Nutcracker in Asheville 2026: dates, tickets, holiday shows

Asheville has four Nutcracker productions this December, three at the Wortham Center on Biltmore Avenue and one touring show at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, between Friday, Dec. 4, and Saturday, Dec. 19. Asheville Community Theatre’s “Frozen” and North Carolina Stage Company’s “Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol” run most of the month.

Last checked Oct. 14, 2026. Dates, times and prices come from each venue’s or company’s own listing, linked below. We update this page as casts and remaining dates are announced.

What this means for you

• Which Nutcracker? The Asheville Ballet (Dec. 11-13) and the Ballet Conservatory of Asheville (Dec. 17-19) are local companies; NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet (Dec. 7) is a touring production.
• Buy from the venue. The Asheville Ballet warns buyers to use only the Wortham Center’s website, to avoid third-party resale scams.
• Wortham box office: 828-257-4530, ext. 1.
• Parking: see our downtown parking guide.

The Nutcracker, show by show

Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.” 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, at the Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave. Reserved seats $27 to $37 before taxes and fees, with $5 off for seniors and $9 off for students and children 12 and under. A school show is at 10 a.m. Dec. 4. Wortham Center listing.

NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet. 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7 (doors 6 p.m.), Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, 87 Haywood St. Tickets through Ticketmaster from the Harrah’s Cherokee Center listing.

The Asheville Ballet, “The Nutcracker.” 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12; 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, at the Diana Wortham Theatre. $30 to $60, children 12 and under $20, before taxes and fees. A school-group matinee is at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, with children’s tickets at $10; schools reserve by calling the Wortham Center. Wortham Center listing; The Asheville Ballet.

Ballet Conservatory of Asheville, “The Nutcracker.” 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, and Friday, Dec. 18; 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, at the Diana Wortham Theatre. Reserved seats $32 to $37, students $25 to $32 and children 12 and under $20 to $25, before taxes and fees. Wortham Center listing.

Holiday theater

• “Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol,” North Carolina Stage Company, 15 Stage Lane, Dec. 2-20. Tom Mula’s play. Evenings at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, plus Friday, Dec. 4; matinees at 2 p.m. Sundays and on Dec. 11, 12, 18 and 19. $18.50 to $57.50 on a sliding scale, fees included. The cast is still to be announced. NC Stage.
• “Frozen,” Asheville Community Theatre Mainstage, 35 E. Walnut St., Dec. 4-20. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. About 2 hours 15 minutes with an intermission; all ages, with loud noises and flashing lights. Adults $36.50 and youth (3 to 17) $18, plus fees and tax. An ASL-interpreted show is at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6; audio-described shows at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13; “Pay What You Can” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10 (tickets on sale at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24); and a $25 ticket night at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17. ACT.
• A Magical Cirque Christmas, 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15 (doors 5 p.m.), Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. Harrah’s Cherokee Center listing.

Holiday concerts

• Rocky Mountain High Experience: A John Denver Christmas, starring Rick Schuler, Tuesday, Nov. 24, Wortham Center. Wortham Center events.
• Asheville Symphony Community Singalong: Handel’s Messiah, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8. Asheville Symphony.
• Matthew West: Come Home for Christmas, Thursday, Dec. 10, Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. Harrah’s Cherokee Center listing.
• Handel’s Messiah, Asheville Symphony, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, First Baptist Church of Asheville. Darko Butorac conducts, with soprano Jessica Beebe, alto Kristen Dubenion-Smith, tenor Ben Gulley, bass Sam Dhobhany and the Asheville Symphony Chorus. Box office 828-254-7046. Asheville Symphony.
• A Swannanoa Solstice, Sunday, Dec. 20, Wortham Center. Wortham Center listing.
• The Music of “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” URSA Asheville, Wednesday, Dec. 23, Wortham Center. Wortham Center listing.

Parking

For Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Harrah’s Cherokee Center - Asheville lists its own garage behind the Buncombe County Public Library as the closest, two minutes’ walk, with the Rankin Avenue and Wall Street garages a few minutes farther. Its event rate is collected at the garage entrance; see the center’s parking page. The Wortham Center is on Biltmore Avenue, where the city’s Biltmore Avenue Garage sits under the Aloft Hotel. More in our downtown parking guide and road closures page; the Asheville Holiday Parade is downtown Saturday, Nov. 21.

More Christmas in Asheville

• Christmas at Biltmore and Candlelight Christmas Evenings.
• Holiday lights and Christmas events.
• Arts and exhibitions this month.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Nutcracker in Asheville in 2026?

Four productions play: Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King Dec. 4-5 and The Asheville Ballet Dec. 11-13, both at the Wortham Center; the touring NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet Dec. 7 at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium; and the Ballet Conservatory of Asheville Dec. 17-19 at the Wortham Center.

How much are Asheville Ballet Nutcracker tickets?

The Wortham Center lists The Asheville Ballet’s Nutcracker at $30 to $60, and $20 for children 12 and under, before taxes and fees. The Asheville Ballet asks buyers to use only the Wortham Center’s own website.

When is Frozen at Asheville Community Theatre?

Frozen runs Dec. 4-20 on ACT’s Mainstage, 35 E. Walnut St.: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Adult tickets are $36.50 plus fees and tax; youth tickets $18.

When is the Asheville Symphony’s Messiah?

Handel’s Messiah is at 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, at First Baptist Church of Asheville, with the Asheville Symphony Chorus, according to the symphony.