If the family is asking which weekend is the Nutcracker, which one do they mean? Between November 19 and December 20, four different companies stage the ballet inside Manchester city limits, with fourteen performances in all. Half of those performances fall in a single four-day run downtown at the Palace Theatre. The other half are spread over three separate weekends at Saint Anselm College's Dana Center for the Performing Arts, one company at a time.
That pattern decides how to plan. The first weekend has the most showtimes. After that, each weekend brings a different company and a different way of producing the ballet. Here is the season in order, with the rest of the city's holiday calendar set around it.
| Company | Venue | Dates | Performances | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern NH Dance Theater | Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St. | Nov. 19–22 | 7 | $40–$54 |
| Methuen Ballet Ensemble | Dana Center, 100 Saint Anselm Drive | Sat., Nov. 28 | 2 | $40 |
| Bedford Dance Center | Dana Center | Sat., Dec. 5 | 1 | $29.50 |
| Ballet Misha | Dana Center | Dec. 19–20 | 4 | $40 |
The Palace Opens the Season on November 19
Southern NH Dance Theater's production opens Thursday, November 19, and closes Sunday, November 22. On the Palace Theatre calendar, the run has seven showtimes.
- Thursday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m.
- Friday, Nov. 20, at 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 21, at 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 22, at noon and 4:30 p.m.
Saturday has three of the seven shows, so the 11 a.m. curtain is the earliest seat of the whole Manchester Nutcracker season. According to the Union Leader's 2026 holiday guide, tickets range from $40 to $54. The company's own site lists the same November 19 through 22 run.
The same weekend draws holiday shoppers to Elm Street. The 2026 Manchester Holiday Food & Artisan Market runs November 20 through 22 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at the Center of New Hampshire Expo, 650 Elm Street, and the market's event listing shows free admission. A morning at the market fits neatly before the Saturday 7:30 p.m. show or the Sunday 4:30 p.m. one.
After Sunday the Palace stage moves on, and every remaining Nutcracker performance in the city is at the Dana Center.
Thanksgiving Weekend Stacks Three Openings Onto One Saturday
The Saturday after Thanksgiving is Methuen Ballet Ensemble's only date in Manchester. Its two Dana Center performances on November 28 are at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., and the Saint Anselm ticket listing names guest artists Nina Matiashvili and Murman Kikalishvili. The company's about page gives its founding year as 1989 and says no child who auditions has been turned away. Tickets are $40.
Both Methuen showtimes are daytime ones, and that leaves the evening free. Downtown, the evening is already busy. Beginning Friday, November 27, "A Christmas Carol" plays the Palace Theatre every Thursday through Sunday until December 27, with extra performances on Tuesday, December 22, and Wednesday, December 23. Tickets are $40 to $54. Trans-Siberian Orchestra brings the 30th anniversary edition of its "Ghosts of Christmas Eve" tour to SNHU Arena, 555 Elm Street, on November 27, with shows at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. and tickets starting at $64.
On Sunday, November 29, the Rex Theatre at 23 Amherst Street has A Sinatra Christmas with Rich DiMare at noon, with tickets from $34 to $40. For a family with relatives in town, the long weekend puts a matinee ballet, a downtown play and a Sunday concert all within the city.
December 5 Is the Busiest Saturday on the Calendar
The Saturday after Methuen's visit, the third Nutcracker of the season lands on the city's busiest holiday Saturday. Bedford Dance Center's single performance at the Dana Center begins at 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 5. The Dana Center listing bills it as "The Nutcracker Suite" in a full-length production. Its $29.50 ticket is the lowest price among the four productions. Per Bedford Dance Center's program page, its pre-professional students may audition for the annual Nutcracker Suite.
That same day, downtown runs on its own schedule.
- Noon: The New Hampshire Gay Men's Chorus performs at the Rex Theatre.
- 3 p.m.: The BASC Santa Claus Shuffle begins its 3-mile out-and-back course, starting and finishing at Veterans Park. Millennium Running's race page mentions four sweet stops along the route and gives perks to the first 1,400 in-person and virtual participants.
- 4 p.m.: The 38th annual Manchester Holiday Parade steps off. This year's theme is "A Very Merry Manchester," and the route follows Elm Street from Bridge Street to the intersection of Granite Street and Lake Avenue.
- 6 p.m.: Bedford Dance Center's Nutcracker begins at the Dana Center.
- 7:30 p.m.: The Scott Spradling Band plays Big Band Christmas hits at the Rex Theatre, with tickets at $34.
Last year's parade, held December 6, 2025, finished at Veterans Park with a tree lighting at Stanton Plaza. About 1,600 costumed runners did the Santa Shuffle beforehand, as the Union Leader reported. Visit Manchester is the parade contact listed in this year's guide, so check there for parade-day details as December 5 gets closer.
The Bedford performance starts two hours after the parade, at Saint Anselm College rather than on Elm Street. A household can do both, but the evening needs a plan. Families who would rather keep the day simple have the Palace weekend behind them and Ballet Misha still ahead.
The Middle of December Belongs to the Rex
From December 6 through December 18, no Nutcracker plays in the city. The Rex Theatre schedule fills those two weeks.
- Holiday Glow: A Holiday Concert Experience runs Friday, December 11, through Sunday, December 13. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday, with tickets at $44.
- Palace Youth Theatre presents "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Jr," performed by students in grades 2 through 12, on December 15 and 16 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $18 for adults and $15 for kids ages 6 to 12.
- Queen City Improv's Holiday Show is Thursday, December 17, at 7:30 p.m., with tickets at $34.
On the same weekend as Holiday Glow, the Manchester Choral Society performs Poulenc's "Gloria" and Saint-Saëns' "Christmas Oratorio" at Ste. Marie's Church, 378 Notre Dame Avenue. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, December 12, and 3 p.m. Sunday, December 13, with tickets at $30. The Dana Center also has one more holiday show before the final ballet. A Cape Breton Christmas with the Nova Scotia folk group Còig is Thursday, December 10, at 7:30 p.m., with tickets from $29.50 to $49.50.
Ballet Misha Closes the Season the Weekend Before Christmas
The last Nutcracker in Manchester this year is also the second-longest run. Ballet Misha returns to the Dana Center with four performances.
- Saturday, December 19, at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.
- Sunday, December 20, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The company's performances page confirms the December 19 and 20 dates, and tickets are $40. Of the four companies, only Ballet Misha and Southern NH Dance Theater offer more than one day of shows. That makes the weekend before Christmas the only time after November 22 with several Nutcracker showtimes to choose from.
After that, the Rex has Christmas Carols on Strings on Saturday, December 26, at 6 p.m., with tickets at $41.50. "A Christmas Carol" plays its final Palace performance the next day, December 27. That makes the Palace both the first and the last downtown stage of the season, with Saint Anselm's three Nutcracker companies in between.
We keep track of Manchester's calendar because we work here all year. If one of these December weekends also has you wondering what your home might be worth before the spring market, Purple Finch Properties can work up a free home valuation on a schedule that leaves room for the ballet.