The rain was pouring incessantly on the sweet Saturday evening while I was inside the beautiful auditorium of the San Francisco Ballet and was reveling in the flow of music, dance, and drama.
The on-stage ballet was a welcome break from the constant presence of screens in our lives.
Dancers, musicians, stage sceneries and a spirited audience transported me to a world of chivalry, a world of adventure, the world of Don Quixote.
The cadence of this ballet rekindled a memory, and my mind travelled back to Madrid’s Plaza de España, which I visited a couple of years ago in Spain. The plaza has a stone sculpture of Miguel de Cervantes with two of his characters, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.
Here is the photograph I took of that sculpture in Madrid, posted back in 2017 with a line of Quixote’s about dreams and madness. I had no idea then that I would watch the same two characters dance across a stage in San Francisco.
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San Francisco Ballet at the War Memorial Opera House
San Francisco Ballet is the oldest professional ballet company in America, and it performs at the War Memorial Opera House at 301 Van Ness Avenue, right next door to Davies Symphony Hall. The auditorium seats 3,006 people across five levels.
Opera House Seating: Where Should You Sit?
The seat map has a lot of names on it. Here is what the levels actually mean, from the floor upward.
| Level | Where it is |
|---|---|
| Orchestra | The main floor, closest to the stage |
| Boxes | The mezzanine level, along the sides |
| Grand Tier | Second floor, the first balcony |
| Dress Circle | Third floor, above the Grand Tier |
| Balcony Circle | Fourth floor |
| Balcony | Fifth floor, the highest and cheapest seats |
Tip: If you care more about seeing the whole pattern of the dancing than about faces, then go higher. Ballet is choreographed to be read from above, and the Grand Tier and Dress Circle show you the shapes the company makes across the stage!
How much are San Francisco Ballet tickets?
- Repertory season: roughly $36 to $565 per seat, depending on the production and where you sit.
- Nutcracker: roughly $49 to $449. It is the busiest run of the year, so book early.
- Standing room: $10. Sold in person at the Opera House box office on the day of the performance, or by phone. You stand at the back of the main floor or the back of the balcony, behind a wall about four and a half feet high. Cash is preferred.
- Rush for All: a limited number of discounted tickets for selected performances, on sale from 10 am on the day and limited to two per household.
- Good to know: every ticket carries a facility fee of a dollar or two, and exchanges cost extra once you are inside three hours of curtain.
What time do performances start?
- Tuesday to Friday: 7:30 pm.
- Saturday: 2 pm and 8 pm.
- Sunday: 2 pm.
- Nutcracker: 7 pm evenings and 2 pm matinees, with some 6 pm weekday shows in early December.
- The lobby opens one hour before the performance. If your tickets are at will call, be at the box office 45 minutes early.
- There is no late seating during the repertory season. Arrive late and you stand at the back or watch on a monitor until the interval.
The 2026 to 2027 San Francisco Ballet Season
The repertory season runs from December through early May, and every production sits at the Opera House unless the company says otherwise.
- Nutcracker: 4 to 27 December 2026
- The Sleeping Beauty: 29 January to 7 February 2027
- Titans of Choreography: 16 to 21 February 2027
- Jewels: 27 February to 7 March 2027
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream: 19 to 27 March 2027
- Divine Creatures: 8 to 14 April 2027
- Manon: 23 April to 2 May 2027
Nutcracker in San Francisco: what to know
The San Francisco Ballet gave America its first full Nutcracker in 1944, and the December run is still the busiest thing the company does. In 2026 it plays from 4 to 27 December, with no performances on 7, 14, 21 or 25 December.
- Run time: about two hours, with a 47 minute first act, a 20 minute interval and a 50 minute second act.
- Tickets: roughly $49 to $449.
- Best for children: the 2 pm matinees, and the early 6 pm shows in the first week of December.
- Every person needs a ticket, whatever their age, and children must have their own seat. No lap sitting.
Where to Stay Near the War Memorial Opera House
The Opera House sits in Civic Center, and a 7:30 pm curtain with no late seating is a good reason not to drive home afterwards. Everything below is walking distance, so you can leave your car parked and stroll back after the applause.
