Christmas Plays, Holiday Concerts and Kids’ Shows in Indianapolis (2026)

Last Updated On: October 29, 2026

Holiday shows around Indianapolis run from Nov. 14, 2026, to Jan. 3, 2027, and A Christmas Carol alone plays four ways: the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s full staging, a one-hour musical with a buffet at Beef & Boards, a 1940s radio broadcast in Westfield and a Smoky Mountains retelling with Dolly Parton songs at Clowes Hall. The list below sticks to family picks, grouped by type, with sensory-friendly and ASL performances in their own section and the big headliner concerts at the end.

The Nutcracker has its own roundup: our guide to where to see The Nutcracker in Indianapolis covers all of them, including one-hour versions for kids as young as 3. Lights, markets and Santa visits are on our main list of Christmas things to do in Indianapolis.

Christmas Plays and Musicals Around Indianapolis 2026

A Christmas Carol, Indiana Repertory Theatre

When: Nov. 14-Dec. 26, 2026, with no public shows Nov. 15-26 or on Christmas Day; most performances at 2 or 7 p.m.
Where: OneAmerica Financial Stage, 140 W. Washington St., Indianapolis
Tickets: From $27, fees included, on IRT’s show page
Ages: Recommended for third grade and up; no children under 4

The IRT’s A Christmas Carol is Tom Haas’ adaptation, directed by cara hinh, and runs about 2 hours and 5 minutes with a 20-minute intermission. The theater flags mild profanity and ghosts that might frighten young children, and every person needs a ticket. Saturday, Nov. 14, is Girl Scout Day: $19 per scout and $21 per adult covers the 2 p.m. show, an ornament craft, a Q&A with the actors and a patch.

A man in a top hat and red scarf hugs a boy on a snowy stage as Victorian carolers look on in the Indiana Repertory Theatre's A Christmas Carol — Photo courtesy Indiana Repertory Theatre

‘Twas the Night Before… by Cirque du Soleil, the Murat

When: Nov. 25-29, 2026: Wednesday at 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday at 1, 4 and 7 p.m.; Sunday at 3 p.m.
Where: Murat Theatre at Old National Centre, 502 N. New Jersey St., Indianapolis
Tickets: From $57 with fees on Cirque du Soleil’s ticket page

Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Twas the Night Before… builds its acrobatics around “A Visit from St. Nicholas” and runs 85 minutes with no intermission. There’s no show on Thanksgiving Day. Every child over 2 needs a ticket, and Cirque warns of loud noises and low-light scenes.

Acrobats in sequined reindeer costumes dive through glowing stacked hoops in Cirque du Soleil's 'Twas the Night Before — Photo courtesy Cirque du Soleil

Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn, Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre

When: Nov. 27, 2026-Jan. 3, 2027: Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 7 p.m., 1 p.m. matinees Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, plus Dec. 10 and 17
Where: 9301 Michigan Road, Indianapolis
Tickets: $59.50-$87.50 with the buffet and tax, $6 off for ages 3-15, on the Holiday Inn show page

Beef & Boards’ holiday musical is Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn, the stage version of the movie, with “White Christmas” and “Blue Skies” in the score. The dinner buffet opens two hours before curtain and closes 30 minutes before it. The show is rated PG, and children under 3 aren’t admitted. There are no performances on Mondays, Dec. 24 to 26 or New Year’s Day, and non-members pay a processing fee on each ticket.

It’s a Wonderful Life, Hendricks Live! in Plainfield

When: Dec. 3-6, 2026: Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Where: Hendricks Live!, 200 W. Main St., Plainfield
Tickets: $25 for adults, $22 for kids and seniors, free for kids 4 and under, on the Hendricks Live! event page

Hendricks Civic Theatre stages It’s a Wonderful Life, the George Bailey and Clarence story, for five performances. Hendricks Live! requires a ticket for every child 1 and older, including the free ones.

A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play, Basile Westfield Playhouse

When: Dec. 3-13, 2026: Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Where: 220 N. Union St., Westfield
Tickets: $19 for adults, $17 for students and seniors 62 and up, plus a $1 fee, on the playhouse ticket page

Main Street Productions performs Joe Landry’s version of the Dickens story as a 1940s radio broadcast, with the sound effects made live in front of the audience. Every seat is $10 for opening night, Thursday, Dec. 3, and active military and veterans get in free with ID. Seating is general admission, and the lobby opens an hour before curtain.

