’Tis the season to be merry as Philadelphia’s performing arts venues present a holiday feast of festive programming.
Stages across the region embrace the holiday spirit with an enticing array of seasonal offerings, from holiday classics like George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker by the Pennsylvania Ballet to new kid-friendly fare like The Snow Queen at the Arden Theatre.
Enjoy musical delights from the Philadelphia Orchestra and others, dance spectacles, and energetic theater takes on seasonal classics.
It’s lovely weather for a night out together to some of the festive shows the city has to offer this December.
November 12 – December 22, 2019 (select dates)
O. Henry’s 100-year-old story The Gifts of the Magi relates the true value of yuletide gift-giving. An impoverished couple go to biblical lengths to share their Christmas love in Walnut Street Theatre’s musical adaptation of this much-loved holiday tale.
Where: Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut Street
November 27 – January 26, 2020 (select dates)
The love between two children runs through Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale. This winter, Arden Children’s Theatre adapts the touching story of a child journeying through seasons to rescue her friend.
Where: Arden Theatre Company, 40 N. 2nd Street
November 30 – December 22, 2019 (select dates)
Credited with popularizing many of our most-familiar Christmas traditions, Charles Dickens’ heartwarming classic about a miserly Scrooge who learns the value of goodwill and generosity continues to delight audiences over 150 years after its release. Walnut Street Theatre’s family-focused adaptation joins over half a dozen other regional productions of this holiday tale, including a hilarious five-actor rendition at the Bucks County Playhouse and a production by Lantern Theater.
December 1-21, 2019 (select dates)
Philadelphia’s favorite popular-music orchestra decks the halls with three weeks of Christmas shows. Guest conductor David Charles Abell kicks things off with a special Philly POPS Uptown Christmas at the Met Philadelphia (December 1) before returning to the Kimmel Center for the treasured holiday show, A Philly POPS Christmas: Spectacular Sounds of the Season (December 6-21). This year’s lineup features Hamilton star Mandy Gonzalez, hit comedic players Melodica Duo, and performers from several local choirs. Opening night features a salute to military and first responders. The POPS’ Jazz Orchestra gets funky with a one-night-only performance of the Harlem Nutcracker (December 14) and conductor Todd Ellison swings into the holidays with Christmas in the City 2 (December 20), a program of festive big band hits at Parx Casino.
Where: Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad Street
VIEW OTHER LOCATIONS (2)
The Met Philadelphia, 858 N. Broad Street
Parx Casino, 2999 Street Road, Bensalem
December 1-31, 2019 (select dates)
All December long, the Philadelphia Orchestra brings a festive program of concerts to the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. The Orchestra’s bass section welcomes the season with an afternoon concert (December 1), Aram Demirjian conducts a kid-friendly selection of seasonal songs (December 14), and Bramwell Tovey leads the ensemble in a family-friendly Glorious Sounds of Christmas series (December 19-21). The Orchestra celebrates another holiday tradition December 22 with its resounding performance of Handel’s Messiah before ending the year on some high (and low) notes with a joyful New Years’ Eve concert.
Baroque orchestra Tempesta di Mare warms wintery hearts with a program of centuries-old Christmas songs originally performed in the palace of a Czech archbishop.
Where: Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, 23 S. 38th Street
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The Presbyterian Church Of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Avenue
This popular five-actor holiday show returns to the Bucks County Playhouse for spirited fun. Audiences of all ages can enjoy the quick costume changes in this hilarious, fast-paced, Scrooge-focused adaptation of A Christmas Carol.
Where: Bucks County Playhouse, 70 S. Main Street, New Hope
December 6-31, 2019 (select dates)
Over fifty years of holiday tradition continue with Pennsylvania Ballet’s beloved production of The Nutcracker, which pairs Tchiakovsky’s timeless score with George Balanchine’s elegant choreography. The lavish staging marks just one of many takes on the festive classic, with Pottstown Dance Theatre, ContempraDance, Moscow Ballet, and Glenside’s Pages to Pirouettes also staging regional adaptations.
Where: Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad Street
Nearly a dozen local choirs bring out the soul of the holiday season with a one-night performance of festive gospel and spiritual songs. Philly radio personalities Patty Jackson, Dyana Williams and Fred Blain host the evening.
Where: The Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad Street
NextMove Dance celebrates the season with a series of festive performances by pioneering local dance company PHILADANCO combining humor, energetic contemporary dance and a selection of your favorite holiday music.
Where: Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut Street
The Nutcracker is not just for ballet fans any more. Philadelphia’s all-female dance ensemble The Lady Hoofers steps to the music of Tchaikovsky and Duke Ellington in an all-tap adaptation of the holiday classic.
Where: Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad Street
This holiday concert by the Opera Philadelphia’s Teen Voices of the City Ensemble (T-VOCE) celebrates Philadelphia’s cultural diversity and immigrant communities. At the event, guests hear seasonal works from Ireland, Latin America, Italy and Russia.
Where: Old First Reformed United Church of Christ, 151 N. 4th Street
Sunday, December 15, 2019 | 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
The epic rock orchestra stops in Philadelphia on a nationwide tour. The one-of-a-kind Christmas concert features arena-size sound, an immersive light show and pyrotechnical displays.
Where: Wells Fargo Center, 3601 S. Broad Street
YouTube sensations and Grammy winners Pentatonix can make five voices sound like a whole band with a dozen singers. They showcase their a capella stylings in a concert of holiday songs at the Met Philadelphia.
Where: The Met Philadelphia, 858 N. Broad Street
Local urban adult contemporary station WDAS 105.3FM rings in the holiday season with live performances by top R&B and gospel artists at the elegant Met Philadelphia on Saturday, December 21. Comedy fans should check out the WDAS Holiday Comedy Jam the day before (Friday, December 20), featuring Earthquake, J. Anthony Brown, and Kier Spates aka Junior, with host Nephew Tommy of the Steve Harvey Show.
December 20 and 22, 2019
Philadelphia’s celebrated contemporary choral group The Crossing gets festive with two performances of new works for choir.
Where: Church of the Holy Trinity, 1904 Walnut Street
Based on Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity, an African American retelling of the Christmas story, Eleone Dance Theatre’s annual music and dance performance returns for its 28th holiday season.
Where: Kurtz Center for the Performing Arts, 3000 W. School House Lane
Circus meets the holiday season in an extravagant tour through Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year and the winter season. Audiences young and old should delight in the costumes, acrobatics and lavish sets on the Merriam Theater stage.
Where: Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad Street
Disney’s much-loved characters travel by skates to exotic destinations from London to Easter Island, Africa to the Middle East. Mickey, Woody and Moana perform on the ice of the Wells Fargo Center.
The Visit Philly Overnight Package — booked more than 190,000 times since 2001 — comes with free hotel parking (worth up to $100 in Center City Philadelphia), overnight hotel accommodations and choose-your-own-adventure perks.