First State Ballet Theatre
Delaware's professional ballet company — and its Nutcracker is danced on The Grand's mainstage downtown, on The Grand's mainstage downtown.
818 N Market St, Wilmington, DE 19801
Hours
Hours not posted
Last checked 2026-08-21
- Cost
- $30–$70 (The Nutcracker 2026) adult · $30–$70 (The Nutcracker 2026) child
- Best for
- Ages 5–10 sweet spot
- Indoor / outdoor
- Indoor
- Typical visit
- About 1 hour 45 minutes for The Nutcracker, including one intermission — figure closer to 2.5 hours door to door with parking and getting seated.
A performance venue: there is nothing to do here without a ticketed show, so rate the show, not the building.
The Quick Version
- • First State Ballet Theatre calls itself Delaware's professional ballet company and school — but it doesn't have its own theater. It's a resident company at The Grand Opera House, so you're really going to a show at The Grand, 818 N. Market Street in downtown Wilmington.
- • The Nutcracker is in Copeland Hall, The Grand's 1,140-seat mainstage. Note that The Grand runs two other rooms — The Playhouse on Rodney Square two blocks north and the 305-seat baby grand — so check which one your ticket says.
- • The Nutcracker is the family show. In 2026 it runs six performances in Copeland Hall on December 12, 13, 19 and 20; it's 1 hour 45 minutes including one intermission, and tickets are $30–$70.
- • There's a second address in Middletown — the School of First State Ballet at Whitehall, 727 Mapleton Avenue. That's where classes happen, not performances. Don't drive there for a show.
Best Ages
Ages 5–10 sweet spot
Plan For
About 1 hour 45 minutes for The Nutcracker, including one intermission — figure closer to 2.5 hours door to door with parking and getting seated.
Adults
$30–$70 (The Nutcracker 2026)
Kids
$30–$70 (The Nutcracker 2026)
What to Expect
The first thing to know is that First State Ballet Theatre doesn't have a building of its own. It's a resident company at The Grand Opera House in Wilmington — alongside the Delaware Symphony and Opera Delaware — so what you're actually doing is seeing a show at The Grand, 818 N. Market Street. Every venue fact below belongs to The Grand: the hall, the seats, the box office.
Performances are in Copeland Hall, The Grand's mainstage, which seats 1,140. That's a real theater, not a school auditorium, and it's worth knowing The Grand operates two other rooms — The Playhouse on Rodney Square, two blocks north on Market Street, and the smaller baby grand. Different buildings, same organization. Read your ticket.
The show families come for is The Nutcracker. In 2026 it runs six performances across two December weekends, and it's 1 hour 45 minutes including one intermission. It follows Marie and the Nutcracker Prince, and it's danced, not spoken — there's no dialogue to hang onto, just Tchaikovsky and choreography and a lot of sparkle. Kids who like that will really like it.
Here's the honest tradeoff. Tickets are $30–$70 a seat, so a family of four is spending somewhere between $120 and $280 before parking. And an hour and 45 minutes of sitting quietly in the dark, with a break in the middle that resets everyone's attention, is a genuine ask of a three-year-old. We'd point families with a preschooler toward a matinee, an aisle seat, and a plan for stepping out. For a five-year-old who's been told the story first, it's a much easier yes.
One more practical note: The Grand lists Sensory-Friendly Family Shows among its education and community programs. We haven't confirmed whether any Nutcracker performance is one of them, but it's a question worth asking the box office if that matters for your kid.
Who It's Best For
The Nutcracker is 1 hour 45 minutes with one intermission, in a dark 1,140-seat hall, with no dialogue to follow — just dancing and Tchaikovsky. Kids around 5 and up who already like stories and sitting still tend to love it. A 3-year-old is a genuine stretch, and at $30–$70 a seat it's an expensive experiment. If you have a 3- or 4-year-old, the honest read is that it depends entirely on your particular kid, and the matinee is the version worth trying.
Highlights
The Nutcracker in Copeland Hall
Ages 5–10Six performances in December 2026 on The Grand's 1,140-seat mainstage — the story of Marie and the Nutcracker Prince, danced by Delaware's professional company. 1 hour 45 minutes including one intermission.
Afternoon showtimes
Under 7Four of the six 2026 Nutcracker performances are matinees — 1 pm on December 12, and 2 pm on December 13, 19 and 20. With young kids, the afternoon is the version that works.
The Sugar Plum Soiree add-on
Kids who want the full occasionAn extra you can add to a matinee or evening Nutcracker ticket, offered on December 12 only. We don't have details on what's included or what it costs — ask when you book.
A real downtown theater trip
First-timersCopeland Hall is The Grand's mainstage, and The Grand programs jazz, folk and family artists across its season. For a lot of Delaware kids this is their first time inside a proper opera house.
The rest of the season is not for kids
Ages 10+The announced 2026–2027 slate is Don Quixote, Up Front on Market, The Nutcracker, Carmen and Swan Lake. Outside of December, treat these as adult classical ballet unless you know your kid.
What to Skip with Little Ones
- • The 7 pm performance on December 19 — an evening curtain plus a 1 hour 45 minute run time is late for small kids.
- • A non-Nutcracker production on a whim. The Nutcracker is the one the company bills as a family show; we haven't confirmed anything about the others.
- • Driving to Middletown. The School of First State Ballet at Whitehall, 727 Mapleton Avenue, is classes only — performances are at The Grand in Wilmington.
Logistics
Admission
Adults
$30–$70 (The Nutcracker 2026)
Kids
$30–$70 (The Nutcracker 2026)
Under
Not confirmed — we haven't found a published lap-child or under-age policy, so assume every body in a seat needs a ticket and call the box office if you're hoping otherwise.
