The Ballet Nacional de Guatemala stages El Cascanueces (The Nutcracker) every December, but no 2026 dates had appeared on AGN or the Ministry of Culture’s website as of 9 November 2026. In 2025 it ran on 1, 2 and 3 December at 19:00 at the open-air Teatro al Aire Libre Otto René Castillo in Guatemala City, with tickets at Q50.
In short: Company: Ballet Nacional de Guatemala Christa Mertins, Ministry of Culture and Sports (MCD). 2026 season: no dates on AGN or mcd.gob.gt as of 9 November 2026. 2025 season: free preview in San Lucas Sacatepéquez on 21 November (19:30), then 1-3 December, 19:00, Teatro al Aire Libre Otto René Castillo, Centro Cultural Miguel Ángel Asturias, Q50. 2024 season: Suite El Cascanueces, free, Palacio Nacional de la Cultura, 4-6 December at 15:00, plus shows in Totonicapán and zona 21. Press coverage appeared on 20 November 2025 and 21 November 2024, and in 2024 the first free date had sold out by 19 November, so watch the MCD’s social media from mid-November.
2026: what has been announced
Nothing yet. As of 9 November 2026, AGN (the state news agency) has published no Nutcracker item newer than its 3 December 2025 review. A search of the Ministry of Culture and Sports website (mcd.gob.gt) for cascanueces also returns no results. The Ballet Nacional’s most recent AGN coverage is its February 2026 school season of La Cenicienta (Cinderella).
The timing of the last two seasons suggests when to look. Prensa Libre published the 2025 season on 20 November 2025. AGN covered the 2024 season on 21 November 2024, quoting an MCD post of 19 November 2024 that said the first free date was already sold out. In 2025 the MCD told readers to follow its social media for the ticket presale, and in 2024 it asked people to turn on notifications on its X and Facebook accounts.
The 2025 season
| Date (2025) | Venue | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 November | Salón municipal, San Lucas Sacatepéquez, Sacatepéquez | 19:30 | Free |
| 1, 2 and 3 December | Teatro al Aire Libre Otto René Castillo, Centro Cultural Miguel Ángel Asturias, Guatemala City | 19:00 | Q50 |
Sources: Prensa Libre, 20 November 2025 (San Lucas show and price); AGN, 3 December 2025 (December dates, time, price, presale).
The production. AGN describes the 2025 staging as Tchaikovsky’s score with choreography based on the original by Antonio Crespo, restaged by Claudia Yax and Andrea Álvarez and directed by Sonia Marcos. The theatre is open-air, and the production added video mapping. AGN reported more than 1,500 people at the first of the three December shows. It also called 2025 the 30th anniversary of the Ballet Nacional staging the work in Guatemala.
Tickets: the two 2025 reports differ.
- AGN (3 December 2025): tickets were sold in presale at Q50 at the Ballet Nacional’s headquarters, 5a calle 3-43, zona 1, “por lo que no habrá venta en la taquilla los días de las funciones” (so there would be no box-office sales on show days).
- Prensa Libre (20 November 2025), quoting the MCD before the season: the December shows would cost Q50, and “También se venderán entradas cada día de la temporada en el Teatro al Aire Libre” (tickets would also be sold each day of the season at the theatre).
AGN’s report came later, during the run. For 2026, check the MCD’s own announcement to see whether there is a box office on the day.
The 2024 season: free, and the first date sold out in a day
AGN reported on 21 November 2024 that the MCD would present Suite El Cascanueces free as part of its Tardes de Arte (afternoons of art) at the Palacio Nacional de la Cultura. Seats for the first date, 4 December, ran out in under 24 hours; the MCD’s sold-out post AGN quoted is dated 19 November 2024. The full 2024 schedule as AGN gave it:
| Date (2024) | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 30 November and 1 December | Teatro Municipal, Totonicapán | 17:00 |
| 4, 5 and 6 December | Palacio Nacional de la Cultura, Guatemala City | 15:00 |
| 7 and 8 December | Parque de la Paz Carlos El Pescadito Ruiz, zona 21 | 16:00 |
Two years, two formats: a free afternoon suite at the Palacio Nacional in 2024, and paid evening performances at the open-air theatre in 2025. Do not assume either format for 2026 until the MCD publishes it.