A Christmas Carol (One-Hour Show), Beef & Boards

When: Dec. 4-22, 2026: 1 p.m. on Dec. 4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 21 and 22; 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 7, 14, 16 and 21
Where: 9301 Michigan Road, Indianapolis
Tickets: $45-$53 by section with the buffet and tax, on the Christmas Carol show page

For families who want Scrooge without a two-hour sit, Beef & Boards serves a buffet lunch or dinner and then plays its one-hour A Christmas Carol, a musical version with traditional carols and no intermission. It’s rated PG and uses strobe effects and the sound of thunder, and non-members pay a $5 fee per ticket.

Elf Jr., Youth Inspirations Theatre at Butler University

When: Dec. 11-13, 2026: Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m.
Where: Shelton Auditorium, Butler University, Indianapolis
Tickets: Through Butler Arts Presents

Youth Inspirations Theatre’s young cast stages Elf Jr., the junior version of the musical based on the movie Elf. Every guest needs a ticket, whatever their age.

A Dickens Christmas, Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site

When: Dec. 11-13, 2026: Friday and Saturday, starts every half hour 6-8:30 p.m.; Sunday at 2, 2:30, 3:30, 4 and 4:30 p.m.
Where: 1230 N. Delaware St., Indianapolis
Tickets: $20 for adults, $16 for ages 17 and under, on the presidential site’s ticket page

In A Dickens Christmas, Candlelight Theatre walks its audience room to room through President Benjamin Harrison’s home while scenes from Charles Dickens’ stories play out a few steps away. Each performance runs about an hour, and groups of up to 15 can buy out a time slot at a discount.

Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol, Clowes Memorial Hall

When: Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Clowes Memorial Hall, 4602 Sunset Ave., Indianapolis
Tickets: From $50.70 with fees on Ticketmaster

Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol moves the Dickens story to a 1930s mining town in the Smoky Mountains, with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton, who doesn’t appear in the show. Butler Arts Presents recommends it for ages 8 and up because the ghost scenes can be intense for young children.

Family Holiday Concerts Around Indianapolis

AES Indiana Yuletide Celebration, Hilbert Circle Theatre

When: Dec. 4-23, 2026; 2 p.m. matinees and evening shows at 6:30, 7 or 7:30 p.m.
Where: Hilbert Circle Theatre, 45 Monument Circle, Indianapolis
Tickets: Adult and child prices on the ISO’s Yuletide page

The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s AES Indiana Yuletide Celebration turns 40, with Jack Everly conducting and Curtis Bannister hosting. The lineup includes the tap-dancing Santas, “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” Nick Hodge on the Cyr wheel and Ermiyas Muluken on the rolla bolla. Before the concert, the lobby has costumed holiday characters, photo spots and the theater’s Wurlitzer organ.

Prices change by performance. On Oct. 28, 2026, the cheapest seats, for the Dec. 9, 15 and 16 evening shows and the Dec. 11 matinee, were $50.60 for adults and $33.59 for kids 12 and under, fees included. Weekend seats started higher. The ISO recommends Yuletide for ages 4 and up, and every child, babies included, needs a ticket.

On Sundays, Dec. 13 and 20, Brunch with Santa runs noon to 2 p.m. in the Wood Room before the 2 p.m. show. It costs $65 for adults and $30 for kids 12 and under, on top of a ticket to that day’s matinee. Families weighing it against a pancake breakfast can compare prices in our roundup of breakfast with Santa around Indianapolis.

A line of tap-dancing Santas kicks in unison on the Hilbert Circle Theatre stage during the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's Yuletide Celebration — Photo courtesy Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra

Festival of Carols, Indianapolis Symphonic Choir

When: Sunday, Dec. 6, 2026, at 3 p.m. at Pike; Dec. 19-20, 2026, at the Palladium (Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m.)
Where: Pike Performing Arts Center, 6701 Zionsville Road, Indianapolis; Payne & Mencias Palladium at the Allied Solutions Center, 1 Carter Green, Carmel
Tickets: $15-$120 at Pike; from $40 at the Palladium, $15 for kids and students; on the choir’s Festival of Carols page

The Indianapolis Symphonic Choir’s Festival of Carols pairs the choir with an orchestra, soprano Kim Kenny and high school Spotlight Choirs, and Santa is on the program. The Sunday shows on Dec. 6 and Dec. 20 have an ASL interpreter.

