What to Expect at An Irish Christmas, 2026!

If you have never seen An Irish Christmas live on stage, here is the honest answer to every question you might have before you book your tickets. And if you have seen it before - well, you already know. Come back anyway.

It Is a Full Theatrical Production - Not a Concert

This is the first thing worth knowing. An Irish Christmas is not a concert with a few dancers on the side. It is a fully staged, two-hour theatrical production with a beginning, a middle, and an end. There is a live traditional band, a vocal ensemble, world-champion Irish dancers, and storytelling woven throughout - all built around the authentic customs of Christmas in Ireland.

Think of it as theatre, music, and dance all arriving at the same door on the same night.

The Cast Is the Real Thing

The dancers and musicians in An Irish Christmas are not generically talented. They are specifically, verifiably exceptional.

The cast includes alumni of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance - the two productions that introduced Irish step dance to the world. These are performers who have danced on the largest stages on earth, and on December nights in California, they will be on your stage, in your city.

The show is produced by Margaret O’Carroll, a native of Tralee, Co. Kerry, Ireland and former member of the Irish National Folk Theatre. She has been bringing Irish performing arts to American audiences for over 30 years. An Irish Christmas has been featured on PBS. When critics call it “Ireland to the core,” that is because it is.

You Will Learn Something

What sets An Irish Christmas apart from other holiday shows is that it is rooted in the actual traditions of Christmas in Ireland - not the Hallmark version, the real one.

You will see and hear the story of chasing the Wren on St. Stephen’s Day, the morning after Christmas that the Irish celebrate as a holiday in its own right. You will encounter the ritual of drawing down the half door, the threshold tradition that marks the turning of the season. You will see how butter-making, music, and gathering together were the original Irish Christmas.

These are not decorative details. They are the backbone of the show - the reason audiences call it “an overwhelming success: glorious music, dance, and plenty of Irish soul.”

What the Music Sounds Like

The band is live and on stage with the performers. You will hear the fiddle, traditional percussion, vocals, and the sound that no recording has ever fully captured - the rhythmic crack of hard-shoe dancers on a wooden stage, which functions as its own instrument in the music.

The result is energetic, joyful, and impossible to sit completely still through. Fair warning.

Who Should Come

Everyone. Genuinely.

An Irish Christmas is all-ages and family-friendly. Children are transfixed by the dancing. Adults feel the music in a way that is hard to explain until it happens to them. Older audiences appreciate the cultural depth and the live traditional performance. And anyone with even a strand of Irish heritage in their family tree will feel something they did not expect to feel in the middle of December in California.

The show runs approximately two hours with an intermission - the right length for families and comfortable for everyone.

What People Say After

The reviews speak for themselves.

“Genuinely astonishing… electric!” - The Village News

“The capacity crowd nearly brought the house down!” - Irish Herald

“Magical. Glorious Irish music. Remarkable. Pure joy. A great Irish night!” - The Irish Herald

“An overwhelming success: glorious music, dance, and plenty of Irish soul. First rate!” - Irish News and Entertainment

In 2025, the California tour played to audiences totaling nearly 5,000 people across nine days, coming close to a full sell-out! These are not niche numbers. This is a show that fills seats and leaves people talking.

Where to See It in 2026

An Irish Christmas returns to California this December for six performances across five cities:

December 17 + 18 - Clark Center for the Performing Arts, Arroyo Grande

December 19 - Balboa Theatre, San Diego

December 20 - Visalia Fox Theatre, Visalia

December 22 - Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara

December 23 - Fred Kavli Theatre, Bank of America Performing Arts Center, Thousand Oaks

These are world-class venues. The Clark Center, the Lobero, the Balboa - these are the kinds of rooms where the show becomes a memory.

Tickets are available now at KerryIrishProductions.com. Do not wait - the 2025 California tour sold out in multiple markets.

An Irish Christmas is produced by Kerry Irish Productions, bringing the authentic traditions of Irish music, dance, and storytelling to American audiences since the 1990s. As seen on PBS.