What are your favorite holiday traditions? Salt Lake County Arts and Culture offer a flurry of holiday events to attend while staying cozy and dry inside one of Salt Lake County’s beautiful venues. Some families dress up for a night and attend Ballet West’s Nutcracker every year while others are looking for something new to shake things up this December. Kick-off the holidays with the gift of live entertainment!
Broadway at the Eccles presents
A Christmas Story, The Musical
December 3-8
Eccles Theater
- The classic Christmas movie comes to life on stage with music written by the Tony and Academy Award-winning duo Pasek and Paul who were the musical geniuses behind Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land, The Greatest Showman, and more. We triple-dog-dare you to come enjoy!
Utah Symphony presents
A Broadway Christmas with Ashley Brown at the Noorda in Orem
December 4
The Noorda
- Broadway star Ashley Brown, of Mary Poppins fame, and choristers from The Madeleine Choir School brighten Abravanel Hall’s stage this holiday season. Enjoy an evening of holiday cheer with all your favorite Yuletide carols like you’ve never heard them before. Indulge in Ashley Brown’s masterful performance as she takes you to warm firesides and snowy delights.
Utah Repertory Theater Company presents
American Psycho the Musical
December 5-15
Regent Street Black Box
- Based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis, American Psycho is an intriguing and disturbing take on yuppie disillusionment and greed set to a 1980s rock score. Mature audiences only.
The Penguin Lady presents
Sphere: Phase One
December 5-7
Leona Wagner Black Box
- The Penguin Lady presents SPHERE: PHASE ONE as a coming together of three very distinct, bold, and innovative voices within our local dance community. With the help of LajaMartin, and JoBdance, The Penguin Lady hopes to immerse you in a captivating evening of raw physicality, nuanced emotion, and rich symbolism.
Utah Symphony presents
A Broadway Christmas with Ashley Brown
December 6-7
Abravanel Hall
- Broadway star Ashley Brown, of Mary Poppins fame, and choristers from The Madeleine Choir School brighten Abravanel Hall’s stage this holiday season. Enjoy an evening of holiday cheer with all your favorite Yuletide carols like you’ve never heard them before. Indulge in Ashley Brown’s masterful performance as she takes you to warm firesides and snowy delights.
Ballet West presents
The Nutcracker
December 6-26
Capitol Theatre
- No holiday season is complete without the festive cheer of The Nutcracker, and this year’s characters will pirouette, leap, and soar like you’ve never imagined. Join Ballet West for Willam Christensen’s historic and renowned choreography and Tchaikovsky’s famous score. Bring your friends and family to the 75th anniversary of this production and rediscover why this is the longest-running full-length production in America.
Utah Symphony presents
Here Comes Santa Claus!
December 7
Abravanel Hall
- Nothing sets the holiday scene like hearing your wintry favorites performed live by the Utah Symphony. Kids from one to ninety-two will enjoy the musical gifts on stage, with a joyful sing-along closing out the concert. There may even be a special appearance by the jolly man himself. This family-friendly performance is open to audience members of all ages.
Salt Lake Dance Center presents
The Night Before Christmas
December 7
Jeanné Wagner Theatre
- On Christmas Eve a young girl named Alexandria is given a wonderful Christmas Party by her parents. The party is complete with entertainment and gifts for all the children. After the party Alexandria falls asleep and finds herself immersed in a splendid dream with appearances by the Christmas Fairy, Santa, Snow Queen, Clara and her Nutcracker Prince and more. As she begins to awaken she hears a stirring in the Parlor. Santa and his elves have arrived but so has the Horrible Hateful Harry and his Grinches. They attempt to kidnap Santa. See what happens… Can the children save Santa?
Ryan Shupe Christmas
December 9
Jeanné Wagner Theatre
- Spend a wonderful Holiday evening with Ryan Shupe & the RubberBand. This highly spirited show is great for all ages, young and old, and a perfect Christmas tradition for families. With the same dynamic and joyful energy that brightens their popular shows during the year, Ryan Shupe & the RubberBand tailor their rocking, acoustic sound to their most favorite time of the year – Christmas!
