Holiday Concerts + Performances
Fox Valley Ballet's The Nutcracker
LOCATION: Batavia Fine Arts Centre 1250 W. Wilson Street, Batavia
DATES: November 25: 2pm & 7pm & November 26 at 2pm
DETAILS: Fox Valley Ballet presents The Fox Valley Nutcracker, a Fox Valley holiday tradition that showcases students and families from local dance studios alongside professional dancers, in the beloved holiday classic The Nutcracker. Kick-off your holiday season with The Fox Valley Nutcracker!
FEE: $20.50 - $45.50 per ticket
Batavia
Winter Wonderland Concert
LOCATION: Batavia Fine Arts Centre, 1250 W. Wilson Street, Batavia
DATES: December 5th at 5:30pm & 8:30pm
DETAILS: “Winter Wonderland” is a holiday extravaganza that features all 400+ students involved in the Batavia High School Music Department. This unique concert in the Batavia Fine Arts Center will get your perfectly in the mood for the holidays!
FEE: Tickets go on sale November 1st
Batavia
Rhythm of the Dance Christmas Special
LOCATION: Batavia Fine Arts Centre, 1250 W. Wilson Street, Batavia
DATES: December 8 at 7:30pm
DETAILS: Rhythm of the Dance, which has brought audiences around the world to their feet for 22 years, is returning to the US with a Christmas Special. Join us on this festive journey and let the magic of Christmas begin with all your favorite festive songs being performed live by world class musicians, star vocalists and world champion dancers. Prepare to be taken on a special journey that is Irish in essence with that added touch of Christmas magic!
FEE: $38 - $55
Batavia
Arcada Theatre Holiday Concerts
LOCATION: 105 E. Main Street St. Charles
Dates: November 26 & December 2023
DETAILS: Arcada Theater is hosting a variety of Christmas-themed acts for the 2023 holiday season!
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Sunday, November 26, 5pm: Bret Michaels Parti-Gras Holiday Party - $89 per person
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Thursday, December 7, 7pm: Community Holiday Party - $100 per person
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Sunday, December 10, 12pm: Rock 'N Ravioli: Lunch with the Grinch & Tree Decorating Party - $25 per person
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Thursday, December 21, 7:30pm: Buddy Rich Big Band Machine's "A Groovy Christmas" - $29-$49 per person
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Friday, December 22, 8pm: Heart 2 HeartBreaker Holiday Spectacular & Chicago's very own Piano Man - $29-$49 per person
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Saturday, December 23, 8pm: Christmas Wizards...A Night of Trans-Siberian Orchestra and More Starring Infinity - Starting at $25
FEE: $25 - $59 per ticket
St. Charles
Absurd Person Singular by Alan Ayckbourn
LOCATION: Steel Beam Theatre, 111 W Main St, St. Charles
DATES: Thu Nov 30, 2023 - Sat Dec 23, 2023, shows are at 2pm or 7:30pm
DETAILS: Meet three couples in their three kitchens on the Christmas Eves of three successive years. The “lower class” but very much up and coming Hopcrofts are in their bright new, gadget filled kitchen anxiously giving a little party for their bank manager and his wife and an architect neighbor. Next there are the architect and his wife in their neglected, untidy flat. Then the bank manager and his wife are in their large, slightly modernized, old Victorian style kitchen. Running like a dark thread through the wild comedy of behind the scenes disasters at Christmas parties is the story of the advance of the Hopcrofts to material prosperity and independence and the decline of the others. In the final stages the little man is well and truly on top, with the others, literally and unnervingly, dancing to his tune.
FEE: $22 - $28
St. Charles
SBT Youth presents Sing Along with Santa
LOCATION: Steel Beam Theatre, 111 W Main St, St. Charles
DATES: December 16 & 17, 11am or 2pm
DETAILS: What are the North Pole elves up to this year? Well, they’re all talking about fixing their “soggy bottoms” but this time it doesn’t have anything to do with them sitting in the snow because our fantastic friends will be competing in The Great North Pole Bake Off!
FEE: $13 - $18
St. Charles
The Cake by Bekah Brunstetter
LOCATION: Steel Beam Theatre, 111 W Main St, St. Charles
DATES: Jan 19, 2024 - Feb 11, 2024, 2pm or 7:30pm
DETAILS: When Della (Debra Jo Rupp), a North Carolina Baker and devout Christian, is asked to bake a wedding cake for her best friend’s daughter, she is overjoyed. But that joy is short-lived when she learns that the intended is another bride and realizes she is faced with an agonizing choice between faith and family. Struggling to reconcile her deeply-held belief in “traditional marriage” and the love she has for the woman she helped raise, Della finds herself in strange new territory.
FEE: $22 - $28
St. Charles
The Sound of Music
THE PARAMOUNT THEATRE, 23 East Galena Boulevard Aurora, IL 60506
DATES: Wednesdays - Sundays, November 19, 2022 - January 15, 2023
DETAILS: One of the most beloved musicals of all time and a holiday favorite, The Sound of Music has enchanted audiences for more than 50 years.
