DFW Holiday Concerts and Shows

This circus spectacular is held at the Bass Performance Hall, a 2,042-seat European opera-house-style center in Fort Worth. The human-only performance -- there are no animals used in Cirque shows -- was hailed by "The New York Daily News" as a “delicious confection of charm, sparkle and talent by the sleighload & so full of energy it could end our dependence on oil.” The show includes "snowmen, penguins, angels, reindeer, toy soldiers, gingerbread men, ornaments and of course Santa; with soaring acrobatics, gravity-defying feats, elaborate production numbers, imaginative costumes, illusions and more," according to Cirque's website. That should provide your family with plenty of holiday cheer.

This event, held at the ​American Airlines Center in Dallas, is actually one stop on a nationwide tour of this annual traveling top 40/pop concert that features a variety of singing stars. The event, cosponsored by iHeart Radio, actually kicks off in Dallas but also has stops in Minneapolis, Philidelphia, and Miami, among other cities, in case you are traveling for the holidays.

Santa will be visiting Casa Mañana Theatre in Fort Worth for musical performances in November and December. "When Santa announces that this will be his last Christmas, the search is on for someone to fill some very big shoes – or in this case, boots," the Casa Mañana website notes in describing the show. "But not everyone in the North Pole is feeling too giddy about Santa’s first choice for a replacement. Now it’s up to Father Christmas and his workshop of elves to get the new Santa Claus ready in time for Christmas." The show promises plenty of original Christmas songs and good cheer.

No Christmas would be complete without a visit from Ebeneezer Scrooge, who will visit the Wyly Theater in Dallas. In a reimagining of the classic Charles Dickens' tale, the audience will be immersed in the story about Scrooge -- who is a woman in this production -- "ghosts flying above, scary ghosts bursting out of the floor, and snow falling from the sky," the theater's website notes, adding the musical will include traditional Christmas hymns, joyful bursts of choreography, and eye-popping special effects. The "Dallas Morning News" described the musical as “socially conscious … and theatrically spectacular.”

If you want a more tradition version of the Dickens' classic, visit the Pocket Sandwich Theatre in Dallas. "Ebenezer Scrooge" is a tale of love and redemption, guaranteed to put you and yours in the spirit of the holidays, the theater's website notes. Theater Jones Reviews says of the play: "Using smatterings of dialogue directly from Dickens’ novel, the familiar story is well told and engaging, as the three Christmas spirits show Ebenezer Scrooge the dreadful possibilities that will ensue unless he reforms his life."

It's not your typical Christmas show, but each year alternative rock station 102.1 sponsors, "How the Edge Stole Christmas" at the Verizon Theatre in Dallas. The lineup of bands changes each year, but past highlights have included "Death Cab for Cutie," "Avenged Sevenfold" and "Rise Against." So, if you are in the mood for a different kind of holiday show -- and audience -- steal yourself away to "How the Edge Stole Christmas."

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will be playing its annual Christmas concert, an all-new production featuring Christmas classics, holiday favorites, and sing-along carols. The Children's Chorus of Greater Dallas will sing at matinee performances. And, the DSO will again host the Symphony of Toys, which will include a toy drive at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center where you can drop off a  new, unwrapped toy during any Christmas concert. The toys will benefit the ​WFAA-TV Santa's helpers program.

Join the entire Peanuts gang as Charles Schulz's classic animated television special comes to life for a live stage production of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" at the Dallas Children's Theater. And, take the kids to get a double dose of Christmas cheer by attending a production of "​The Nutcracker," an acclaimed puppet interpretation of the Pyotr Tchaikovsky's classic holiday ballet. Your kids will thank you twice for these two performances.