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Better watch out … Christmastime is coming to town

For the performing arts, the holiday season – that’s now – is all about Christmas.

Published

1 month ago

November 10, 2025

Bill DeYoung

Coming to Ruth Eckerd Hall Dec. 19, Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland combines music, effects and circus artistry. All photos provided.

We’ve just put away the ghosts and the jack o’lanterns, and Turkey Time is still half a month away. Yet Christmas, that holiday of holidays, is already making its warm ‘n’ fuzzy presence known.

As far as the performing arts are concerned, the holiday season means Christmas, and ladies and gentlemen, the holiday season is upon us. Deck those halls, etc, etc.

Tickets are available now for each and every show on the following list (and we’ve checked it twice). That’s not to say that families wouldn’t enjoy the plethora of community theater shows, tribute act holiday concerts and local ballet companies dancing Nutcracker.

That, however, is another spreadsheet, for another day. These are the big ones:

This month

Nov. 12 A Charlie Brown Christmas Live! at the Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg.

Nov. 13 Mannheim Steamroller at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater.

Nov. 16 Magical Cirque Christmas at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater.

Nov. 29 Cirque Dreams Holidaze at the Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg.

Nov. 28-30 A Christmas Story, The Musical in Morsani Hall (Straz Center, Tampa).

Nov. 29 Dave Koz Christmas Show at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clewarwater.

“A Christmas Story, The Musical” is onstage at the Straz Center in Tampa Nov. 28-30.

Next month

Dec 4-23 A Christmas Carol – Live Radio Play from Tampa Repertory Theatre, in the Shimberg Playhouse (Straz Center, Tampa).

Dec. 4-21 The Magi from American Stage, St. Petersburg.

Dec. 5 Handel’s Messiah, The Florida Orchestra with the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, in Ferguson Hall (Straz Center, Tampa).

Dec. 6 Handel’s Messiah, The Florida Orchestra with the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, at the Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg.

Dec. 6 Ruth Eckerd Hall Holiday Chorus in the Murray Theatre (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Tampa).

Dec. 6 The Florida Orchestra Holiday Brass at Church of the Ascension, Clearwater.

Dec. 7 The Florida Orchestra Holiday Brass at USF St. Pete Student Center Ballroom, St. Petersburg.

Dec. 7 Christmas With the New York Tenors at Central Park Performing Arts Center, Largo.

Dec. 8 and 9 Tampa Oratorio Singers Handel’s Messiah Part 1, at Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church, Tampa.

Dec. 10 at St. Petersburg’s Mahaffey Theater: Vienna Light Orchestra.

Dec. 10 Vienna Light Orchestra at the Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg.

Dec. 11 Trisha Yearwood Christmas Symphony at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater.

Dec 11 A Peter White Christmas at the Capitol Theatre, Clearwater.

Dec. 11 Tampa Oratorio Singers Handel’s Messiah Part 1, at Church of the Ascencion, Clearwater.

Dec. 11-21 Who’s Holiday by the Off-Central Players, St. Petersburg.

Dec. 12-24 A Christmas Carol in Concert at freeFall Theatre, St. Petersburg.

Dec. 13 A Michael W. Smith Christmas at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater.

Dec. 14 The Music of Vince Guaraldi: A Charlie Brown Christmas with pianist Zachary Bartholomew, Palladium Theater Side Door Cabaret, St. Petersburg.

Dec. 14: Trans-Siberian Orchestra Ghosts of Christmas (two performances) at Benchmark Arena, Tampa.

Dec 16 The Motowners Holiday Show at the Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg.

Dec. 19 Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland at Ruth Eckerd Hall, St. Petersburg.