Queen City Ballet Company's The Nutcracker 2026

About Queen City Ballet Company's The Nutcracker

Queen City Ballet Company, a Helena-based nonprofit dance company at 8 W. Lawrence St., stages a full production of Tchaikovsky's 'The Nutcracker' at the Helena Civic Center each November. The show pairs a cast of roughly 90 to 100-plus local dancers, many of them students, with professional guest artists from companies such as Diablo Ballet and Queen City Ballet alumni now dancing professionally elsewhere. The company is led by artistic director Campbell Midgley and also stages other classical productions (Swan Lake, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty) through the year, but the Nutcracker is its best-known annual show.

Performances run one weekend only, typically a Saturday evening show and a Sunday matinee at the Helena Civic Center, 340 Neill Ave. Recent ticket tiers ranged from about $18 for economy seats up to $40 for box seats, with VIP table packages available for $220 to $320. Tickets go through the Civic Center box office (406-447-8481) or queencityballet.com; the show draws families and often sells out its higher-tier seats first, so early booking is worth it for weekend performances.

What happens

• Full-length Nutcracker with live orchestral score (Tchaikovsky)
• Guest professional dancers from companies such as Diablo Ballet performing alongside local students
• One weekend only: Saturday evening and Sunday matinee at the Helena Civic Center
• VIP table packages with a Sugar Plum Fairy keepsake

Tips

• The run is a single weekend, not a multi-week engagement, so buy tickets as soon as they go on sale
• Box and premium seating sell out first; economy and choice tiers are the last to go
• The Civic Center box office keeps separate hours (weekdays 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2-4 p.m.) from performance nights