Take in one of the many magical Christmas theater shows or Christmas concerts in Columbus to get in the holiday spirit. Whether its a date, or a family outing, you’ll make memories that will last through the years. Start a new annual tradition with one of the regular events, or enjoy a new performance each year!

Columbus is host to many great Christmas theater performances and concerts this season, so there are plenty to choose from at all price points! If you know of other great performances, please email info@columbusonthecheap.com to be included!

2019 Christmas Theater and Christmas Concerts in Columbus

Shadowbox Live: Cratchit Holiday Hoopla and Holiday Lunchbox (details)

Dates:

Cratchit: November 17-December 22. Family-friendly performance following Cratchit on Christmas Eve. Tickets start at $10 and we have a discount code for you! Geared towards ages 6 and up.

Holiday Hoopla: November 21- December 28: (Slightly) raunchy Christmas Fun and Rock and Roll. Tickets are $25 and up. Great for dates and groups of friends for a night out!!

Holiday Lunchbox: December 3 – December 20 at 1 p.m. on select weekdays. A 45 minute holiday show featuring music and sketch comedy from the Shadowbox holiday archives featuring holiday fun and antics with The Snow Bunnies! Tickets start at $5.

Tickets: prices vary per show; see above

Location: 503 S. Front St. • Suite#260 • Columbus, OH • 43215

Handel: Messiah (website)

Columbus Symphony Music Director Rossen Milanov, the Columbus Symphony and Chorus, and a quartet of exquisite soloists come together to perform Handel’s deeply spiritual oratorio, Messiah, for an unforgettable concert experience at the intimate Southern Theatre.

Dates: November 22-24, 2019

Tickets: starting at $10

Location: Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main Street, Columbus,OH 43215

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (website)

This celebrated Charles Jones adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol from Nebraska Theatre Caravan is rich with thrilling ensemble music, alive with color and movement and is created to tell this great and enduring tale in a manner that people of all ages will enjoy.

Dates: November 29 @ 7:30pm, November 30 @ 2:00pm and 7:30pm, and December 1 @ 2:00pm and 7:30pm,

Tickets: starting at $25

Location: Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215

The Nutcracker with Central Ohio Youth Ballet (website)

Presented by The Central Ohio Youth Ballet. Enter into the Land of Sweets and come see Central Ohio Youth Ballet’s The Nutcracker, Thanksgiving weekend. The magic is ever expanding: now with new costumes, backdrops, and choreography! Come dream with us!

Dates: November 29 – December 1

Tickets: $14-$24

Location: The Midland Theatre – 36 North Park Place – Newark, OH 43055

Disney Junior Holiday Party (website)

Disney Junior Holiday Party! is a dazzling musical wonderland where children and their families can sing and dance along to their favorite Disney Junior songs plus holiday classics with their favorite Disney friends, including Mickey & Minnie Mouse, the Puppy Dog Pals, Vampirina and many more, plus a special visit from Santa Claus!

Dates: December 1, 2019

Tickets: starting at $30

Location: Palace Theatre, 34 W Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215

Cirque Musica presents Holiday Wishes (website)

Cirque Musica invites you and your family to Wish this Holiday season! Cirque Musica presents Holiday Wishes brings a holiday story to life in a full theatrical cirque event for the entire family. Featuring the world-renowned cast of Cirque Musica with your favorite holiday hits all performed LIVE by a full symphony orchestra.

Dates: December 4, 2019

Tickets: starting at $38

Location: Palace Theatre, 34 W Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215

Worthington Civic Band Holiday Concert (website)

The program will include a variety of holiday standard and classic pieces: “Sleigh Ride,” “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Charlie Brown Christmas,” and many more.

Date: December 4 from 7-8 pm

Tickets: $10 for adults, kids 12 and under free.

Location: McConnell Arts Center, 777 Evening Street, Worthington, OH 43085

An Acoustic Christmas with Over the Rhine (website)

Performing three-part harmonies and making an intimate and holy ruckus of Christmas music and tunes from their many records along the way

Dates: December 4 at 8 pm

Tickets: starting at $36

Location: Lincoln Theatre, 769 E Long St, Columbus, OH 43203

Home for the Holidays with CJO (website)

The Columbus Jazz Orchestra’s annual Home for the Holidays concerts are always festive, heart-warming and totally swingin’. This year’s installment is no exception with Australian-born vocalist/bassist Nicki Parrott, and Columbus’ own Z.F. Taylor.

Dates: December 4-8, 2019

Tickets: starting at $15

Location: Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main Street, Columbus,OH 43215

Capital University Christmas Festival: Be Transformed (website)

Capital University Conservatory of Music will present its annual Christmas Festival, featuring the Chapel Choir, Choral Union, Women’s Chorus, The Chordsmen, Philomel and a variety of instrumentalists.