Millennial Choirs and Orchestras presents
Mele Kalikimaka: A Worldwide Celebration of Christmas
December 9
Abravanel Hall
- Millennial® Choirs & Orchestras proudly presents Mele Kalikimaka: A Worldwide Celebration of Christmas. Featuring a stunning musical force of hundreds of musicians, including the remarkable Youth Choirs, the elegant Grand Chorus, and the superb Symphony Orchestra, this concert will inspire your soul.
Repertory Dance Theatre presents
Wofa Wontanara: Let the Rhythm Move You
December 9-10
Leona Wagner Black Box
- RDT’s Link Series presents WOFA WONTANARA: Let the Rhythm Move you. A celebration of dance, drum, and song of West and Central Africa from WOFA Dance Company. Featuring artists Soriba Fofan, Abou Sylla, and Fred Simpson. This family event is for audiences of all ages.
Utah Symphony presents
Celtic Woman: The Best of Christmas with the Utah Symphony
December 10
Abravanel Hall
- Experience the magical sound of Celtic Woman this holiday season. Celtic Woman is the most successful all-female group in Irish history, with a legacy of 12 consecutive Billboard number ones, 10 million album sales and an incredible 1 billion online streams to date. This is a rare opportunity to hear Celtic Woman’s angelic harmonies with the thrilling live sound of a full symphony orchestra in an intimate concert setting.
Live at the Eccles presents
Kurt Bestor Christmas
December 12-14
Eccles Theater
- Emmy-award-winning and Grammy-nominated composer and performer, Kurt Bestor, will celebrate his 32nd year of performing his annual holiday concerts. He invites his audience to discover, relive, and share the magic of A Kurt Bestor Christmas.
Repertory Dance Theater’s Link Series presents
Speak
December 12-13
Leona Wagner Black Box
- Repertory Dance Theatre’s Link Series presents SPEAK by Dan Higgins. This evening of dance-theater will utilize and emphasize various forms of communication to inform the theatrical environment. Gesturing to the many tenuous factors that begin to build a story, Higgins explores how a single choice, and ultimately our decisions, conduct the derailed trains that form our thoughts. Dan Higgins and his dancers wade into this subject with purpose to cultivate an expressive environment with hopes that the ripples experienced in this space will engender further conversations.
One Love Yoga presents
Glow Yoga to Radiohead
December 13-14
Studio Theatre at the Rose
- Join One Love Yoga for a yoga experience inside a glow world of black lights and body paint, featuring the epic music of Radiohead. Bring your yoga mat, light-colored clothing and friends!
Utah Symphony presents
A Celebration of Christmas
December 13-14
Abravanel Hall
- Share the holiday spirit with your Utah Symphony as they perform some of the season’s most beloved classics. Along with Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, you will be treated to several touching and ingenious arrangements of Christmas carols by Barber in his Die Natali. The very best of our own local singing talent from Utah Chamber Artists, University of Utah Chamber Choir and the University of Utah A Cappella Choir will take center stage in the second half to continue the celebration with carols arranged for orchestra and choir by Barlow Bradford.
Repertory Dance Theatre presents
Ring Around the Rose: Dance Across the Valley
December 14
Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center
Octappella presents
Octappella Christmas
December 14
Jeanné Wagner Theatre
- No instruments. Big sound. That’s what the SLC-based Octa-Guys bring to their contemporary a cappella harmonies, amazing vocal percussion, cutting-edge arrangements, gut-busting hilarity and familiar tunes kicked up an Octa-notch! With spirited and toe-tappin’ song selections spanning genres and decades, marinated with unique Octa-flavor, Octappella has won awards across the state and nation. A phenomenal group to hear live, it’s a heck of a lot of Octa-fun for everyone!