Inn at the Opera
Three tenths of a mile from the Opera House, and named for it. Musicians and dancers have stayed here for decades, and you can walk to the curtain in a few minutes.
Tip: If you want the shortest possible walk home after the ballet, then book Inn at the Opera.
Courtyard by Marriott, Van Ness Avenue
Half a mile up Van Ness, on the same street as both the Opera House and Davies Symphony Hall. A straightforward, reliable option if you are making a weekend of it.
Tip: If you are pairing the ballet with a symphony night, then stay at the Courtyard by Marriott on Van Ness and walk to both.
Hotel Adagio
Six tenths of a mile away, closer to Union Square, which puts dinner and shopping on your doorstep as well as the performance.
Tip: If you want restaurants within a block of your room, then book Hotel Adagio.
A Night at the San Francisco Ballet: Don Quixote
The Don Quixote I saw was choreographed by Helgi Tomasson and Yuri Possokhov. Now let me take you inside the Opera House!
That evening at the San Francisco Ballet was one of those nights when someone seemed to inject liquid adrenaline into my veins. I tapped my toes, I clapped, and I shouted Bravo!
Being a Kathak dancer myself, I know what a dancer feels on the stage. So when I watch someone dance, I am receptive to the transmission of that life force. I was not only watching Don Quixote that evening, I was reading it.
Dance is an art form with a unique energy, vitality and life force. It speaks through the body, the music and the rhythm. It is a language passed from one soul to another, and the expression is lost the moment you try to translate it into words.
Dance is an art form that has a unique energy, vitality and life force. It expresses with body, music, and rhythm. Its a language from one soul to another. #Travel #SanFrancisco Share on X
To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking.~ Agnes de Mille
Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.~ Twyla Tharp
FAQs About the San Francisco Ballet
Where is the best place to sit at the San Francisco Ballet?
Ballet is choreographed to be read from above, so the Grand Tier and Dress Circle show you the patterns the whole company makes across the stage. The Orchestra level puts you closer to the dancers’ faces and footwork. The Balcony is the cheapest and still has a full view.
How much are San Francisco Ballet tickets?
Repertory season tickets run from about $36 to $565 depending on the production and seat. Nutcracker runs from about $49 to $449. Standing room is $10, sold in person on the day of the performance.
What is standing room at the San Francisco Ballet?
A $10 ticket that lets you stand at the rear of the main floor or the rear of the balcony, behind a wall about four and a half feet high. Buy it in person at the Opera House box office on the day, or by phone. Cash is preferred.
When is the Nutcracker in San Francisco in 2026?
The San Francisco Ballet Nutcracker runs from 4 to 27 December 2026 at the War Memorial Opera House, with no performances on 7, 14, 21 or 25 December.
What time do San Francisco Ballet performances start?
Tuesday to Friday performances start at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 2 pm and 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm. The lobby opens one hour before. There is no late seating during the repertory season.
What should you wear to the San Francisco Ballet?
Whatever you are comfortable in. You will see gowns and you will see jeans. If you have been waiting for a reason to wear the good suit or the cocktail dress, this is a fine one.
How many seats are in the War Memorial Opera House?
The War Memorial Opera House seats 3,006 people across five levels, at 301 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco.
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Travel Realizations
When I spend time with music, dance, or any creative performance, my mind stretches into a new horizon. That time becomes fertile ground for my own creative spirit, and it lasts for years.
When I spend time with music, dance, or any creative performance, my mind stretches into a new horizon. #Travel #SanFrancisco Share on XIt is hard to describe what art and artists unbind in us, unless you have sat in that dark auditorium and felt it yourself. That is the real reason to go.
Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a campaign with the San Francisco Ballet. Opinions on this blog, as you can tell, are always mine.
I hope you have enjoyed San Francisco Ballet: Tickets, Seating and Nutcracker Guide. You may also enjoy these other San Francisco travel guides:
- San Francisco Symphony at Davies Hall: Seating, Tickets, Tips
- Dear San Francisco at Club Fugazi: An Immersive Circus Show
- 28 Hidden Gems in San Francisco: Non-Touristy Things to Do
- Christmas in California: 28 Best Places to Spend the Holidays
- 120 Best Free Things to Do in the San Francisco Bay Area
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