Dates: December 5-8

Tickets: starting at $20

Location: Mees Hall, Capital University, E Mound St, Bexley, OH 43209

A Winnie-the-Pooh Christmas Tail (website)

A very special Friend-and-Relation tells Christopher Robin the story of a Christmas Eve very long ago (about last year) when Eeyore, the old gray donkey who lives by himself in the thistle corner of Hundred-Acre Wood, was absolutely miserable. It seems that he had lost his tail, and Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet organize a search! Fun, excitement, and delightful songs illustrate themes of caring, sharing, and the importance of cultivating friends.

Dates: December 6-22, 2019

Tickets: $12-$15

Location: Van Fleet Theatre, CPAC, 549 Franklin Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215

Sensory Friendly: CATCO is Kids will present a sensory friendly performance of Winnie The Pooh: A Christmas Tail on Saturday, December 14, at 4 pm. The experience will be modified to be more comfortable and accessible to audience members with social and sensory disabilities, which can include, but are not limited to, autism. The performance is presented in partnership with the Autism Society of Central Ohio and is sponsored by PNC.

Holiday Pops with CSO (website)

A great annual Columbus tradition continues as Ronald J. Jenkins leads the Columbus Symphony and Chorus in some of the season’s most-loved holiday songs and carols. Santa will also stop by to help spread the holiday cheer!

Dates: December 6 – December 8

Tickets: starting at $20

Location: Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215

The Celtic Nutcracker (website)

Dates: December 7, 2019 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Tickets: starting at $15

Location: Lincoln Theatre, 769 E Long St, Columbus, OH 43203

Worthington Chorus Presents: Christmas Around the World (website)

Join the Chorus as we celebrate the holidays with songs from all around the world. We will be making stops in Austria, France, Wales, Spain, Africa and Hawaii to name a few.

Dates: December 7, 2019

Tickets: $10 for adults, free for 12 and under

Location: Bronwynn Theatre, McConnell Arts Center, 777 Evening St, Columbus, OH 43085

The Nutcracker (website)

Presented by the New Albany Children’s Ballet Theatre. Experience the delightful orchestral sounds, colorful costuming and graceful dancing of over 220 youth and professional dancers with the NACBT’s production of The Nutcracker.

Dates: December 7, 8, 13, 14, 15

Tickets: starting at $18

Location: Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts, 100 E. Dublin-Granville Road, New Albany, OH 43054

Very Merry Holiday Pops! (website)

Treat your entire family to an evening of your favorite Holiday Classics. Join the NGSO along with choirs from Newark and Granville High School for this annual NGSO tradition.

Dates: December 8 | 7:00pm

Tickets: $25-$30

Location: The Midland Theatre – 36 North Park Place – Newark, OH 43055

Dave Koz & Friends Christmas Tour (website)

Dates: December 11, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: starting at $15

Location: Palace Theatre, 34 W Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215

Messiah Side-by-Side Singalong (website)

Join the orchestra, community members, and the Ohio State University’s Director of Choral Studies Robert Ward for a beloved holiday tradition! Raise your voice in song with friends, families, and church choirs, and sing selections from Handel’s Messiah.

Dates: December 13, 2019 at 7:30 PM

Tickets: starting at $23

Location: Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main Street, Columbus, OH 43215

Sara Evans Blue Christmas Tour (website)

As the fifth most-played female artist at country-radio in nearly the last two decades, multi-platinum entertainer Sara Evans has numerous chart-topping hits to draw from during her engaging live shows. But this December, she’ll take to the stage to share her holiday favorites during her “Sara Evans – Blue Christmas Tour”. The 10-city festive Christmas shows, created to get fans of all ages into the spirit of the season, will highlight 90 minutes of never-before-heard songs and arrangements throughout the tour, now in its tenth year. Special guests, rising country trio Temecula Road, will open the holiday tour.

Date: December 13

Tickets: $40-$65

Location: The Midland Theatre – 36 North Park Place – Newark, OH 43055

Rudolph the Red-Nosed: The Musical (website)

Dates: December 13-14, 2019

Tickets: starting at $15

Location: Palace Theatre, 34 W Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215

A Christmas Carol (website)

The Hilliard Arts Council is once again proud to present the holiday classic A Christmas Carol

Dates: December 13-14

Tickets: Please bring one of the following per person attending: A minimum cash donation of $5 (feel free to donate more if the spirit moves you) A new, unwrapped toy or five canned food items

Location: Hilliard Civic and Cultural Arts Center, 5425 Center St, Hilliard, OH 43026

Worthington Community Theatre presents – Bah Humbug! (website)

Dates: December 13-15

Tickets: Adults $12, Students and Seniors $10$10 for adults, free for 12 and under

Location: Bronwynn Theatre, McConnell Arts Center, 777 Evening St, Columbus, OH 43085

BalletMet The Nutcracker (website)

Witness magic in the making at The Nutcracker, a beloved holiday tradition that has stood the test of time.

