Oh, sugarplum! The holiday season is almost here, and—of course—we’ll be buying our tickets to see one of the season’s most nostalgic ballets. With the sub-zero nights of the past few days, we can already hear the tinkling bells of the first snowflakes about to fall on the streets of Montreal. And, along with them, Tchaikovsky’s melody from *The Nutcracker*.
At Place des Arts, children will wander among the little wooden houses of the Grand Christmas Market with a hot chocolate made almost entirely of marshmallows, and the downtown lights will dance over the skaters on the ice rink, and the speakers will play Christmas carols on loop throughout the month of December in every language until we know them all by heart.
Amid this atmosphere of ribbons and wood fires from our childhood, we’ll go see the ballet *The Nutcracker*, performed by the Grands Ballets Canadiens, from December 5 to 30, 2026.
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THE TRADITION OF THE GRAND BALLETS, THE LITTLE RATS, THE RIBBONS, THE NUTCRACKERS, AND THE SUGARPLUM FAIRIES
Montreal has one of the best ballet companies in the world, and every year during the holiday season, the Grands Ballets stage *THE NUTCRACKER*. This year, the ballet is once again choreographed by Fernand Nault.
The story of THE NUTCRACKER is one of the best-known in the world, accompanied by Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s iconic music and the intense nostalgia of attending the ballet—preferably with one’s grandmother and in a half-asleep state, practically in a trance—every year during the holiday season.
The Nutcracker is a tale by E.T.A. Hoffmann, adapted into a ballet that transports the audience to a truly magical world similar to that of Alice in Wonderland. It was first performed in 1892 at the Mariinsky Theater in Saint Petersburg. Today, the ballet is even better known than the original story.
The ballet follows Clara, a very sweet young girl who finds herself in the middle of a battle between tin soldiers and hideous rats on Christmas Eve.
Her Nutcracker, as if by magic, comes to life to rescue her and take her on an adventure into a fantastical world. She meets the Sugar Plum Fairy, Prince Orgeat, flowers, reindeer, and dolls. Clara wakes up at the end of the ballet, having fallen asleep under the Christmas tree.
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PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Where? At Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts, 175 Sainte-Catherine Street West
When? December 5 through December 30, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
What? Tickets start at $74, and you can book them here!
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