Without question, it happens every December, typically on a Sunday afternoon following a Saturday night holiday soiree. It's the return of classic holiday films.
Before you know it, you've spent an entire afternoon in sweatpants binge-watching holiday classics like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, It's A Wonderful Life and Home Alone (1 and 2).
And, while there's nothing wrong with enjoying a great holiday flick here and there, there's something far more inspiring about getting off your couch, heading to Cleveland and spending a day immersed in original holiday classics live on stage, as well as captivating musical experiences.
Get going to one of these upcoming holiday performances.
What would the holidays be like without Scrooge, Tiny Tim and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future? We don't know, and we certainly don't want to find out. Enjoy the on-stage production of “A Christmas Carol” performed by Great Lakes Theater at the Mimi Ohio Theatre in Playhouse Square, Nov. 24–Dec. 23. Buy tickets here.
Head to Karamu House for their annual staging of Langston Hughes' "Gospel Song Play" telling the tale of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem with an all-black cast. A Cleveland holiday experience you won't want to miss. Dec. 1 - 16 at the Allen Theatre at Playhouse Square. Many dates are selling out fast, so grab your tickets today.
It's really not the holidays without Christmas music. This year, though, go beyond the radio stations blasting holiday tunes 24/7 and experience this seasonal music like never before. The Cleveland Orchestra, consistently rated within the top orchestras in the entire world, puts on a series of captivating concerts that will leave you simply speechless. The orchestra teams up with several choirs — including the Cleveland State University Chorale — to create a holiday experience that will quickly become your newest yearly tradition. Get tickets for shows happening Dec. 13–23.
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra — or "TSO" as its loyal followers call it — comes to Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse for its annual concert Dec. 22. This pre-Christmas extravaganza brings together classic Christmas tunes with a slightly hair-metal twist. Two showings at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. If you've never been, this is your big chance. Get your tickets now!
Christmas, Beethoven, & Mambo!
Dec. 7, Fairmount Presbyterian Church
Cyrus Chestnut & Friends: A Charlie Brown Christmas
Dec. 8, Severance Music Center
Polka Night Before Christmas
Dec. 8, Music Box Supper Club
Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet
Dec. 9, Public Auditorium & Conference Center
Elvis Brunch - Blue Christmas
Dec. 10, Music Box Supper Club
Christmas In The Heartland
Dec. 10, Music Box Supper Club
Dave Koz And Friends Christmas Tour 2023
Dec. 10, Playhouse Square, KeyBank State Theatre
Lea Marra & The River Boys "Folky Christmas" W/ Blue Hour
Dec. 10, Grog Shop
Apollo's Fire: Wassail! An Irish-Appalachian Christmas
Dec. 10 and 17, Cleveland Museum of Art | Dec. 14, Baldwin Wallace University Gamble Auditorium | Dec. 15, St. Raphael Catholic Church | Dec. 16, Federated Church
Raymond Arroyo - Christmas Merry & Bright
Dec. 15, Playhouse Square, KeyBank State Theatre
A Very Darren Crissmas
Dec. 15, MGM Northfield Park
A Christmas Cabaret
Dec. 15–16, Stocker Arts Center and Dec. 17–19, EDWINS Too
Cleveland Jazz Orchestra "Christmas Around The World" With Ava Preston
Dec. 15, Maltz Performing Arts Center | Dec. 17, Lorain Palace Theater
Mannheim Steamroller Christmas By Chip Davis
Dec. 16, Playhouse Square, KeyBank State Theatre
Jim Brickman's "A Joyful Christmas" With Special Guest Chrissy Metz
Dec. 16–17, Playhouse Square, Hanna Theatre
A Family Christmas With We The Kingdom & Matt Maher
Dec. 17, Playhouse Square, KeyBank State Theatre
A Neil Diamond Christmas Tribute
Dec. 17, Music Box Supper Club
A Magical Cirque Christmas
Dec. 23, Playhouse Square, KeyBank State Theatre
Frank Amato's Christmas Jam Featuring The Cleveland All-Stars
Dec. 23, Music Box Supper Club