Jingle Them Bells, Indiana Wind Symphony

When: Sunday, Dec. 6, 2026, at 4 p.m.
Where: The Palladium, 1 Carter Green, Carmel
Tickets: From $22, $10 for students, seniors and military, plus online fees, on the Palladium event page

The Indiana Wind Symphony bills Jingle Them Bells as a Christmas concert “for children of all ages.” Santa and Mrs. Claus come onstage to read stories and sing.

Indianapolis Children’s Choir Holiday Concerts

Angels Sing: Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11-12, 2026, at 7 p.m.; Second Presbyterian Church, 7700 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis
Sounds of the Season: Sunday, Dec. 13, 2026, at 6 p.m.; Pike Performing Arts Center, 6701 Zionsville Road, Indianapolis
Tickets: $18, $12 for kids 5 and under, on the choir’s concerts page

The Indianapolis Children’s Choir splits its holiday concerts by age. The older singers in Indy Voice and Master Chorale perform carols and holiday songs from around the world at Second Presbyterian, and Saturday’s show is by candlelight. Sounds of the Season belongs to the younger choirs, from the Neighborhood Choir Academy through Lyric, plus an alumni choir. Advance sales close at 5 p.m. the Thursday before each concert, and any seats left are sold at the door an hour before the show.

Rows of young singers in black concert dress hold candles behind a conductor and a bank of red poinsettias at an Indianapolis Children's Choir holiday concert — Photo courtesy Indianapolis Children’s Choir

Home for the Holidays, Hendricks Symphony

When: Dec. 11-13, 2026: Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m.
Where: Hendricks Live!, 200 W. Main St., Plainfield
Tickets: $35 for adults, $30 for seniors, $20 for ages 1-17, on the Hendricks Live! event page

The Hendricks Symphony’s Home for the Holidays program includes John Williams’ Home Alone suite and John Rutter’s “I Wish You Christmas.”

Rejoice!, Butler University

Butler University’s choirs and symphony orchestra perform Rejoice!, a free holiday concert, Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11-12, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at Clowes Memorial Hall, 4602 Sunset Ave. No ticket is needed, and Butler streams the concert online. It’s the only show in this guide with no ticket at all; our list of free holiday festivals in Indianapolis has the rest of December’s no-cost outings.

Holiday Pops Family Matinee, Carmel Symphony Orchestra

When: Sunday, Dec. 13, 2026, at 2 p.m. (one-hour family matinee) and 7 p.m.
Where: The Palladium, 1 Carter Green, Carmel
Tickets: From $44, $14.50 for ages 18 and under, plus online fees, on the Palladium event page

The Carmel Symphony’s 2 p.m. Holiday Pops Family Matinee runs one hour with no intermission, and an instrument scavenger hunt fills the lobbies afterward. Indiana Ballet Conservatory dancers and the St. Luke’s United Methodist Church Chancel Choir join the orchestra for “Sleigh Ride,” music from The Polar Express and Home Alone and “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” including a visit from Santa. The 7 p.m. concert is the full-length program.

Messiah Sing-Along, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra

When: Sunday, Dec. 13, 2026, at 3 p.m.
Where: Indiana Landmarks Center, 1201 Central Ave., Indianapolis
Tickets: $25 on the ICO’s sing-along page

At the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra’s Messiah Sing-Along, the audience sings the Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah with the orchestra, then a round of holiday carols.

Voices of Christmas, Indianapolis Opera

When: Sunday, Dec. 20, 2026, at 2 and 5 p.m.
Where: Basile Opera Center, 4011 N. Pennsylvania St., Indianapolis
Tickets: $45 for adults, $25 for kids, on Indianapolis Opera’s Christmas page

Indianapolis Opera’s Voices of Christmas runs about 75 minutes, with highlights from Messiah and Amahl and the Night Visitors, a string quartet from the Indianapolis Youth Orchestra and a carol sing-along. Cookies and cocoa follow each show.

Holiday Dance Shows

Christmas Spectacular, Hendricks Live!

When: Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026, at 6 p.m.
Where: Hendricks Live!, 200 W. Main St., Plainfield
Tickets: $40 on the Hendricks Live! event page

Brownsburg Ballroom Dance Studio and guest singers and musicians put on Christmas Spectacular, a holiday dance and music revue the studio pitches as a show for the whole family.

