Last Updated on November 13, 2026
The Nutcracker Leads an Abundance of Dance in London This Festive Season
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The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker – The Royal Ballet – Sir Peter Wright’s sumptuous, transporting production of the ballet without which Christmas would not be Christmas returns to Covent Garden to mark Sir Peter’s centenary. A firm favourite since its debut in 1984, the Royal Ballet production takes audiences to the Christmas Eve party in the elegant Biedermeier drawing room of the Stahlbaum family, where young Clara receives the gift of a nutcracker, which will take her on a magical journey, all to Tchaikovsky’s beloved score.
The Nutcracker is at the RBO 3 December to 13 January 2027. Evenings at 7.30 pm. Mats available
Dur.: 2 hours 10 mins inc one interval Tickets: £36 – 238
RBO
Bow Street
London WC2E 9DD
Nutcracker – English National Ballet – this production of the Christmas classic, minus the definite article, enters its third year still box-fresh, bursting with energy, inventiveness and dancing sweets. The basic story, centred on Clara’s journey to a magical world escorted by her nutcracker prince remains, but has been tweaked by its co-choreographers, ENB director Aaron S Watkin and Arielle Smith, to make it newly appealing, which it definitely is.
ENB Nutcracker is at the London Coliseum 17 December to 10 January 2027. Evenings at 7.30 or 6.00 pm. Mats available
Dur.: 2 hours inc one interval. Tickets: £77.25 – 127.25
London Coliseum
St Martin’s Lane
London WC2N 4ES.
The Nutcracker – New English Ballet Theatre – this smaller-scale Nutcracker first came to the stage last year, choreographed by Valentino Zucchetti, formerly a Royal Ballet first soloist, who’s been building a new career as a choreographer of note. Performed by the young dancers of the enterprising NEBT, Zucchetti’s Nutcracker also goes for a number of unexpected twists, including a battle on a pirate ship… but includes plenty of impeccably classical dancing.
NEBT, The Nutcracker is at Lamda 11 – 19 December at 7.30 or 6.30 pm. Mats available
Dur.: 2 hours inc one interval. Tickets: £10 – 35
Lamda
155 Talgarth Road
London W14 9DA
The Nutcracker – Let’s All Dance Ballet Company – this is a very special Nutcracker aimed at the tiny tots, who can’t really be expected to last the two + hours of the standard productions. This company specialises in ballets that, while keeping the original story and high production values, reduce them to manageable lengths. And to help make this an unforgettable outing, after the performance visitors are invited to have their picture taken on stage with the company’s dancers.
The Nutcracker, Let’s All Dance Ballet Company is at the Lilian Baylis 28 & 29 November at 11 am, 1.30 and 3.30 pm
Dur.: 55 mins no interval. Tickets: £22.50
Lilian Baylis Studio @ Sadler’s Wells Angel
Rosebery Avenue
London EC1R 4TN
The Snowman
The Snowman has been enchanting young and older audiences for 32 years; but this year the Birmingham Repertory Theatre production has had a complete overhaul, led by the very creative, Olivier Award-winning choreographer Will Tuckett. Raymond Briggs’ story of the boy whose Snowman comes to life, leading him on a glorious Christmas night adventure, remains untouched, as does Howard Blake’s enchanting score, with Tahra Zafar’s puppets joining the cast of actors and dancers.
The Snowman is at the Peacock Theatre 21 November to 3 January 2027 at 11 am, 2.30 pm & 7 pm
Dur.: 1 hour 40 mins inc one interval. Tickets: £30 – 60
Peacock Theatre
Portugal Street
London WC2A 2HT
Santa’s First Christmas
Also one for the younger theatre-goers, Santa’s First Christmas is the Unicorn Theatre production of Mac Barnett’s book, illustrated by Sydney Smith, which tells the heart-warming story of a special Christmas organised by Santa’s elves to bring him the seasonal cheer he spends so much time bringing to others. It is directed and choreographed by Olivier Award-winning James Cousins, with music and lyrics by Harry Blake. Recommended for ages 4+, it has a very manageable duration of 50 minutes.
Santa’s First Christmas is at the Unicorn Theatre 14 November to 3 January 2027. Consult website for starting times
Dur.: 50 minutes no interval. Tickets: £18.50
Unicorn Theatre
147 Tooley Street
London SE1 2HZ
Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella
Away from the Christmas glitter, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures takes up residency at Sadler’s Wells with the 30th anniversary celebration of Bourne’s reimagined Cinderella. Set in London during the Blitz, it centers on an intense, if fleeting, love story between Cinderella and a dashing RAF pilot. The production boasts Lez Brotherston’s Olivier Award-winning designs and sound design by Paul Groothuis, which blends Prokofiev’s original score with the sounds of war-torn London. This Cinderella is a must.
Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella is at Sadler’s Wells 1 December to 17 January 2027 at 7.30 pm. Thu & Sat mats at 2.30 pm. Sun at 2 pm. No performance on Mondays
Sadler’s Wells Angel
Rosebey Avenue
London EC1R 4TN
Ebony Scrooge, ZooNation
Dickens goes hip-hop in Ebony Scrooge, Dannielle “Rhimes’ Lecointe’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol for the pre-eminent street dance company ZooNation. Premiered last year, it follows the transformative journey of the scary Ebony, mastermind behind a renowned fashion empire, who cancelled Christmas to focus on her landmark fashion show. Throughout a couple of entertaining hours, animated by an original score by Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante (of Boy Blue fame), Ebony will be pushed by a vibrant company of hip hop dancers to see the errors of her ways.
Ebony Scrooge, ZooNation is at Sadler’s Wells East 24 November to 3 January 2027 at 7.30 pm. Mats available. No performance on Mondays
Dur.: 1 hour 55 mins inc one interval. Tickets: £15 – 65
Sadler’s Wells East
Stratford Walk
Queen Elizabth Olympic Park
London E20 2AR
Thick & Tight, Camp as Christmas
If you fancy something more risqué and very camp, may we recommend Camp as Christmas, a unique cabaret show by the ever inventive, immensely lovable Thick & Tight duo (Daniel Hay-Gordon and El Perry). Their typically anarchic and very funny new show, features a nativity cast that includes the Virgin Mary, Father Christmas, Reform UK, Melania Trump and “her body double, the devil”…you get the gist. On past performance, this will be one of the shows of the festive season, though I’m happy to accept it’s not for everyone.
Thick & Tight, Camp as Christmas is at the Purcell Room, Southbank Centre 10 December – 3 January 2027 at 7.45 pm. Sun at 6 pm
Dur.: 1 hour approx. Tickets:£23 – 36
Purcell Room, Southbank Centre
Belvedere Road
London SE1 8XX
New Year’s Day Concert
Ballet Nights’ New Year’s Day Concert returns to Cadogan Hall to see in 2027 in the best possible way. A novelty last Christmas season, it’s back by popular demand with its usual combination of classical ballet, brand new choreography and music by Ballet Nights regulars Quartet Concrete and special guests, all steered by an amiable compére. Among the highlights, the luminous Alina Cojocaru will perform Kim Brandstrup’s Afsked (Departure) Duet with Seirian Griffiths. Post-show, guests will have the opportunity to meet the dancers.
Ballet Nights’ New Year’s Day Concert is at Cadogan Hall on 1 January 2027 at 5 pm
Dur.: 2 hours approx. Tickets: £25 – 85 (VIP £150)
Cadogan Hall
5 Sloane Terrace
London SW1X 9DQ
Further afield…
Should you find yourself in or near Oxford this Christmas, we’d recommend a totally novel experience: an immersive Clara & The Nutcracker. It’s a full dome 360-degree film, screened in the Black Box space of the Schwartzman Centre for the Humanities, featuring dancers from Northern Ballet alongside richly animated fantasy scenes, accompanied by a recording of Tchaikovsky’s score, performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra and delivered in surround sound. This what the fulldome experience looks like:
Clara & The Nutcracker is a co-production between Northern Ballet, 4Pi Productions and the Schwartzman Centre and is suitable for ages 6+
Clara & The Nutcracker is at the Schwartzman Centre 10 – 24 December. Multiple showings on the hour 10 am to 6 pm
Dur.: 30 mins. Tickets: £11
Black Box, The Schwartzman Centre for the Humanities
Radcliffe Observatory Quarter,
Woodstock Road
Oxford OX2 6GG
Birmingham Royal Ballet, Tne Nutcracker – Londoners have grown accustomed to seeing out the Christmas season with BRB’s own production of The Nutcracker at the Royal Albert Hall at the tail end of December. The bad news is, the company is not coming to London this Christmas. The good news is, its charming production of The Nutcracker, created specifically for the company by Sir Peter Wright, has a long run at the Birmingham Hippodrome, should you find yourself in that part of the world. It’s a totally engaging production, strong on the magic and danced with the usual commitment by the lovely BRB dancers.
Birmingham Royal Ballet, The Nutcracker is at the Birmingham Hippodrome 20 Nov to 12 Dec at 7.30 pm Thu mats at 2pm, Sat mats at 2.30 pm, Sun at 1 pm only. No performance on Mondays.
Dur.: 2 hours 10 mins inc one interval. Tickets: £36 – 85
Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre
Hurst Street, Southside
Birmingham B5 4TB
Christmas Dance is plentiful this year – make sure you add to the season’s magic by seeing at least one of these varied shows. With some dates already sold out, early booking is advisable.
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