2024 Christmas Theater and Concerts in Columbus

Take in one of the many magical Christmas theater shows or Christmas concerts in Columbus to get in the holiday spirit. 

Start a new annual tradition with one of the regular events, or enjoy a new performance each year!

Columbus is host to many great Christmas theater performances and concerts each year. There are plenty to choose from at all price points! If you know of other great performances, please email info@columbusonthecheap.com to be included.

2024 Christmas Theater and Christmas Concerts in Columbus

Shadowbox Live: Holiday Hoopla (details)

Holiday Hoopla: November 21 – December 28, 2024: (Slightly) raunchy Christmas Fun and Rock and Roll. Tickets are sold by the table, ranging from $46.50-$272.75 per table, depending on table selection and date/time. Great for dates and groups of friends for a night out!!

No So Silent Night: Opens December 1 – December 22, 2024. Not So Silent Night follows the story of a DJ taking requests and dedications on Christmas Eve, leading to a sweet, fun and song-filled holiday night.

Tickets: prices vary per show; see above
Location: 503 S. Front St. • Suite#260 • Columbus, OH • 43215

A Celtic Christmas by A Taste of Ireland (website)

Description of event:
“A Celtic Christmas” by A Taste of Ireland invites audiences on a captivating holiday journey filled with the magic, warmth, and vibrancy of Irish traditions. The show, developed by the creators of the acclaimed A Taste of Ireland, infuses the season with authentic Irish music, dance, and storytelling that evoke the heart of Celtic culture.

Dates: Saturday November 23, 2024 at 7:30PM
Tickets: $50.61-$87.91
Location: Palace Theatre, 34 W Broad St. Columbus

Hip Hop Nutcracker (website)

A holiday mash-up for the entire family, The Hip Hop Nutcracker is a re-mixed and re-imagined contemporary dance spectacle that transforms E.T.A. Hoffmann’s beloved story from traditional 19th century Germany to the vibrant sights and sounds of contemporary New York City.

Set to Tchaikovsky’s timeless music, this unique and joyful production is performed by a supercharged cast of a dozen all-star dancers, a DJ, an electric violinist, and one of hip hop’s founding fathers, MC Kurtis Blow, who opens the show with a short set.

Dates: November 24, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.
Tickets: $46.98-$87.91
Location: Palace Theatre

The Nutcracker presented by The Central Ohio Youth Ballet (website)

Dates: November 29 – December 1, 2024. Show times vary by date.
Tickets: $15-$29 (price does not include fees)
Location: Midland Theatre, 36 N Park Pl, Newark, OH 43055

A Christmas Carol (website)

CAPA is proud to present a new version of the holiday classic A Christmas Carol, blending traditional and contemporary stage with local and national performers.

Date: November 29 – December 1, 2024
Tickets: $32.46 – $54.24
Location: Ohio Theatre

The Nutcracker with Movement on Main Center for Dance (website)

Dates: November 30 and December 1, 2024 at 2 p.m. & 6 p.m.
Tickets: $15-$25
Location: Secrest Auditorium and Music Hall, 334 Shinnick St, Zanesville, Ohio

A Magical Cirque Christmas (website)

The world’s greatest entertainers unite for a spell-binding and incredible holiday production – A MAGICAL CIRQUE CHRISTMAS!

Experience the enchantment of Christmas as Magical Hostess Lucy Darling takes you through an evening of dazzling performers and breathtaking cirque artists, accompanied by your favorite holiday music performed live. Get into the spirit of the season with this merry treat that’s perfect for the entire family.

Dates: November 30, 2024 at 8 p.m.
Tickets: $49.40-$97.59
Location: Palace Theatre

Uptown Scrooge Abridged! in Westerville (website)

Take a seat for an interactive performance of “A Christmas Carol” where the audience members go on Scrooge’s journey, with plenty of laughter, drama and surprises along the way. The twist? You are the star of the show and can control the story. Join the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, to share the magic of Dickens’ classic tale like never before. 