Dates: December 13-28, 2019

Tickets: starting at $29

Location: Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215

ProMusica’s Sounds of the Season (website)

Dates: December 14-15

Tickets: starting at $16

Location: Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main Street, Columbus, OH 43215

Hilliard Arts Council’s Handel’s Messiah (website)

The Hilliard Arts Council is producing its annual performance of Handel’s Messiah.

Dates: December 15 at 3 pm

Tickets: Free, but a goodwill offering will be collected

Location: St. John Lutheran Church, 6135 Rings Rd., Dublin, OH 43016

A Magical Cirque Christmas (website)

Experience the magic of Christmas with dazzling performers and breathtaking cirque artists from all corners of the world, accompanied by your favorite holiday music performed live

Dates: December 15

Tickets: starting at $38

Location: Palace Theatre, 34 W Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215

Merry TubaChristmas (website)

Dates: Monday, December 16 at 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm

Tickets: Participants welcome to register to play for $10. Free for audience, but they are collecting canned goods for the Mid-Ohio Foodbank.

Location: Mees Hall at Capital University

Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Musical (website)

Dates: December 17

Tickets: starting at $29

Location: Palace Theatre, 34 W Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215

Mad Mad Men, Swingin’ Holiday Show 2019 (website)

Come enjoy the season and let the music take you back to a simpler time in America… of sharkskin suits, Polaroid cameras and the whiskey sour… a time when every AM car radio played the tunes that would become the “Baby-Boomer” hits of today by Sinatra, Dean Martin, Nat Cole and more.

Dates: December 19-22

Tickets: $28 advance, $30 door, $10 students

Location: Bronwynn Theatre, McConnell Arts Center, 777 Evening St, Columbus, OH 43085

A Christmas Story, The Musical (website)

A Christmas Story, The Musical, brings the classic 1983 movie to hilarious life on stage! The musical chronicles young and bespectacled Ralphie Parker as he schemes his way toward the holiday gift of his dreams, an official Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-Shot Range Model Air Rifle. An infamous leg lamp, outrageous pink bunny pajamas, a maniacal department store Santa, and a triple-dog-dare to lick a freezing flagpole are just a few of the distractions that stand between Ralphie and his Christmas wish.

Dates: December 19-29 (no shows December 23-25)

Tickets: $37 Adults, $35 Seniors (60 and over), $26 Students with ID, $15 Children (12 and younger)

*Special Ticket Deal Performance on December 22, 2019 at 2PM. (General Admission seating). Tickets are only $19!

Location: Weathervane Playhouse, 100 Price Rd, Newark, Ohio 43055

An Irish Christmas Carol (website)

Columbus Recreation and Parks Department and Grandview Carriage Place Players present “An Irish Christmas Carol”, the classic holiday tale with an Irish twist.

Dates: December 20-22

Tickets: tickets are $5 at the door

Location: Columbus Recreation and Parks Department1111 E Broad St, Columbus, Ohio 43205

Santa and the Symphony – sensory friendly (website)

These concerts are designed for those on the autism spectrum, our friends in the dementia/Alzheimer’s community, or for those audience members needing a more relaxed concert experience. Performances are never longer than an hour and include pre-concert lobby activities.

Dates: December 21

Tickets: starting at $8

Location: Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts, 100 E. Dublin-Granville Road, New Albany, OH 43054

An Evening with Chevy Chase (website)

Dates: December 21

Tickets: starting at $53

Location: Palace Theatre, 34 W Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215

Hip Hop Nutcracker with Special Guest MC Kurtis Blow (website)

A holiday mash-up for the entire family, The Hip Hop Nutcracker is a contemporary re-imagining of Tchaikovsky’s timeless music performed by a supercharged cast of a dozen all-star dancers, an on-stage DJ, and an electric violinist.

Dates: December 22

Tickets: starting at $30

Location: Palace Theatre, 34 W Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215

Holiday Spectacular New Albany Symphony Orchestra (website)

Celebrate the holidays at home in New Albany, featuring local guest artists from Opera Columbus and the heartwarming songs and traditions that make this the “Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” Don’t forget to arrive early for our fabulous Holiday Gift Basket Fundraiser.

Dates: Sunday, December 22

Tickets: tickets start at $17

Location: Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts, 100 E. Dublin-Granville Road, New Albany, OH 43054

Trans-Siberian Orchestra (website)

Dates: December 26 at 3 pm and 8 pm

Tickets: starting at $49

Location: Nationwide Arena, 200 W Nationwide Blvd, Columbus, OH 43215

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Looking for more Christmas fun? Here’s the day-by-day list of Christmas events in Columbus!

Sunday, September 27, 2020

Thursday, October 1, 2020

Sunday, October 4, 2020

Thursday, October 8, 2020

Sunday, October 11, 2020