Live at the Eccles presents
Mannheim Steamroller Christmas
December 17-18
Eccles Theater
- Grammy Award winner Chip Davis has created a show that features Mannheim Steamroller Christmas classics along with a selection of compositions from Chip’s groundbreaking Fresh Aire series which introduced the distinctive Mannheim sound to all of America. The program celebrates the group’s recent anniversary of 30 years since the first Christmas album and 40 years since the first Fresh Aire album and includes dazzling multimedia effects performed in an intimate setting. Experience the magic as the spirit of the season comes alive with the signature sound of Mannheim Steamroller.
Utah Symphony presents
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in Concert
December 19-21
Abravanel Hall
- Get ready to join Dumbledore’s Army™! When Professor Umbridge takes over Hogwarts™ School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, what else can Harry do to resist her terrible rule? Find out in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix™ in Concert, accompanied by the Utah Symphony.
Live at the Eccles presents
PJ Masks Live!
December 19
Eccles Theater
- PJ MASKS LIVE: is back with an all new super-heroic, live musical show, featuring the heroic trio from your favorite series: The PJ MASKS! Watch Catboy, Owlette and Gekko along with their new friend PJ Robot, as they try to save the day from the sneaky villains – Romeo, Night Ninja and Luna Girl! Fluttering Feathers! Leaping Lizards! What a CAT-tastrophe! Leaping, flipping and climbing – live on stage! Complete with your favorite music and brand-new songs you’ve never heard before! Experience the PJ Masks saving the day, live on stage!
Live at the Eccles presents
The Bell Ringer
December 19
Jeanné Wagner Theatre
- The new holiday rock opera The Bell Ringer is coming to the Rose Wagner Theater. The Bell Ringer is the debut album from Seattle-area progressive rock band Symphony North, and it relates a story that builds on the ideas of selflessness and self-worth, employing the talents of musicians hailing originally from as far as Sweden, Spain, Russia, and Turkey. The story of The Bell Ringer takes place on the night of Christmas Eve, when one destitute man learns, by helping others in simple but important ways, a deeper sense of his own self-worth. This show is raising money for the Toys for Tots Literacy Program.
Peter Breinholt Christmas Concert
December 20-21
Jeanné Wagner Theatre
- Peter Breinholt is one of the region’s most beloved songwriters and performers and was recently awarded the Governor’s Mansion Lifetime Achievement Award in the Performing Arts. His Christmas concerts have sold out every year since they began and are a combination of Breinholt’s original music and traditional Christmas songs.
The Sting & Honey Company presents
This Bird of Dawning
December 20-21
Regent Street Black Box
- The Christmas Story told through Music, Poetry, and Mask. Now in its eleventh year, This Bird of Dawning has become a Salt Lake City Favorite. A stunningly beautiful telling of the Nativity Story.
Live at the Eccles presents
A Charlie Brown Christmas Live on Stage
December 21
Eccles Theater
- Join Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, and the whole Peanuts gang as they produce their own Christmas play and ultimately learn the true meaning of the season. A Charlie Brown Christmas Live on Stage is a present the whole family can enjoy! Adapted from Charles M. Schulz’s timeless story of the spirit of Christmas, the show features the unforgettable music of Vince Guaraldi, as well as a concert of beloved holiday carols performed by the Peanuts characters. There’s no better way to discover the magic of the season!
James Conlee presents
Star of Wonder: A New Christmas Musical
December 23
Leona Wagner Black Box
- Each year the Lewis family had put on a show at the Oxford Christmas Festival, but with the outbreak of World War I, the festival had been cancelled. Now in 1919, the war is over, the town is ready to celebrate, and the Lewis family is ready again to sing. They begin to weave the story of the 3 Kings and the Star of Wonder through many of your favorite carols. Because of the Wisemen: King Wenceslas decides to give, a young Shepherd discovers light, Jeanette Isabella learns service, and the Innkeeper begins to believe. And in the end, Jack Lewis, finally home from the front lines, finds the courage to tell his own story of how the spirit of Christmas was able to stop a war and bring peace on earth.