The story, as staged
The plot follows the AGN accounts. On Christmas Eve, Clara receives a nutcracker from her uncle Drosselmeyer and dreams her way into a battle between toy soldiers and an army of mice. The journey continues through the Kingdom of the Snows and the Kingdom of Fantasy, which in the 2025 production included the Arabian and Russian dances, the Waltz of the Flowers and the Grand Pas de Deux. In 2024, director Sonia Marcos traced the work to Hoffmann’s 1816 tale The Nutcracker and the Mouse King and Tchaikovsky’s ballet, which premiered at the Mariinsky in Saint Petersburg.
Planning around it
The Teatro al Aire Libre is outdoors. AGN’s 2025 review describes the night sky as part of the set, so dress for a December evening in Guatemala City. Theatre listings for the rest of the season are on our Teatro Nacional events page. For December 2026 more broadly, see Christmas in Guatemala, Las Posadas, the city’s Christmas parades and Festival Navideño and Guatemala in December.
Sources
- AGN, El Cascanueces, entre ballet y mapping en el Teatro al Aire Libre Otto René Castillo, 3 December 2025: https://agn.gt/el-cascanueces-entre-ballet-y-mapping-en-el-teatro-al-aire-libre-otto-rene-castillo/ (read 9 November 2026)
- Prensa Libre, Estrenan ballet navideño El Cascanueces en Guatemala, un espectáculo mágico de temporada, 20 November 2025: https://www.prensalibre.com/vida/escenario/estrenan-ballet-navideno-el-cascanueces-en-guatemala-un-espectaculo-magico-de-temporada/ (read 9 November 2026)
- AGN, Ballet Nacional presentará El Cascanueces en el Palacio Nacional, 21 November 2024: https://agn.gt/ballet-nacional-presentara-el-cascanueces-en-el-palacio-nacional/ (read 9 November 2026)
- AGN search results for cascanueces and ballet nacional: https://agn.gt/?s=cascanueces and https://agn.gt/?s=ballet+nacional (read 9 November 2026)
- Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes site search for cascanueces: https://mcd.gob.gt/?s=cascanueces (read 9 November 2026)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Nutcracker on in Guatemala this December?
No 2026 dates had appeared on AGN or the MCD website (mcd.gob.gt) as of 9 November 2026. The Ballet Nacional de Guatemala Christa Mertins, part of the Ministry of Culture and Sports (MCD), staged El Cascanueces in December 2025 and December 2024. Press coverage of those seasons appeared on 20 November 2025 and 21 November 2024; in 2024 the first free date was already sold out by 19 November.
Where was The Nutcracker performed in Guatemala City in 2025?
At the Teatro al Aire Libre Otto René Castillo, the open-air theatre of the Centro Cultural Miguel Ángel Asturias, on 1, 2 and 3 December 2025 at 19:00. AGN reported more than 1,500 people at the first of the three shows.
How much were Nutcracker tickets in 2025?
Q50. AGN wrote that tickets were sold in advance at the Ballet Nacional’s headquarters, 5a calle 3-43, zona 1, with no box-office sales on show days. Prensa Libre’s earlier listing (20 November 2025) said tickets would also be sold each day at the theatre. The free preview in San Lucas Sacatepéquez on 21 November 2025 cost nothing.
Was the 2024 Nutcracker free?
The Palacio Nacional shows were. AGN reported that the MCD presented Suite El Cascanueces free at the Palacio Nacional de la Cultura on 4, 5 and 6 December 2024 at 15:00, as part of its Tardes de Arte. Seats for 4 December ran out in under 24 hours.
Who dances The Nutcracker in Guatemala?
The Ballet Nacional de Guatemala Christa Mertins, a state company under the MCD. AGN reported that it marked 77 years on 16 July 2025, and that December 2025 was its 30th anniversary of staging El Cascanueces in Guatemala.
