Dance-Along Nutcracker®
Dance-Along Nutcracker® 2026: A Dance-Along Toy Story
A Magical Holiday Adventure Is Calling!
When Clara and Fritz sneak downstairs to rescue their childhood favorites from the donation bin, a little holiday magic shrinks them and sends them on a wild adventure through San Francisco. Along the way, they’ll meet a rat-wrangling sheriff, a mysterious Pinball Wizard, a crew of Barbies and Kens, and plenty of unexpected friends.
As they search for a way home, Clara learns that she doesn’t need the latest trends to be herself, while Fritz discovers that it’s okay to let people know when he’s overwhelmed. And with a little help from the audience, they’ll learn that the greatest magic of all is friendship.
You’ll waltz! You’ll march! You’ll pirouette! You’ll sing along! Through it all, you’ll enjoy music from The Nutcracker ballet, Toy Story, Barbie, and other fun childhood favorites, performed live by the 75-piece San Francisco Pride Band, the Official Band of San Francisco!
Part comedy musical, part dance-it-yourself ballet, and part symphonic concert, the Dance-Along Nutcracker features the holiday fun and tradition you’ve come to expect from this San Francisco favorite of more than 40 years.
Tickets
Reserve your spot on the adventure crew by purchasing tickets below. There are four identical showings at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum (map ): Saturday, December 19 at 3pm & 7pm, Sunday, December 20 at 11am & 3pm.
If you have a promo/coupon code, you can enter it later during checkout. Promo codes cannot be used on “Ticket Bundles”.
Having trouble with the ticketing application above? Visit the standalone ticketing site
Special Thanks to Our 2026 Sponsors
Organization & Media Sponsors
Performers & Cast
San Francisco Pride Band
Founded in 1978 by Jon Sims at the height of Anita Bryant’s anti-gay crusade and credited as the first openly-gay music organization in the world, the San Francisco Pride Band has inspired the formation of many LGBTQ+ choruses and performing troupes world-wide. Named the “Official Band of San Francisco” in 2018, the band has promoted visibility and built understanding between gay and non-gay communities through public musical performances for over 45 years.
Each year, the band presents its award-winning Community Concert Series, its beloved fun-filled holiday production, Dance-Along Nutcracker, and performs at numerous parades and civic events throughout the Bay Area.
What is Dance-Along Nutcracker?
A one-of-a-kind holiday experience that reimagines Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet in an entirely refreshing way!
Every year, the San Francisco Pride Band brilliantly infuses the beloved The Nutcracker ballet with a fresh and delightful theme, creating an original musical production like no other. Packed with humor, artistic flair, and high-energy performances, the show blends live music, dance, and theater to captivate audiences of all ages.
But the magic doesn’t stop there! When the iconic “Dance Along!” cue appears, attendees are invited to join the fun, donning colorful tutus and taking center stage alongside the performers. Whether you’re twirling in the aisles or enjoying the spectacle from your seat, it’s a heartwarming and joyous celebration you won’t forget.
Experience the joy and excitement of Dance-Along Nutcracker, a one-of-a-kind celebration that combines entertainment and audience participation for an unforgettable holiday experience for the whole family.
See what others are saying about the show!
Inspired foolishness, tomfoolery on a grand and witty scale!C.W. Nevius, San Francisco Chronicle
It’s fun, it’s affordable and it’s uniquely San Francisco. This isn’t your grandma’s stuffy old Nutcracker…Traci Vaughn, Milk + Fog
One of the city’s most delightfully idiosyncratic events.Wall Street Journal
Oh my God – it’s the best thing in the world! It’s the best holiday event there is!Dance-Along Nutcracker Attendee since 1998
Beautifully unexpected and witty!Dance-Along Nutcracker Attendee
I’m gonna tell my friends that I went to the Nutcracker and it’s not embarrassing at all to wear a tutu as a boy!Dance-Along Nutcracker Attendee, 7-years old
Thank you for an amazing afternoon and a new family tradition.Dance-Along Nutcracker Attendee
What to Expect at Dance-Along Nutcracker
A Live Concert Performance
Hear music from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker alongside Broadway, pop, and movie favorites — all performed live by the 75-piece San Francisco Pride Band.
An Original Musical Theatre Production
Each year features a brand-new scripted show with an original story, bold characters, lively choreography, and campy musical numbers created just for this production.
You’re Part of the Show
Dance along to the music, enjoy playful audience-participation moments, and watch the entire theatre transform into a joyful, tutu-filled dance floor.
Who Will Enjoy This Family-Friendly Holiday Event
For Kids
A family-friendly, high-energy holiday concert filled with music and fun audience-participation moments that children love — especially those who find a traditional Nutcracker ballet tough to sit through.
For Adults
The perfect way to feel like a kid again — tug on a tutu, twirl to “Waltz of the Flowers,” or simply sit back and enjoy the show’s witty dialogue, humor, and joyful people-watching.
For the Entire Family
A light-hearted, humorous, and uniquely San Francisco holiday tradition that brings families together and creates lasting memories year after year.
Photo Gallery
Show History 40 Years of Dance-Along Magic
Created by the San Francisco Pride Band in 1985, Dance-Along Nutcracker® began as a simple but joyful way to bring the LGBTQ+ community together during the holidays. Early shows featured live holiday and Christmas-season music, swing tunes, tap performances, and selections from The Nutcracker Suite, with the audience invited to dance during select movements. That first performance planted the seed for what would become an annual Bay Area holiday tradition rooted in imagination and the kind of audience participation that now fills the theatre.
Over the years, Dance-Along Nutcracker evolved from a modest concert with a few participatory moments into a full-scale theatrical production. Each season began adding more humor, larger characters, original storylines, and choreographed dance numbers that sent Clara, Fritz, and Drosselmeyer on whimsical new adventures — each with its own thematic twist. Audiences have discovered children’s stories and nursery rhymes in Once Upon a Tutu (2004), blasted off in Nutcrackers in Space (2019), and joined the high-energy whodunit of Mission: Nutcracker (2024).
What began as a lighthearted escape for adults gradually became a celebration for all ages as more families from across the region discovered the show. Today, the audience is a joyful mix of kids, parents, LGBTQ+ community members, longtime fans, and first-timers — all sharing the same dance floor under the mirror ball.
Now, after forty years, Dance-Along Nutcracker has grown from a small community performance into a beloved Bay Area tradition — one that has drawn national attention from outlets such as NPR’s All Things Considered, The Wall Street Journal, and the TODAY Show, among others.
From the beginning, Dance-Along Nutcracker has embraced a spirit of playful imagination — a place where adults and kids alike could step out of everyday life and into a world of music, humor, and joyful make-believe.
Explore the gallery below for a nostalgic look at Dance-Along Nutcracker program covers from past productions, including our inaugural show in 1985. View full programs from Dance-Along Nutcracker and many other San Francisco Pride Band concerts in the Program Archive .
Health and Safety at the Show
Visitors to Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) must follow the venue’s current health and safety requirements , which are summarized below and may change based on local health conditions.
Masks are strongly recommended but not required while indoors. Proof of vaccination or a negative test is not required to enter. However, in conjunction with the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH), YBCA encourages everyone to get vaccinated and boosted for their own health and for the well-being of the community.
The San Francisco Pride Band takes COVID-19 seriously. For more information about the measures we’re taking at Dance-Along Nutcracker, see the band’s full Health & Safety Plan .