Dates: Sundays December 1, 8, 15, 22, 2024 (special performance on Saturday, December 7)
Tickets: $25 for adults; $15 for students and seniors.
Location: Tours start at Java Central, 20 E. College Ave. Westerville

Dr Suesses’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (website)

Join the mean and scheming Grinch and the holiday loving Who’s in this Broadway musical about the true spirit of Christmas.

Dates: December 3-8, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: Starting at $35 
Location: Palace Theatre

Lisa Ferraro: Jazz Up The Holidays (website)

Benefiting non-profit SoulCall Global, Jazz Up the Holidays, will be both LIVE and VIRTUAL CONCERT this year

Dates: December 4, 2024 at 7 p.m.
Tickets: $35
Location: McConnell Arts Center, 77 Evening St Worthington, OH 43085 

Home for the Holidays with CJO (website)

The Columbus Jazz Orchestra’s annual Home for the Holidays concerts are always festive, heart-warming and totally swingin’. A holiday musical treat featuring Broadway star Mammie Parris.

Dates: December 4-8, 2024 
Tickets: $23.99-$67.43
Location: Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main Street, Columbus, OH 43215 

A Hollywood Holiday (website)

Vaud-Villities Productions, is a non-profit performing arts organization providing over 75 years of vocal and dance entertainment in Columbus, Ohio. “America’s Longest-Running Music and Dance Spectacular.” This year enjoy the variety show style fun reliving the magic of cinematic holiday favorites.

Dates: December 5-8, 2024
Tickets: Ages 18-60, $25/ticket, Ages 6-17, $15/ticket, Ages 5 and under, free, Age 60+, $20/ticket, Student ID, $15/ticket

Location: The Historic Valley Dale Ballroom, 1590 Sunbury Rd, Columbus, OH 43219

Capital University Christmas Festival (website)

The 2024 Christmas Festival concerts feature the Chapel Choir, Choral Union, Cantabile, Consort, and a variety of instrumentalists. This festival is a long-standing holiday tradition enjoyed by the university, its friends and the greater Columbus community.

Dates: December 5-8, 2024
Tickets: $22 for students/seniors, $37 for adults
Location: Mees Hall at Capital University

WCOL Winter Wonder Jam with Ashley McBryde (details)

92.3 WCOL, Columbus’s #1 for New Country, brings country music stars together for one incredible night at the 2023 Winter Wonder Jam. 

Dates: Friday, December 6, 2024
Tickets: Starting at $35
Location: Celeste Center

NABC The Nutcracker (website)

Presented by the New Albany Children’s Ballet Theatre. Experience the delightful orchestral sounds, colorful costuming and graceful dancing of over 220 youth and professional dancers with the NACBT’s production of The Nutcracker.

Dates: December 6-15, 2024
Tickets: $45.66-$51.46
Location: Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts, 100 E. Dublin-Granville Road, New Albany, OH 43054

Holiday Pops with CSO (details)

The Columbus Symphony’s holiday tradition is back with spectacular performances of your favorite holiday songs and carols featuring the Columbus Children’s Choir and starring Tony DeSare and your Columbus Symphony.

Dates: December 6-8, 2024
Tickets: $23.63-$109.48
Location: Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215

Holiday Pops with Columbus Symphony Orchestra

The Worthington Chorus Presents: Winter Wonder (website)

From the calm of winter’s first snowfall to the hope the New Year brings, we are proud to present our show, Winter Wonder!

Dates: December 7, 2024 at 1 p.m. & 4 p.m.
Tickets: Adults $15, Children 12 and under $5
Location: McConnell Arts Center, 777 Evening St, Columbus, OH 43085

PBJ & Jazz: Songs of the Season (website)

Get into the holiday spirit with Big Band: Songs of the Season. 
PBJ & Jazz concerts are 45-minute long interactive concerts designed to introduce jazz and American music to young children and their families. Featuring some of Columbus’ finest musicians and ensembles, PBJ & Jazz concerts are a great introduction to live music for the youngest audience member.

Date: December 7, 2024 at 10 a.m. & 11:30 a.m.
Tickets: $6.19 per person ($23.81 per family)
Location: Lincoln Theatre

A Very Merry Holiday Pops with Newark Granville Symphony Orchestra (website)

Ring in the holiday season with the Newark-Granville Symphony Orchestra’s A Very Merry Holiday Pops! This community tradition features the choirs from Newark and Granville High Schools under the direction of Russell Nutt and Kristen Snyder.

