San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker sends Clara from her Victorian-era San Francisco home through an onstage blizzard. For laughs, The Golden Girls Live casts drag legends as Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia. Oakland adds a Nutcracker with a live symphony, and Lafayette has a panto where you boo the villain.
San Francisco Ballet Nutcracker
San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker at the War Memorial Opera House starts in Clara's Victorian-era San Francisco home, then sweeps through an onstage blizzard to the Crystal Palace. The SF Ballet Orchestra plays Tchaikovsky live to Helgi Tomasson's choreography. It runs about two hours, and there's a sensory-friendly performance.
The Golden Girls Live: The Christmas Episodes
Drag legends Coco Peru, Matthew Martin, D'Arcy Drollinger, and Holotta Tymes play Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia at the Curran Theatre, parodying two classic Golden Girls episodes with Tom Shaw on piano. The show runs about 2 hours and 15 minutes, and children under 5 aren't allowed.
Smuin's The Christmas Ballet
Smuin's The Christmas Ballet is the company's annual holiday tradition at the Blue Shield of California Theater at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, mixing classical ballet with contemporary movement and pop culture flair. Festive favorites return alongside a new piece by Company Artist Maggie Carey. Tickets run $25 to $130.
Kung Pao Kosher Comedy
Kung Pao Kosher Comedy is Jewish stand-up at Christmas inside a Chinese restaurant, the Imperial Palace on Washington Street. Carol Leifer, Scott Blakeman, and Ariel Elias perform, with creator and MC Lisa Geduldig. Pick the Dinner Show ($95, six courses) or the Cocktail Show ($70, dim sum), or stream it from home.
Handel Messiah
The San Francisco Symphony and Chorus perform Handel's Messiah at Davies Symphony Hall, conducted by Ruben Valenzuela, with soloists Lauren Snouffer, Reginald Mobley, Zachary Wilder, and Enrico Lagasca. Come an hour early for Benjamin Pesetsky's Inside Music Talk on stage; it's free with your ticket.
Holidays with Bernadette Peters and the San Francisco Symphony
Tony Award honoree Bernadette Peters joins conductor Tedd Firth and the San Francisco Symphony at Davies Symphony Hall for festive tunes, Broadway favorites, and songs from her albums. The hall is decked with giant lit trees, wreaths, and garlands. Grab a gingerbread old-fashioned or visit the hot-chocolate cart before the show.
Graham Lustig's The Nutcracker (Oakland)
Oakland Ballet dances Graham Lustig's The Nutcracker at the Paramount Theatre, with Tchaikovsky's score played live by the Oakland Symphony and the Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir. Add a Sweet Dreams Party ticket to meet the cast afterward, with photos, autographs, and treats. The Paramount is reachable by BART.
Holiday Gaiety
Country star Orville Peck headlines Holiday Gaiety with the San Francisco Symphony at Davies Symphony Hall, alongside co-emcees Edwin Outwater and Peaches Christ. Expect drag queens, vocalists, burlesque artist Frankie Fictitious, and the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus. It's an adult-themed show, so book the sitter.
A John Waters Christmas
John Waters brings his solo Christmas comedy show to the Great American Music Hall, an adult, offbeat take on holiday traditions, with DJ Omar opening. It's 21 and up. Leave the kids with the elves for this one.
San Francisco Symphony Holiday Concerts
The San Francisco Symphony fills Davies Symphony Hall with holiday concerts: holiday films with a live orchestra, special guest artists, and family-friendly shows. Past programs have ranged from Home Alone to mariachi to the Count Basie Orchestra. Outside food isn't allowed, but the lobby bar has holiday desserts.
Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir 40th Anniversary Holiday Concert (Oakland)
The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir is back on the Calvin Simmons Theatre stage at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts, its home for decades, joined by its Youth and Community choirs. Tickets run $15 to $85, and only 100 VIP tickets include a pre-show reception and front-section seats.
The Nutcracker Suite (Walnut Creek)
Diablo Ballet's The Nutcracker Suite moves the story to San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel in the 1950s, where Drosselmeyer is the concierge, a bellhop becomes the Nutcracker, and hotel maids dance in the Kingdom of the Sweets. Check-in is at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, and the show runs about an hour and a half.
Marin Ballet: Nutcracker (San Rafael)
Marin Ballet's Nutcracker at the Marin Center in San Rafael tells Clara's Christmas Eve dreams with 125 dancers, lavish Victorian costumes and sets, and some mischievous humor, choreographed by Julia Adam. Stay for the final curtain; there's an airborne surprise. Adults are $55, and youth and seniors are $34.
Tomaseen Foley's A Celtic Christmas 2026
Tomaseen Foley's A Celtic Christmas brings a 1950s Christmas Eve farmhouse gathering in western Ireland to the stage at the United Irish Cultural Center. Native Irish storyteller Tomáseen Foley anchors the program, with Celtic musicians, singers, and dancers performing traditional carols and step dances.
Robin Hood of the Reservoir: A Holiday Panto (Lafayette)
Town Hall Theatre Company in Lafayette stages a holiday panto inspired by Robin Hood, as Marian protects her town from a power-hungry Sheriff with designs on the reservoir. Expect pop songs, slapstick, and plenty of cheering the heroes and booing the villains. Tickets are $25, and the show runs 90 minutes.
Berkeley Rep Holiday Production (Berkeley)
Berkeley Repertory Theatre's holiday production has been a solo A Christmas Carol, with Jefferson Mays playing every character in an 80-minute show with no intermission. Inventive staging and lighting carry the ghosts and Scrooge's change of heart. It's best for families with kids 12 and up.
Make the Yuletide Gay! 2026 (Oakland)
The Oakland Gay Men's Chorus sings a winter concert at the ValleyCenter for Performing Arts in Oakland, built around holiday romance and mistletoe. The program mixes classic holiday hits with iconic diva anthems. Bring someone you'd like to stand under the mistletoe with.
St Peter's Chapel Candlelight Evening Concert "Voices of Peace on Earth" (Vallejo)
Inside historic St. Peter's Chapel in Vallejo, by candlelight and original Tiffany stained glass windows, the VOENA choir sings holiday harmonies of peace and unity in Victorian attire. Taiko artist David Gonzalez adds percussion. General admission is $40, and $50 gets a reserved seat in the first three rows.
OIYC 28th Holiday Concert: Yuletide Youth (Oakland)
More than 150 young singers, ages five to eighteen, from all six youth ensembles share one stage at the Calvin Simmons Theater for this afternoon holiday concert. The full Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir performs that evening at the same theatre. You can also donate a ticket so someone else can attend.
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Holiday (Mountain View)
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley stages a professional holiday musical in December. Its holiday shows have included Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley, a musical comedy set in Jane Austen's world, about friendship, music, and romance at Christmas, directed by Giovanna Sardelli.
The Nutcracker (San Mateo)
Peninsula Ballet Theatre presents a full-length The Nutcracker at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center, following Clara and her Nutcracker prince to Tchaikovsky's score, with elaborate costumes and sets. Buy only through the official box office site; all ticket sales are final.
Contra Costa Ballet's The Nutcracker (Oakland)
Contra Costa Ballet's The Nutcracker at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts in Oakland is a one-hour version of the classic, with Clara, giant mice, toy soldiers, and the Candy Kingdom, danced by young dancers in colorful costumes. The short running time makes it a good first ballet for younger kids.