Toronto’s performing arts scene shines brightest during the holidays, when stages across the city come alive with classic ballets, joyful choirs, and modern twists on festive traditions.
Whether you love the elegance of The Nutcracker, the power of a live symphony, or the laughter of a holiday parody musical, there’s a show to match every kind of holiday spirit.
From dazzling theatre and orchestral concerts to family-friendly musicals, here are the best holiday shows in Toronto to make your season merry and bright.
Classic holiday performances
Famous PEOPLE Players’ Joy to the World
The world-renowned blacklight theatre company—celebrated for showcasing the talents of performers with disabilities—returns with a glowing new winter production. Over its five-decade history, Famous PEOPLE Players has performed on Broadway, at Radio City Music Hall and with Liberace in Las Vegas.
This year’s show, Joy To The World (select dates through January 24, 2026), is a luminous tale about the magic of the holidays. Bring the kids to a lunch or dinner performance for a unique, glow-in-the-dark festive feast.
Soulpepper’s Bad Hats’ Narnia
Step through the wardrobe and into C.S. Lewis’s world of Narnia in a reimagined holiday retelling by Fiona Sauder’s acclaimed Bad Hats Theatre. Musical lovers, young and young-at-heart, will be swept up by Soulpepper Theatre ’s energetic staging (select dates through December 28, 2025).
Bad Hats’ Narnia is a heartwarming story of friendship, change, and courage—perfect for families or anyone looking for a dose of wonder this winter.
Mirvish Production’s The Sound of Music
If The Sound of Music (November 25–January 4, 2026) is one of your favourite things, you’ll want to beeline to the Princess of Wales Theatre for a holiday performance of the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic.
Directed by multiple Tony Award® winner, Jack O’Brien, the romantic tale of Maria and the von Trapp family features an irresistible score including beloved songs like “Do-Re-Mi,” “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” and “Edelweiss.”
National Ballet of Canada’s The Nutcracker
One of Toronto’s most beloved annual arts events, the National Ballet of Canada’s performance of The Nutcracker (December 5–31, 2025) is a must-see.
James Kudelka’s breathtaking choreography is paired with Tchaikovsky’s epic musical score in the 19th-century tale of siblings Marie and Mishka’s adventures in the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Magnificent sets and costumes do justice to the beauty of the ballet and music, so sit back and lose yourself in the magic.
Pro tip: Book early—this Toronto holiday show consistently sells out weeks in advance.
Holiday concerts & choral magic
Tafelmusik’s Double Dixit: Lottie & Handel
Kick off the holidays at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre by going for Baroque with the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir. Their performance of Handel’s Dixit Dominus, plus work by the influential but lesser-known Italian composer Antonio Lotti, will leave you with goose bumps.
While Double Dixit: Lottie & Handel (November 28, 29 & 30, 2025) isn’t holiday-specific, there’s nothing like a good choral performance to ring in the Yuletide season!
Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Home Alone in Concert
A handful of tickets still remain for TSO’s crowd-rousing Home Alone in Concert (December 4–7, 2025). An annual all-ages fave in Toronto, this is the classic holiday tale of an 8-year-old boy who gets left on his own over Christmas—and must protect the family home from a duo of thieves.
This hilarious comedy—starring the young Macaulay Culkin—gets its due as the TSO performs John Williams’s score in tandem to the film screening at Roy Thomson Hall.
Tafelmusik’s Handel Messiah
Tafelmusik’s performance of Handel’s Messiah (December 18 & 19, 2025) is another cherished holiday arts tradition in Toronto. (It’s also one that sells out every year, so do book your tickets ahead of time.)
Uplifting, joyous and filled with humanity, the choral masterpiece showcases the talents of the Baroque orchestra and chamber choir, with guest vocalists Stephanie True (soprano), Krisztina Szabó (mezzo-soprano), Nicholas Scott (tenor) and Jonathan Woody (bass-baritone).
The classic performance takes place at Koerner Hall, known for its impeccable acoustics. But if singing along is your idea of holiday bliss, book tickets for Sing-Along Messiah (December 21, 2025), which takes place at Massey Hall.
Festive musicals & all-ages favourites
Looking for something a little more tongue-in-cheek? This Toronto parody musical puts a hilarious twist on holiday traditions.
Meridian Hall’s A Charlie Brown Christmas: Live at the Symphony
Adapted from Charles M. Schulz’s timeless cartoon classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas: Live at the Symphony (December 6 & 7, 2025), is a stage performance that the whole family will enjoy.
This innovative take on the multi-generational holiday favourite pairs live actors with animated backdrops, as Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, and the rest of the Peanuts gang celebrate the season with singing, dancing, and other hijinks.
The Royal Theatre’s The Unauthorized Hallmark(ish) Parody Musical
If you love (or hate-to-love) Hallmark’s holiday schtick each year, chances are you’ll howl at The Unauthorized Hallmark(ish) Parody Musical (now through January 4, 2026). With its meet-cute storyline, “live musical mayhem,” and over-the-top humour and good cheer, it’s bound to be a holiday highlight.
Pro tip: Royal Theatre is smack-dab in Little Italy (known for its restaurants and nightlife), perfect for staging a holiday hangout with your pals or SO!
Canadian Stage’s The Wizard of Oz: The Toto-ly Awesome Family Musical
The newest iteration of a Toronto family tradition—Ross Petty’s annual holiday Christmas pantomime show—this irreverent take on The Wizard of Oz (December 6, 2025–January 5, 2025) brims with music, dance and comedy.
Join Dorothy and her pals as they navigate the whimsical world of Oz in this world premiere. Canadian Stage debuts its larger-than-life panto show at the historic Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre Centre, a National Historic Site known for its whimsical beauty.
Plan your night out
Before or after the show, make a night of it—Toronto’s theatres and cultural venues are steps from some of the city’s best restaurants and holiday attractions. Enjoy a pre-show meal in the Entertainment District, stroll the cobblestone lanes of the Distillery Winter Village, or end the evening under the twinkling lights of Nathan Phillips Square. Plan ahead and explore these restaurants that turn dinner into art for your night out.
This story has been updated with new details since it was first published in October 2024.
