Some of us are still polishing off the last hoarded packets of Halloween candy but the December holidays are here, rapping madly at the window. Which means the most festive arts season is already in full swing with a sleigh-full of song, performance and sparkle.
’Tis the season of chestnuts roasting, and indeed the old favorites are a-crackling across town. For the 50th year, A Christmas Carol (through Dec. 28) returns to Union Arts Center, formerly known as ACT Theatre. This semi-centennial edition is directed by Shermona Mitchell and features Reginald André Jackson as the miserly Mr. Scrooge (both artists, by the way, are featured in Crosscut’s Black Arts Legacies project).
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It’s the 10-year anniversary of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s staging of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker (through Dec. 28), featuring Balanchine’s 1954 choreography and sets by illustrator Ian Falconer, plus an enormous glass star by Dale Chihuly. Nutcracker fans still hotly debate whether this take is better than PNB’s previous and long-beloved version, which showcased choreography by Kent Stowell and sets by Maurice Sendak for 30+ years. Whichever side you’re on, enjoy the chance to argue about ballet productions instead of politics!
Pike Place Market’s Great Figgy Pudding Caroling Competition (Dec. 6) celebrates its 40th year of revamping classic holiday songs with silly lyrics. And speaking of goofy fun, Seattle Men’s Chorus returns with the self-proclaimed “gayest sing-along in Seattle.” This year dubbed Holly Jolly Jingle (Dec. 5-23), the show includes a newly created four-minute NOTcracker Suite featuring props and hijinks galore.
For a more traditional choral extravaganza, Seattle Symphony is once again performing Handel’s Messiah (Dec. 18-21) with the soaring voices of the Seattle Symphony Chorale. And Intiman Theatre brings back the joyous gospel song-play Black Nativity, originally penned by Langston Hughes and directed here by Valerie Curtis-Newton. Intiman produced the popular show from 1998-2012, paused it for 10 years, and has brought it back with acclaim — and plenty of chances to sing along.
When it comes to Christmas music, you can lean in or lean out but you cannot fully escape. For those who enjoy diving headfirst into carols, Seattle Symphony has its annual Holiday Pops (Dec. 12-14), as well as An Evening with Renée Elise Goldberry (Dec. 10) — the Hamilton star has a new Christmas record coming out. Or sing the holiday songs yourself with the all-are-welcome Crowdsource Choir (Dec. 11 at Populus Hotel; Dec. 19 at Columbia City Theater).
If you can’t get enough of Vince Guaraldi’s classic soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas, you’re in luck. Seattle has several ways to do the Snoopy dance, including a live stage version of the cartoon at Taproot Theatre (Dec. 4-27), and music performances by Seattle’s Jose Gonzales Trio (at Cornish Playhouse, Dec. 14), the South Hudson Music Project (at The Royal Room, Dec. 20-21) and jazz legend David Benoit (at Jazz Alley, Dec. 18-21). Good grief!
For holiday music that’s a little more tangential, consider An Appalachian Christmas, as performed by acclaimed fiddlers Mark and Maggie O’Connor at Jazz Alley (Dec. 22-23). Or maybe Christmas in Latvia (Dec. 6-7), courtesy of Seattle Choral Company and featuring the work of four Latvian composers. If you have a hankering for Music of the Nordic and Baltic Countries (Dec. 13, 20, 22), the Seattle Pro Musica choir has you covered.
You can have yourself a Merryachi Christmas with Mariachi Sol de Mexico (at the Moore Theatre, Dec. 9), or dig a Django Jazz Christmas with Ranger and the Re-Arrangers (at the Royal Room, Dec. 26).
In fact The Royal Room has wrapped up several unconventional gifts, including: the annual Holiday Hootenanny sing-along with Carrie Clark and friends (Dec. 13 & 19); the 6th annual Hanukkah Celebration (Dec. 14), featuring klezmer band The Klein Party and jazz ensemble Klang; and the Crack Sabbath Christmas Show (Dec. 20), starring Seattle sax legend Skerik and his industrial jazz-punk band.
But by the end of the season, you may be in the mood for something more Byzantine, such as Portland ensemble Cappella Romana’s Music for the 12 Days of Christmas (Jan. 2). Medieval chants certainly feel like the right way to kick off whatever 2026 has in store.
Seattle Opera is opening a shiny new bauble this season: Gay Apparel (Dec. 11-13), featuring tenor John Marzano as his drag alter ego Anita Spritzer, alongside pianist Jay Rozendaal. Inspired by old-school holiday specials on television, Spritzer will belt classic carols with a cheeky operatic sheen. Festive apparel encouraged.
Drag performance is a perfect fit for the holidays — the glitz, the glam, the knowing glance across a crowded room. So it makes sense that Seattle has multiple shows in this irreverent, bawdy and sometimes burlesque tradition, including: Jingle All the Gay (Neptune Theatre, Dec. 12-14); The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show (Moore Theatre, Dec. 23-28); Wonderland (Can Can Cabaret, through Jan. 4 with PG-13 matinees); the 10th anniversary of Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker (Triple Door, Dec. 10-28); and the most unhinged and hilarious of the bunch: The Dina Martina Christmas Show (Union Art Center, Dec. 5-24).
But if those sweets are too spicy, never fear — there are tamer stage shows for holiday outings as well. Elf: The Musical (at The Fifth Avenue Theatre, through Dec. 28), based on the Will Farrell movie, brings Buddy back in Broadway form.
Fellow Passengers (12th Avenue Arts, through Dec. 22) is an acting tour de force, in which three performers portray all characters, events and dialogue in A Christmas Carol. It’s a quiet stunner. And for another take on the classic ghost story, check out Taproot Theatre’s mashup of Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle — when Scrooge and Holmes collide in the cozy mystery A Sherlock Carol (extended through Dec. 30).
Finally: During the holiday madness, don’t forget to shop local! Cascade PBS Newsletter Editor Sophie Grossman rounds out this edition with a few of this weekend’s arts and crafts opportunities. Take it away, Sophie!
< The Urban Craft Uprising Winter Show is a sprawling craftaganza featuring over 100 local indie artists and artisans at Seattle Center (Dec. 5-7, times vary).
< Modern Glaze, a working ceramics studio and gallery in Shoreline, hosts its annual holiday festivities (Dec. 6-7, 12-5 p.m.).
< The Black Artists Market will have two locations over two days this year: at Midtown Square in the Central District (Dec. 5, 4-8:30 p.m.), and the Seattle Opera Center (Dec. 6, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.).
< Osay Linger is a cult favorite pop-up market with handcrafted goodness from 70+ makers (Dec. 4-6, 11 a.m.-6 p.m and Dec 7, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.) at Georgetown’s Mutuus Studio.
< Pike Place Market will be festooned with lights and full of stocking stuffers and seasonal treats for its annual Holiday Night Market (Dec. 11, 5-9 p.m.).
Are you all caught up on Season 2 of Art by Northwest? In this show, you'll meet printmakers, painters, sculptors, carvers and photographers making captivating work across the state. And in the process, glimpse the region's diverse geographical beauty.
