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Christmas shows in Utah County this year include the Nutcracker at Provo's Covey Center, A Christmas Carol at The Ruth and A Christmas Story at SCERA in Orem. The dates below come from each venue's own page, so book through the venue.
Utah Metropolitan Ballet performs The Nutcracker at the Covey Center for the Arts on Center Street in Provo, December 11 to 21, 2026. The company's page describes a live orchestra playing Tchaikovsky's score and sets that run from Clara's living room to the Kingdom of Sweets.
The Ruth stages A Christmas Carol in its Lindsay Legacy Theater from November 30 to December 26, 2026. The Ruth calls it the 37th annual production. The show page lists ghostly imagery, themes of death, haze and flashing lights as content notes.
Disney's Frozen plays in the Scott & Karen Smith Grand Theater at The Ruth from November 23, 2026 to January 9, 2027. The run crosses Christmas and New Year's, so it keeps playing after the other shows on this page have closed.
SCERA Center for the Arts, at 745 S. State Street in Orem, stages A Christmas Story: The Musical from December 4 to 19, 2026. It is the stage version of the movie about a boy who wants a BB gun for Christmas.
Crescent Super Band plays jazz and big band holiday arrangements at SCERA Center for the Arts on December 21 and 22, 2026. SCERA's page says the band is led by Grammy-nominated director Caleb Chapman and that the players are teenagers.
The Utah Valley Symphony and the Orem Chorale perform Handel's Messiah as a sing-along at the Covey Center on December 23, 2026. The symphony's page links to the Covey Center's ticketing site.
BYU's International Folk Dance ensembles perform Christmas dances and music from around the world in the Marriott Center on Friday, December 4 and Saturday, December 5, 2026, with a Saturday matinee. BYU's page says this year marks 70 years since the program began in 1956, and lists Living Legends and the Rocky Mountain Express Cloggers as special guests.
CLAS Ropes runs a Christmas cruise on the Provo River with lights reflecting off the water, holiday scenes along the bank, Christmas music and a visit from Santa, who hands out candy. The round trip takes about 20 to 25 minutes. The page prints no year, so confirm the 2026 schedule with CLAS before you plan.
The Shops at Riverwoods, at 4801 N. University Avenue, lists the Lighting of Riverwoods 2026 for Thursday, November 19. The event page promises over 1.5 million lights, live entertainment, life-sized photo spots and fireworks.
Pick by who is coming. The Ruth's page for A Christmas Carol lists ghostly imagery, themes of death, haze and flashing lights, so read those notes first if your kids are small. SCERA bills A Christmas Story as a family holiday musical, and Frozen is the pick for kids who already know the movie.
Then pick by date. The Riverwoods lighting is November 19, Frozen opens November 23 and A Christmas Carol opens November 30. Christmas Around the World is December 4 and 5, A Christmas Story runs December 4 to 19, the Nutcracker December 11 to 21, Cool Yule December 21 and 22, and the Messiah Sing-Along is December 23. A Christmas Carol closes December 26 and Frozen runs to January 9, 2027, so those two are the ones to book if your family is in town after Christmas.
Keep exploring Utah Valley: Best Summer Things to Do in Utah Valley · Fall Activities and Festivals Near You in Utah County · Best Winter and Snow Activities in Utah Valley. Need a local pro? Browse Valley Approved businesses. Planning the weekend? See the Events Hub.
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