The Nutcracker 2026: Find a Performance Near You
Each November and December, hundreds of American ballet companies and schools stage Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. Pick your state to find the ballet organizations near you, then check their season calendars for dates and tickets.
Find a Nutcracker by state
Alabama
19 ballet organizations in 9 cities
Alaska
4 ballet organizations in 3 cities
Arizona
27 ballet organizations in 16 cities
Arkansas
7 ballet organizations in 7 cities
California
161 ballet organizations in 101 cities
Colorado
26 ballet organizations in 12 cities
Connecticut
21 ballet organizations in 16 cities
Delaware
2 ballet organizations in 2 cities
District of Columbia
7 ballet organizations in 1 cities
Florida
72 ballet organizations in 47 cities
Georgia
20 ballet organizations in 15 cities
Hawaii
3 ballet organizations in 2 cities
Idaho
8 ballet organizations in 6 cities
Illinois
43 ballet organizations in 24 cities
Indiana
18 ballet organizations in 16 cities
Iowa
7 ballet organizations in 5 cities
Kansas
8 ballet organizations in 6 cities
Kentucky
6 ballet organizations in 4 cities
Louisiana
16 ballet organizations in 9 cities
Maine
6 ballet organizations in 5 cities
Maryland
22 ballet organizations in 15 cities
Massachusetts
23 ballet organizations in 19 cities
Michigan
25 ballet organizations in 22 cities
Minnesota
11 ballet organizations in 8 cities
Mississippi
12 ballet organizations in 9 cities
Missouri
13 ballet organizations in 11 cities
Montana
7 ballet organizations in 5 cities
Nebraska
4 ballet organizations in 2 cities
Nevada
8 ballet organizations in 3 cities
New Hampshire
4 ballet organizations in 4 cities
New Jersey
18 ballet organizations in 16 cities
New Mexico
6 ballet organizations in 2 cities
New York
89 ballet organizations in 45 cities
North Carolina
26 ballet organizations in 17 cities
North Dakota
3 ballet organizations in 3 cities
Ohio
29 ballet organizations in 22 cities
Oklahoma
8 ballet organizations in 6 cities
Oregon
19 ballet organizations in 11 cities
Pennsylvania
31 ballet organizations in 23 cities
Puerto Rico
6 ballet organizations in 5 cities
Rhode Island
6 ballet organizations in 4 cities
South Carolina
17 ballet organizations in 13 cities
South Dakota
1 ballet organizations in 1 cities
Tennessee
17 ballet organizations in 11 cities
Texas
94 ballet organizations in 50 cities
Utah
21 ballet organizations in 18 cities
Vermont
4 ballet organizations in 4 cities
Virginia
33 ballet organizations in 26 cities
Washington
32 ballet organizations in 23 cities
West Virginia
5 ballet organizations in 5 cities
Wisconsin
9 ballet organizations in 6 cities
About The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg in December 1892, with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and choreography by Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa. The story follows Clara (Marie in some productions) through a Christmas Eve battle with the Mouse King to the Land of Sweets, where the Sugar Plum Fairy presides over a suite of national dances.
The ballet became an American holiday tradition in the 20th century. San Francisco Ballet, led by Willam Christensen, staged the first complete American production in 1944, and George Balanchine's 1954 version for New York City Ballet set the template many companies still follow. Today the season's ticket sales are a major source of revenue for ballet companies across the country — and student productions give thousands of young dancers their first time on stage.
Famous Nutcracker music
- March
- Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (with its celesta solo)
- Russian Dance (Trepak)
- Arabian Dance (Coffee)
- Chinese Dance (Tea)
- Dance of the Reed Flutes
- Waltz of the Flowers
Learn the vocabulary of the ballet in our ballet glossary, or read the full ballet guide.