COST: $28+
aurora
The Second City’s Holiday Revue: I Saw Mommy Kissing The Second City
Copley Theater, 8 E. Galena Blvd, Aurora, IL
DATES: November 25 - December 23, 2022 | Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 8pm, Sunday at 3pm
DETAILS: Have a holly jolly holiday season with Chicago’s famed improv and sketch comedy theater. The annual end of year tradition continues: Second City is coming to the Copley Theatre, where you will never be more than 70 feet away from the side-splitting, song filled holiday spectacular. Whether you are on the nice list or the naughty list, this show will have you laughing so hard you shoot eggnog out your nose. Skip the long lines and shipping delays, and give the gift of laughter to everyone you meet this holiday season. Suggested for ages 18+ (no kids under 12 permitted)
COST: $38 per ticket
aurora
The Nutcracker at Prisco
Prisco Community Center, 150 W Illinois Ave, Aurora, IL
DATES: December 10, 7pm | December 11, 2pm
DETAILS: Performers will tell the story of the holiday classic, “The Nutcracker”. Bring your loved ones for a holiday performance right here in Aurora.
COST: $14 ($10 in advance)
aurora
Fox Valley Orchestra Sing Along Messiah
Marmion Abbey Church, 850 Butterfield Rd., Aurora, IL
DATES: December 18, 2022 | 2pm
DETAILS: Fox Valley Orchestra and Chorus, Lisa Fredenburgh, Chorus Master Erica Schuller, soprano, Eunice Ayodele, mezzo-soprano, Cornelius Johnson III, tenor, Aaron Wardell, bass Messiah Part 1 and Hallelujiah Chorus Additional Seasonal Songs! Bring your own Messiah score to sing along, or purchase one at the door.
COST: $12 - $14
aurora
Fox Valley Orchestra Holiday
St. Marks Lutheran Church, 27 S Edgelawn Dr, Aurora, IL
DATES: December 4, 2022 | 3pm
DETAILS: The FVO presents a concert of fun and nostalgic Holiday music. From the classic carols, to “Sleigh Ride”, to colorful new arrangements, everyone’s favorite will be present for this special Holiday treat!
COST: $12 - $14
aurora
The nutcracker at hemmens cultural center
Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin, IL
DATES: December 3, 12pm & 5:30pm; December 4, 12pm
DETAILS: Experience this magical community production of The Nutcracker. Students from surrounding suburbs take the stage alongside professional guest performers to bring you this unique version of a classic tale. Director/Choreographer Lauren Blane blends multiple dance genres such as ballet, jazz, contemporary, and tumbling to showcase the versatility, athleticism, and grace of the dancers. It's a must-see performance for the holiday season!
COST: $30 - $40
elgin
Elgin Sing-Along Messiah
Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin, IL
DATES: December 11, 2022 | 2:30pm
DETAILS: The Greater Elgin Sing-Along Handel’s Messiah is a free, interactive community sing-along that raises awareness and funding for Food For Greater Elgin while showcasing the talent of Elgin-area musicians and vocalists, including the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Judson Civic Choir, the Judson University Choir, Midwest Opera Theater, the Larkin High School Concert Choir, and several local church choirs. Greater Elgin Sing-Along Handel’s Messiah debuts on Friday, Dec. 2, 2022, at 7 p.m., at the Blizzard Theater at Elgin Community College. No experience is necessary to participate; chorus scores will be available at the door. Those who are too shy to sing but would like to listen to the performance are also welcome.
COST: FREE!
elgin
The Nutcracker with New Philharmonic
McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd, Glen Ellyn, IL
DATES: December 17, 2pm & 7pm | December 18, 1pm & 5pm
DETAILS: The McAninch Arts Center welcomes back Salt Creek Ballet to perform a holiday tradition: Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. This magical full-scale production features live accompaniment from New Philharmonic – a rare opportunity to see this magnificent ballet set to live music. A sell-out every year, get your tickets early.
COST: $36 - $46 per ticket
Glen. ellyn
A Christmas Carol – A Radio Play at Cantigny
Cantigny Park, 1 S, 151 Winfield Rd, Wheaton, IL
DATES: December 17, 7 – 8 pm | December 18, 11 am – 12 pm
DETAILS: The set for Cantigny’s version of “A Christmas Carol” is a vintage radio station. Audiences will enjoy a behind-the-scenes perspective as they watch a talented five-member cast cycle through multiple characters. To the side, an old-time radio sound artist will create realistic auditory effects to support the action on stage. The show is inspired by Chicago’s Theatre of the Air, a real radio program introduced by Colonel Robert McCormick on WGN in 1940. While the setting is a bit different, the main character’s journey is familiar. Ebeneezer Scrooge is a Chicago citizen in the 1940s and publisher of the Chicago Daily News. Guided by three memorable spirits, he will need to learn the true meaning of Christmas and “goodwill to all” if he is to save himself from an unforgiving future.
COST: Adults & Children: $2 Ages 5 and up
wheaton