The $30–$70 range is First State Ballet Theatre's published price for The Nutcracker 2026 and reflects where you're sitting. That's a real number for a family of four — $120 at the low end. The Grand Box Office is 302.652.5577; the Grand Box Office is 302.652.5577. First State Ballet Theatre's own office is 302-652-5503 (fsbt@firststateballet.org), open Monday 4–7 pm, Tuesday–Friday 10 am–7 pm, and Saturday 10 am–2 pm.
Getting There
Parking
We haven't confirmed parking for this guide. The hall is at 818 N. Market Street in downtown Wilmington, and we don't have a verified answer on garages, street parking or rates — ask The Grand's box office at 302.652.5577 when you buy, and give yourself extra time the first trip.
Entrance
The Grand Opera House, 818 N. Market Street, Wilmington. Performances are in Copeland Hall, the mainstage. If your ticket says The Playhouse on Rodney Square or the baby grand, that's a different building — The Playhouse is two blocks north on Market Street.
Parent Logistics
It's a seated show in a 1,140-seat hall, so a stroller isn't coming down the aisle with you. We haven't confirmed whether The Grand checks strollers in the lobby — worth a call before you push one downtown.
Restrooms are at The Grand, not confirmed by us in detail. There's one intermission in the 1 hour 45 minute Nutcracker, and 1,140 people share it — take kids before the show starts, not at the break.
Not confirmed — we haven't verified changing tables at The Grand. Plan as if there aren't any.
Indoors — Copeland Hall is a seated theater, so weather is a non-issue once you're inside.
Food & Snacks
No food on-site. We haven't confirmed what The Grand sells at intermission, so don't build your afternoon around finding food there. Eat before you go; We haven't confirmed what The Grand sells at intermission, so don't build your afternoon around finding food there. Eat before you go.
Snack strategy: Feed everyone beforehand. A 1 hour 45 minute show with one intermission is not a place to discover your kid is hungry, and we can't promise a concession stand will be open.
Pro Tips
- ✓ The Grand Box Office is 302.652.5577; First State Ballet's own office (302-652-5503) is open Mon 4–7 pm, Tue–Fri 10 am–7 pm, Sat 10 am–2 pm. First State Ballet's own office (302-652-5503) is open Mon 4–7 pm, Tue–Fri 10 am–7 pm, Sat 10 am–2 pm.
- ✓ Take a matinee. Of the six 2026 Nutcracker performances, four are afternoons.
- ✓ Tell your kid the story before you go. It's danced with no dialogue, so a five-minute plot summary in the car does more for their afternoon than anything else you can do.
- ✓ Bathroom before the curtain, not at intermission — there's one break and 1,140 people in the hall.
- ✓ Ask the box office about parking when you buy. We haven't verified downtown parking for this venue and would rather tell you that than guess.
- ✓ If sensory needs are a factor, ask whether any performance is one of The Grand's Sensory-Friendly Family Shows.
- ✓ Check which venue is printed on your ticket. The Grand also runs The Playhouse two blocks north and the baby grand — same organization, different buildings.
Questions parents ask
How much are tickets to First State Ballet Theatre's Nutcracker?
$30 to $70 a seat for the 2026 production, depending where you sit. For a family of four that's roughly $120 at the low end and $280 at the top, before parking or anything else.
How long is The Nutcracker?
1 hour 45 minutes, including one intermission. Add time on either end for getting downtown, parking and finding your seats.
Is The Nutcracker OK for a 4-year-old?
It can be, but go in with your eyes open. It's an hour and 45 minutes in a dark 1,140-seat hall with one intermission and no spoken dialogue — just dancing. A four-year-old who sits through stories at home has a good shot; one who doesn't will be done before the snow scene. Pick a matinee, sit where you can slip out, and know that at $30–$70 a seat it's a pricey thing to bail on.
Where do we park?
We haven't confirmed parking for this venue and won't guess. The hall is at 818 N. Market Street in downtown Wilmington — call the Grand Box Office at 302.652.5577 when you buy tickets and ask what they recommend.
Where are the performances actually held?
Copeland Hall at The Grand Opera House, 818 N. Market Street, Wilmington. First State Ballet Theatre is a resident company at The Grand rather than a venue of its own. Its school is at a separate address in Middletown — 727 Mapleton Avenue — and that's for classes, not shows.
When is The Nutcracker in 2026?
Six performances in Copeland Hall: Saturday, December 12 at 1 pm and 5 pm; Sunday, December 13 at 2 pm; Saturday, December 19 at 2 pm and 7 pm; and Sunday, December 20 at 2 pm.
Are there changing tables or a place to check a stroller?
We haven't confirmed either one. Plan as though the answer is no, and call The Grand if it's going to make or break the trip.
When to Go
Best Time to Visit
December, for The Nutcracker — that's the show built for families. An afternoon performance beats an evening one with young kids: in 2026 the matinees are December 13, 19 and 20 at 2 pm, plus a 1 pm on December 12.
Seasonal Notes
The Nutcracker 2026 plays Copeland Hall on Saturday, December 12 at 1 pm and 5 pm; Sunday, December 13 at 2 pm; Saturday, December 19 at 2 pm and 7 pm; and Sunday, December 20 at 2 pm. Tickets are $30–$70. A Sugar Plum Soiree add-on to a matinee or evening ticket is offered on December 12 only. The rest of the announced 2026–2027 season is Don Quixote, Up Front on Market, Carmen and Swan Lake. We haven't confirmed run times or audience for those, so read them as a different kind of night out, so read them as a different kind of night out.
Rainy Day?
It's an indoor seated show — weather doesn't touch it once you're through the doors.
Upcoming Events
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