Date: December 8, 2024 at 7:00pm
Tickets: $15-$35
Location: Midland Theatre, 36 N Park Pl, Newark, OH 43055

Festival of Advent Lessons and Carols (website)

Saint Mark’s Choir and the Canterbury Choir will lead the the service of Lessons and Carols, which alternates Advent-themed lessons with beautiful and inspiring music, all in preparation for the Christmas season.  

Music will include choral works by Malcom Archer, Gustave Holst, Giovanni Pierlugi da Palestrina, Mark Sirett, Natalie Sleeth, Conrad Susa, and Healy Willin. A reception will follow.  

Date: December 8, 2024 at 4 p.m.
Tickets: FREE, donations will be accepted in support of the Special Music Fund at Saint Mark’s. 
Location: Saint Mark’s, 2151 Dorset Road, Upper Arlington. Parking is available in the Tremont Shopping Center and the Upper Arlington library lot. 

An Acoustic Christmas with Over The Rhine (website)

Dates: Tuesday, December 10, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $43
Location: Southern Theatre

Holiday Favorites Jazz Jam Sessions (website)

The Jazz Academy Jam Sessions are a community-focused events held the second Tuesday of each month. Each session will have a theme inviting Jazz musicians of all ages and experience levels to participate in the jam.

This year’s holiday jam session will be Derek DiCenzo, featuring classic holiday favorites. Come listen to the house band or jump on stage and join in the holiday fun.

Dates: December 10, 2024 @ 6 pm
Tickets: Free!
Location: Jazz Academy, 769 E. Long St, Columbus, OH

BalletMet The Nutcracker (details)

BalletMet The Nutcracker returns to the Ohio Theatre in 2023! This family-friendly performance has become a holiday tradition for all ages. Tickets are limited and will sell out.

Dates: December 12-28, 2024
Tickets: $38.50 to $121.45 (Use online code NUTVP for $10 off at balletmet.org.) Other discounts and My First Nutcracker available. Read more here. 
Location: Ohio Theatre

BalletMet The Nutcracker discounts and special performances

Progressive Christmas Concert & Soup for Shelter (website)

Get in the holiday spirit with a unique Christmas concert. Attend three separate performances at three Uptown Westerville churches located within a block of each other. Costumed guides will lead ticket holders between venues by lanterns. Before the concert from 5-7 p.m., enjoy some warm soup at the annual Soup for Shelter event at the Otterbein Campus Center. After dinner, leave your car parked and walk to your first concert of the night! 

Dates: December 13, 2024. Soup for Shelter 5-7 p.m.; Progressive Concert 7-9:15 p.m.
Tickets: $20 Soup for Shelter; $15 Progressive Concert. All proceeds benefit Habitat for Humanity building projects. 
Location: Starting location will be announced with ticket purchase.

Holiday Spectacular at Faith Memorial Church (website)

Join the Columbus Symphony Orchestra in Lancaster for an evening of holiday songs and carols.

Dates: December 13, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $10-$35
Location: Faith Memorial Church, 2610 W. Fair Ave, Lancaster, OH 43130

Ebony Nutcracker ’24 (website)

“The Ebony Nutcracker” offers a unique take on the holiday classic ballet, “The Nutcracker,” by celebrating diversity and representation. This rendition allows children of color to see themselves reflected in this enchanting holiday tale. It incorporates the vibrant rhythms and dance styles of African-American culture, including modern, hip-hop, tap, jazz, and more.

Dates: December 13-15, 2024
Tickets: $27+ fees
Location: Lincoln Theatre

Light, Bright, and Gay (website)

What better way to celebrate the holiday season than watching the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus in our concert, Light, Bright, and Gay. We will be performing your favorite sacred and secular holiday tunes mixed with camp, like only the gay men’s chorus can do!

