing chimney sweeps, suffragettes and a band of child pickpockets, to enter the “Drosselmeyer Emporium of Sweets and Delights”, where they buy sweets for the party.
And it’s those sweets that come to life in the Act II divertissements: for example, the Arabian dance is now a flowing number representing the Middle Eastern drink sachlav.
Aaron Watkins’ most controversial decision was to re-choreograph the emblematic Sugar Plum Fairy pas de deux… but Tchaikovsky’s score is present and correct. ENB’s new Nutcracker is totally engaging and will charm children and adults alike.
ENB Nutcracker is at the London Coliseum 11/12/25 to 11/01/26
London Coliseum
St Martin’s Lane
London WC2N 4ES
New English Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker is a brand new work, that blends the traditional tale with a modern reimagining by Royal Ballet First Soloist Valentino Zucchetti, a talented dance maker whose works for the main stage at Covent Garden have garnered acclaim and indeed awards.
New English Ballet Theatre (NEBT) is a small-scale company dedicated to commissioning new works with high production values; and its Nutcracker, danced to Tchaikosvky’s well-known score, has elegant costumes and pretty settings. The production is already touring the UK, and will be performed in the Bahamas before coming to London just before Christmas.
Liudmila Konovalova, principal dancer witjh Wiener Staatsballet, will star in the London performances leading NEBT’s international cast.
NEBT The Nutcracker is at The Sainsbury Theatre at Lamda 18/12 to 20/12
LAMDA
155 Talgarth Road
London W14 9DA
Birmingham Royal Ballet’s The Nutcracker is the last, but by no means the least, to hit London: a charming touring production, which comes to the Royal Albert Hall from the 29th to the 31st of December with multiple performances each day.
Sir Peter Wright tailor-made his production of The Nutcracker specifically to suit BRB’s touring remit, and it’s been reimagined to fit the vast, difficult space of the Royal Albert Hall like a glove. To a large extent, that is due to the genius of 59 Productions, responsible for the video images that more than make up for the absence of a proper proscenium. So, for example, the Christmas tree which grows miraculously at the end of Act I is represented by an image in stunning colour and definition projected on screens on either side of the stage, while baubles descend from the ceiling,
It achieves a level of immersion that no other Nutcracker can match. As far as the plot goes, it follows the tradition quite closely with just a few tweaks, but remains firmly anchored on the central figure of Clara.
So, extend the Christmas season by a few days and make your way to the Royal Albert Hall for a beautiful production of the Christmas ballet, as ever danced with absolute commitment and artistry by Birmingham Royal Ballet
BRB, The Nutcracker is at the Royal Albert Hall 29/12 to 31/12
Royal Albert Hall
Kensington Gore
London SW7 2AP
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