Winterfest, Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre

When: Dec. 5-6 and 12-13, 2026
Where: The Florence, 329 Gradle Drive, Carmel
Tickets: $35 for adults, $20 for students, on the company’s ticket page

Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre performs Winterfest, its December program, over two weekends at The Florence, its home in Carmel.

Littlest Angel, Academy of Dance Arts

When: Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 19-20, 2026, at 2 p.m.
Where: Schrott Center for the Arts, Butler University, Indianapolis
Tickets: From $32.40 with fees on Ticketmaster

Academy of Dance Arts dances Littlest Angel, the story of the youngest angel in heaven and the gift she brings to the newborn Christ child.

Holiday Shows for Ages 1 to 7

The Peanut Butter & Jam series at the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts runs Saturday shows of about 45 minutes, designed for ages 1 to 7, in The Studio Theater, 4 Carter Green, Carmel. Tickets are $10 per child with two adults included in each order; more adults can be added by calling the box office at 317-843-3800.

Peanut Butter & Jam: Silly Safaris, Animals of the North Pole

When: Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, at 12:30 p.m.; the 10:30 a.m. show was full as of Oct. 28, 2026
Tickets: $10 per child on the Silly Safaris event page

At Silly Safaris’ Animals of the North Pole, kids meet animals from cold climates and can pet several of them, including a live reindeer.

Peanut Butter & Jam: Melchior Marionettes, Holiday Cabaret on Strings

When: Saturday, Dec. 19, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
Tickets: $10 per child on the Melchior Marionettes event page

The Melchior Marionettes’ Holiday Cabaret on Strings is a fast-paced variety show with handcrafted marionettes, and the audience sings along with the holiday songs.

Sensory-Friendly and ASL Holiday Performances

A Christmas Carol, Indiana Repertory Theatre: sensory-friendly performance Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, at 2 p.m.; ASL and audio description Sunday, Dec. 6, 2026, at 2 p.m.
AES Indiana Yuletide Celebration: ASL and audio description Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026, at 2 p.m.
Festival of Carols: ASL interpretation Sunday, Dec. 6, 2026, at Pike Performing Arts Center and Sunday, Dec. 20, 2026, at the Palladium, both at 3 p.m.
The Nutcracker, Indianapolis Ballet: sensory-friendly performance Thursday, Dec. 17, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at Clowes Memorial Hall

IRT has free assisted listening devices at every performance and sensory supports on request. Hilbert Circle Theatre and the Palladium are both KultureCity certified. At Hilbert, free sensory bags and weighted lap pads are at the Encore Lounge coat check, with a sensory room on the third floor. At the Palladium, they’re at the West Salon coat check, and ASL interpretation is arranged on request with two weeks’ notice.

Big-Name Holiday Concerts

These general-audience concerts run mostly in the evening, and the Palladium’s prices are before online fees.

A Motown Christmas: Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026, at 7 p.m., the Palladium; from $44.
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s Wild and Swingin’ Holiday Party: Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., the Palladium; from $45; ages 4 and up.
Purdue Christmas Show: Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026, at noon, 4 and 8 p.m., the Palladium; from $50. Only the 8 p.m. show had seats as of Oct. 28, 2026.
Mannheim Steamroller Christmas: Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., Clowes Memorial Hall; from $70 with fees.
Jim Brickman, A Christmas Celebration Live: Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2026, at 3 and 7:30 p.m., Hendricks Live!; from $35, $20 for students.
Handel’s Messiah, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and Indianapolis Symphonic Choir: Thursday, Dec. 17, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., the Palladium; $15 for students through college.
Indianapolis Men’s Chorus Holiday Show: Dec. 18-20, 2026 (Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 3 and 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m.), Warren Performing Arts Center, 9500 E. 16th St.; $15-$55.
Songbook Academy Sings the Songs of the Season: Monday, Dec. 21, 2026, at 7 p.m., the Palladium; $15, or free by livestream.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts of Christmas Eve: Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2026, at 3 and 7:30 p.m., Gainbridge Fieldhouse; from $59 with fees.

To fit a show into a particular weekend, our things to do this weekend in Indianapolis page rounds up each Friday-to-Sunday stretch, and the Indianapolis family calendar has these shows by date.