Dates: December 14-15, 2024
Tickets: $10-$62
Location: Lincoln Theatre

Dave Koz & Friends 2024 (website)

More than two decades ago, GRAMMY nominee Dave Koz launched his first-ever Christmas tour. Together, Koz and his remarkable guest artists will perform fresh renditions of Christmas classics as well as a Chanukah medley and hits from their respective catalogs.

Dates: December 14, 2024 at 8 p.m.
Tickets: Starting at $54
Location: Palace Theatre

Hilliard Community Chorus Concert: Messiah (website)

Hilliard Community Choir presents a chorale rendition of Handel’s Messiah. This timeless masterpiece, celebrated for its powerful arias and grand choruses, will be brought to life by our dedicated ensemble of local voices.

Dates: December 15, 2024 at 3:30 pm
Tickets: Free admission, donations encouraged
Location: Hilliard Presbyterian Church, 3600 Leap Rd, Hilliard, OH 43026

Merry TubaChristmas (website)

Dates: Monday, December 16, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: Participants welcome to register to play for $10. Free for audience, but they are collecting canned goods for the Mid-Ohio Foodbank.
Location: Mees Hall at Capital University

Mad, Mad Men concert Swingin’ Holiday Show (website)

Playing hits from the great American song book as well as Holiday faves from the early 1960s, these talented and seasoned members of the well-known “Phil Dirt and the Dozers” band are sure to turn out another memorable show!

Dates: December 18-21, 2024
Tickets: $35
Location: McConnell Arts Center, 777 Evening St, Worthington, OH 43085 

Luminare Christmas  (website)

Enjoy this high energy holiday celebration with former Mannheim Steamroller keyboardist Dennis DeYoung. Luminare Christmas is a fun blen of holiday classics, symphonic rock and the magic of the big screen.

Date: December 20, 2024 at 8:00pm
Tickets: $25-$45 (does not include fees)
Location: Midland Theatre, 36 N Park Pl, Newark, OH 43055

Arf on the Housetop & A Bugz Christmas  (website)

This two for the price of one night promises to please with two holiday stories. First, follow along with Buster the pup as he trades the local shelter for his very own family for Christmas. Next join the Bugz as they as they prepare for a Christmas infestation of epic proportions.

This production is performed by our Weathervane Theatre Academy students.

Dates: Dec 20-21, 2024
Tickets: $11
Location: Weathervane Playhouse, 100 Price Rd, Newark, Ohio 43055

Holiday Spectacular New Albany Symphony Orchestra (details)

The New Albany Symphony Orchestra joins forces with the New Albany Symphony Chorus in a festive performance of holiday favorites. Don’t forget to arrive early for the gift basket fundraiser.

Dates: December 21-23, 2024
Tickets: $20-$35
Location: Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts, 100 E. Dublin-Granville Road, New Albany, OH 43054

Santa and the Symphony – sensory friendly (website)

Designed for those on the autism spectrum, our friends in the dementia/Alzheimer’s community, or for those audience members needing a more relaxed concert experience. Performances are never longer than an hour and include pre-concert lobby activities.

Dates: December 21, 2024. Performance at 11:30 am.
Tickets: 500 FREE tickets per concert (limit 4 per family). Additional tickets $10.
Location: McCoy Center for the Arts, 100 E Dublin Granville Rd, New Albany, OH 43054

New Albany Symphony series and sensory-friendly symphony

Trans-Siberian Orchestra (website)

Dates: December 26, 2024 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
This year’s tour marks the grand return of “THE LOST CHRISTMAS EVE” to the stage for the first time since 2013. Expect an all-new, dazzling spectacle packed with pyrotechnics, lasers, and the incredible storytelling synonymous with TSO. The celebration continues with a high-energy second set featuring the group’s greatest hits and fan favorites.
Tickets: starting at $59. Tickets for both shows are on sale at www.ticketmaster.com and the arena Box Office with a portion of the proceeds benefiting The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio and The Salvation Army in Central Ohio.
Location: Nationwide Arena, 200 W Nationwide Blvd, Columbus, OH 43215

Looking for more Christmas fun?

Here’s the day-by-day list of Christmas events in Columbus!

Find upcoming holiday events!