Nutcracker and holiday shows for kids on the Eastside, 2026

Five Nutcrackers and three family holiday plays are dated for December 2026 on the Eastside, from a one-hour morning ballet for little kids to a puppet Scrooge.

For a first Nutcracker with a preschooler, the 11 a.m. one-hour show from Issaquah Dance Theatre is the shortest and easiest. For the full ballet, International Ballet Theatre in Bellevue runs the longest, from December 11 to 23. The Christmas hub keeps every dated show, and Book ahead has the ones that sell out.

Issaquah

Issaquah Dance Theatre’s Nutcracker is Saturday, December 5, and Sunday, December 6, 2026, at Longman Performing Arts Center, Issaquah High School, 700 2nd Avenue SE. Each day has a one-hour show at 11 a.m. for a young audience, then full shows of about two hours at 1:30 and 5:30 p.m. The ticket price is the same for the short and the full show. Children under 2 on a lap do not need a ticket. Sales are final, and an exchange costs $15.

Mercer Island

Youth Theatre Northwest plays The Nutcracker and the Mouse King on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. from December 5 to 13, 2026. The cast is in grades 1 through 8. In this telling, a grown-up Clara tells her daughter how she met the Nutcracker. The same theater runs It’s a Wonderful Life as a radio play December 4 to 6, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m., with a cast in grades 5 through 12. That one suits older kids.

Renton

Scrooge! runs December 4 to 20, 2026, at Renton Civic Theatre, 507 S Third Street. It is a musical A Christmas Carol told with hand-made puppets, and the theater pitches it for all ages. Monday, December 14 is a pay-what-you-can night.

Bellevue

International Ballet Theatre dances The Nutcracker at Meydenbauer Theatre, 11100 NE 6th Street, from December 11 to 23, 2026. Reserved seats include fees: $45 for youth through 14, $55 for military and seniors 60 and older, and $70 for everyone else. Every person needs a ticket, and babies in arms are not admitted. The show runs 1 hour 50 minutes plus a 15-minute intermission. Fridays, December 11 and 18, are at 6 p.m. Saturdays, December 12 and 19, and Sunday, December 20, are at 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday, December 13, is at 1 p.m. only. Monday through Wednesday, December 21 to 23, are at 1 p.m.

Kirkland

Studio East’s youth cast, grades 3 through 12, sings A Christmas Story from December 11 to 20, 2026, at 10718 NE 68th Street. Studio East says the run may be extended.

Grand Kyiv Ballet brings The Nutcracker: Symphony of Lights to Kirkland Performance Center, 350 Kirkland Avenue, on December 17, 18, and 19, 2026, all at 7 p.m. The costumes light up. Youth tickets are $64 and adult tickets are $74. The late start suits school-age kids more than toddlers.