Seasonal Showtime: 20+ Holiday Shows, Concerts, Ballets, and Plays

From 'A Christmas Carol' to 'The Nutcracker' and everything in between

By Ross Boissoneau | Nov. 15, 2025

Come the holidays, the Prince of the Land of Sweets will again reign supreme. If it’s Christmas time, it’s time for The Nutcracker, the world’s most popular ballet. But why is it such a beloved production?

“The dance community asks that question every season,” says Heather Raue, artistic director at the Crooked Tree Arts Center School of Ballet. “Us dance folks don’t quite get it.”

The ballet features music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky built around a story originally written in 1816 by German author E.T.A. Hoffmann. “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” told roughly the same tale people now know as “The Nutcracker,” but it was darker and more violent. Alexandre Dumas adapted it into a lighter version, and it was this tale that Tchaikovsky wrote his music for.

When the ballet premiered in Russia, it was not particularly well received, but when it was imported to the U.S., it became a holiday classic. “Russians didn’t like it. They thought it was gauche. America ate it up like TV dinners,” says Raue.

Today it is enjoyed by hundreds of thousands each holiday season. “The colors, the sets, costumes, music—even if you don’t like dance, it’s digestible,” says Raue.

This year’s production at Great Lakes Center for the Arts takes place Dec. 20 and 21. It. will feature Miami City Ballet stars Taylor Naturkas—a Crooked Tree alum—and Alexander Peters.

But Crooked Tree isn’t the only company getting in on the sugar plum spirit. The Interlochen Center for the Arts production will premier Dec. 11 for the first of five shows running through Dec. 14 at Corson Auditorium. It will feature dancers from around the area, as well as Interlochen Arts Academy students and live music by IAA musicians.

Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts in Manistee will also host a production of The Nutcracker. It includes performers from six surrounding counties, and takes place Dec. 1-3 and 8-10.

And if that wasn’t enough, the Interlochen Jazz Orchestra will be performing Duke Ellington’s arrangements of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker music. The orchestra will play two shows at the Bay Theater Dec. 6 and one at Dendrinos Chapel and Recital Hall on Interlochen’s campus Dec. 7.

Of course, there are plenty more ways to celebrate the holiday season with music, dance, and more around the region. Here are a few of the highlights.

INTERLOCHEN

Sounds of the Season
Enjoy seasonal songs and stories brought to life by Interlochen Arts Academy’s music, theatre, and interdisciplinary arts students Dec. 18 and 19 at Corson Auditorium. The favorites from Frozen will be on hand, as will the jolly old elf himself, Rudolph willing. And what’s a holiday gathering without a singalong? (Spoiler alert: The audience will get a chance to join in the festivities.)

CHEBOYGAN OPERA HOUSE

A Christmas Carol with Allen Fitzpatrick
Shortly after writing the novella which became a holiday classic, Charles Dickens began public readings of it, which he continued until his death. Theater and Broadway veteran Fitzpatrick follows suit, taking on all the roles in this one-man performance Dec. 7, embodying 26 characters on a virtually bare stage.

The Tartan Terrors: A Celtic Christmas
The Tartan Terrors return to the stage of the Cheboygan Opera House Dec. 18. Their Celtic Invasion blends the energy of a rock show with humor and traditional step dance. Pipes and fiddles alongside drums and electric guitars? Why not?

CITY OPERA HOUSE

The 2nd Annual Holiday Hideaway Nov. 22 allows guests to view the local Light Parade (see above) from a special vantage point. It includes music, a full bar, and holiday treats.

’Tis the Season, of course, and that’s the title of the City Opera House’s 2025 Gala. Christmas classics with Broadway flair will brighten the holiday season on Dec. 6.

The Bergamot presents its 8th annual “A South Shore Christmas” Dec. 12. Founding members Nathaniel Paul Hoff and Jillian Speece are joined by their full band in a set of stories, holiday classics and originals to showcase the harmony of the season.

