Named “The Nation’s Best-Loved Nutcracker” by Goldstar audiences

The Long Beach Ballet continues its annual holiday tradition, for the 43rd year this December, of presenting The Nutcracker at the Terrace Theater at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center for seven performances from December 13 to 21, 2025.  As always, the beloved production bursts with special guest performances and additional surprise treats the entire family will love. In 2018 and 2019, Goldstar audiences voted the Long Beach Ballet’s The Nutcracker as the “best-loved” production in the nation.

The Long Beach Ballet’s Artistic Director David Wilcox has pulled out all the stops for this 43rd production of the classical tale. This production boasts a full symphony orchestra, a flying sleigh, a real live horse, on-stage pyrotechnics, and a cast of over 200.  Former Disney designers Elliot Hessayon and Scott Schaffer created the enchanting scenery, Australian artist Adrian Clark designed the detailed costumes, and renowned magician Franz Harary created the special effects.

The Long Beach Ballet is one of the only ballet companies in Southern California which performs The Nutcracker with a full symphony orchestra and is one of only two ballet companies in the country that use two harps for their production to ensure the performance sounds exactly as Tchaikovsky intended it to sound.

Wilcox is excited to present a special rendition of the beloved holiday tale. A former ballet virtuoso himself, he now brings his power, strength, grace and artistry to the production, which features both new surprises and classic entertainment. “I like using the beauty of the classical art form of ballet, which has taken 500 years to develop to the level that it is today, to form a production that’s enticing and exciting. It has pyrotechnics, it has magic; it’s got everything I can think of to make it thrilling. This production is not just for people who like ballet. You can hate ballet and you’ll still like this production,” he adds.

The Long Beach Ballet’s Nutcracker has been seen by millions of people worldwide, including live audiences totaling more than 400,000 in Long Beach, 70,000 in Pasadena, hundreds of thousands throughout Asia (as performed by the Chinese Guangzhou Ballet), and millions more on television.

Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster and the Long Beach Convention Center Main Box Office starting September 17th 2025. Family-friendly ticket prices range from $38.00 – $95.00 with a special VIP Package also available. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more.