Nutcracker 2026 Dates: New York, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta and London

New York City Ballet, Boston Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) all open The Nutcracker on Friday, Nov. 27, 2026, the day after Thanksgiving, according to each company’s own website, read in early November 2026. San Francisco Ballet opens Friday, Dec. 4, Atlanta Ballet opens Saturday, Dec. 5, and two London companies list December starts. The table below puts all seven side by side, and a one-page printable lists them by opening date.

Nutcracker 2026 runs by company

“Not listed” means the page we read did not state it.

Opens	Company and city	Closes	Venue	Run time	Sensory-friendly or relaxed performance
Fri., Nov. 27	New York City Ballet, New York	Sat., Jan. 2, 2027	David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center	Approx. 2 hours	Jan. 3 at 1 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 27	Boston Ballet	Thu., Dec. 31	Citizens Opera House	Approximately two hours including one intermission	Dec. 4 at 1:30 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 27	Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle	Sun., Dec. 27	McCaw Hall	2 hours 3 minutes, including a 25-minute intermission	Relaxed Performance Dec. 11 at 2 p.m.
Thu., Dec. 3	Royal Ballet and Opera, London	Wed., Jan. 13, 2027	Main stage	Not listed	Not listed
Fri., Dec. 4	San Francisco Ballet	Sun., Dec. 27	War Memorial Opera House	About 2 hours 7 minutes	Dec. 27, per the company’s page
Sat., Dec. 5	Atlanta Ballet	Sat., Dec. 26	Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre	2 hours 8 minutes, including intermission	Not listed
Thu., Dec. 17	English National Ballet (ENB), London	Sun., Jan. 10, 2027	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed

When does the Nutcracker start in New York, Boston and Seattle?

All three open Friday, Nov. 27. New York City Ballet lists the run as Nov. 27, 2026 to Jan. 2, 2027, and Boston Ballet lists November 27 to December 31, 2026. Pacific Northwest Ballet lists November 27 to December 27, 2026, and its Opening Weekend Enchanted Lobby runs Nov. 27-29. Boston Ballet also lists an “Elevated Nutcracker Experience” on Dec. 12 and 19 at 1:30 p.m.

When we read Boston Ballet’s page, it said ticket transactions were paused for system maintenance and that the company could not process transactions during that time. It lists early access for subscribers and for groups of 10 or more.

Nutcracker dates in San Francisco and Atlanta

San Francisco Ballet’s run is Dec. 4-27 at the War Memorial Opera House. The first performance is Friday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m., and the last is Sunday, Dec. 27. The company lists Act I at 47 minutes, a 20-minute intermission and Act II at 50 minutes.

Atlanta Ballet lists December 5-26, 2026 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, a run time of 2 hours and 8 minutes including intermission.

London Nutcracker dates in 2026

Royal Ballet and Opera lists The Nutcracker on its main stage from 3 December 2026 to 13 January 2027, and cinema screenings from Tuesday, 1 December 2026. English National Ballet lists Thursday, 17 Dec 2026 to Sunday, 10 Jan 2027. Its listing does not name a venue, so we do not either.

Sensory-friendly, relaxed and audio-described Nutcracker performances

Company	Access performance listed
Boston Ballet	Sensory Friendly Performance, Dec. 4 at 1:30 p.m.
Pacific Northwest Ballet	Relaxed Performance, Dec. 11 at 2 p.m.; audio-described performances Dec. 4-12 at 7:30 p.m., with $20 audio-described tickets listed
San Francisco Ballet	Sensory-friendly performance, Dec. 27, per the company’s page
New York City Ballet	Sensory-friendly performance, Jan. 3 at 1 p.m.

Pacific Northwest Ballet also lists a Pajama Day on Dec. 27 at 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Companies we could not confirm

We could not confirm 2026 dates for Houston Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, Miami City Ballet or American Ballet Theatre at Segerstrom from their official sites. Check those companies directly.

Nutcracker dates to mark on your calendar

The printable has one row per company with its opening and closing dates, and a Done column. Add the dates to the November 2026 printable calendar and the December 2026 printable calendar. For other New York holiday shows, see our story on the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and the NYC holiday calendar for 2026.

Dates, times and tickets can change, so check each company’s site before you buy.