NORTHWESTERN MICHIGAN COLLEGE ENSEMBLES

The NMC Jazz Bands Present will be Swingin’ for the Season Dec. 6 at Milliken Auditorium at the Dennos Museum Center. The Jazz Lab Band and Big Band will perform seasonal standards and holiday favorites made popular by Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, Bing Crosby, and Louis Armstrong. Joining the proceedings will be guest vocalists Emily Kuschell and Scott Carter.

Two off-campus events will feature other NMC Ensembles. The NMC Concert Band 2025 Holiday Concert takes place Dec. 13, with a set of holiday classics arranged for the concert band. It will take place at Traverse City West Senior High School Auditorium.

And on Dec. 11, the NMC Chamber Singers will present their 2025 Holiday Concert at Central United Methodist Church with a selection of holiday favorites.

TRAVERSE CITY PHILHARMONIC

You want a (very) big band? On Dec. 21 and 22, experience the magic of the season and be surrounded by sound at Home for the Holidays. The full Traverse City Philharmonic will be joined by vocal director Jeffery Cobb’s combined choirs in a traditional holiday experience. The rafters at Corson Auditorium at Interlochen Center for the Arts will resound with holiday magic.

KIRKBRIDE HALL

Start with the Listeso String Quartet playing a generous selection of sacred and secular holiday favorites: “12 Days of Christmas,” “Angels from the Realms of Glory,” “Angels We Have Heard On High,” “Ding Dong! Merrily on High” and more. Then create the perfect atmosphere at Kirkbride Hall at Grand Traverse Commons by adding hundreds of soft flickering lights, and you have Candlelight: Christmas Carols on Strings on Dec. 19 and 20.

GREAT LAKES CENTER FOR THE ARTS

It’s time for Tinsel & Tunes on Nov. 15 and 16. the Northern Michigan Chorale presents holiday staples, part of its 44th season of performances.

On Nov. 21 and 22, the Great Lakes Dance Academy invites patrons to A Christmas Carol: The Mixtape. This mix of dynamic choreography and a joyful, jukebox-inspired soundtrack defines—nay, redefines—a holiday classic. Ideal for those who cherish dance as storytelling.

The man gets around. On Dec. 6, Allen Fitzpatrick takes the stage for two presentations of his one-man telling of A Christmas Carol.

On Dec. 11 and 12, experience the tradition: Messiah by Candlelight featuring the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra, GLCO Chorus, and guest soloists. The concert will also feature Schubert’s “Magnificat” and Mozart’s “Sleigh-Ride” to celebrate the spirit and joy of the holiday season.

On Dec. 14 the GLCO presents its Family Holiday Pops Matinee. Beloved carols, sing-alongs, with holiday favorites “The Grinch,” “The Polar Express,” “Sleigh Ride,” and more.

The Dorothy Gerber Youth Orchestra presents A Holiday Strings Celebration Dec. 15. It will include musical selections from Amahl and the Night Visitors, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and magical music from The Polar Express.

The Midtown Men’s “Holiday Hits” show Dec. 23 will feature Yuletide classics such as “Winter Wonderland,” “Let It Snow,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” as well as their signature renditions of the greatest rock and roll hits of the 1960s by the Beatles, the Temptations, the Four Seasons, and more. The stars from the Broadway smash Jersey Boys will also perform their holiday single “All Alone on Christmas,” recorded with Stevie Van Zandt and members of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.

OLD ART BUILDING

From the Season of Lights holiday light display to the Dec. 5-6 Holiday Art Market, there is plenty on the OAB schedule this winter. But we’re most excited to tune in for their Christmas at the Old Art Building: A Variety Show Spectacular on Dec. 13 from 6-7:30pm. The show will feature a “retro-inspired” lineup, including both Christmas comedy and caroling. But it’s this description that caught out interest: “Imagine Lawrence Welk, Dolly Parton, and the Muppets collaborating to put on a festive show.” Sounds like the perfect blend.

Photo courtesy of Interlochen Center for the Arts