Fifteen Daytime Sessions in a Thirty-Five Performance Run
San Francisco Ballet performs Helgi Tomasson's Nutcracker at the War Memorial Opera House across a December run. The company's published calendar carries 35 performances between December 4 and December 27, 2026. Fifteen of them begin at 11 am or 2 pm.
Thirteen performances start at 2 pm: December 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23 and 26. Two start at 11 am: December 24 and December 27.
The other performances sit later in the day. Fifteen begin at 7 pm, three at 6 pm on December 8, 9 and 10, and two at 4 pm on December 24 and 27. December 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, 21 and 25 carry no performance.
The calendar marks value priced performances with V and premium priced with P. L marks the Land of Dreams Luncheon Event on December 6, and SFP the Sensory Friendly Performance on December 27 at 11 am.
A Matinee Fits Inside a Working Day
The production page publishes the run time in three parts: Act I 47 minutes, intermission 20 minutes, Act II 50 minutes. That is 117 minutes from curtain to curtain.
A 2 pm matinee ends about 3:57 pm, which leaves the morning and the first part of the afternoon for work. An 11 am matinee ends about 12:57 pm. The 4 pm performances on December 24 and 27 end about 5:57 pm, and the 6 pm performances on December 8, 9 and 10 end about 7:57 pm.
Thirteen 2 pm dates and two 11 am dates carry the daytime slots. The 6 pm cluster falls in the first week.
Eating Before a 2 pm Curtain
Prelude at the Opera House and Bar opens in the Lower Lounge two hours before 2:00 pm Sunday performances and 7:00 pm Tuesday through Saturday performances, and one hour before 6:00 pm shows. Guests enter through the North Carriage entrance under the awning. The house sells pre-paid buffet dinners through OpenTable.
North Box Restaurant on the north mezzanine opens two hours before 2:00 pm Sunday and 7:00 pm Tuesday through Saturday performances, and one hour before 2:00 pm Tuesday through Saturday, 7:00 pm Sunday and 6:00 pm shows. Cafe Express on the lower level south side carries sandwiches, salads and snacks, and intermission bars run on every level. Guests can pre-order intermission drinks and food by emailing the house caterer before the curtain.
The House Rules a Matinee Delegate Needs
Late seating follows a Nutcracker rule. At repertory performances the house asks latecomers to stand until the break. For Nutcracker performances it states that latecomers will be seated at the discretion of management.
Food is barred from the auditorium, and that includes candy. No outside food is allowed in the house. Food bought inside may be eaten in the lobby and the restaurant. Drinks bought at the theatre bars may enter the auditorium inside the approved compostable cup and lid.
Coat and parcel check sits on the north and south sides of the lobby level. All parcels, backpacks and luggage must be checked, and every bag is screened on arrival. Clear bags are not required. A bag that enters the auditorium must fit under the seat or on a lap, at roughly 14 inches by 14 inches by 6 inches.
The lobbies close 30 minutes after a performance ends. Photographs and recordings are forbidden. No child under 3 is admitted, including a child in a lap, and the house describes the production as most magical for ages 5 and up.
Day Rooms Near the Opera House
The War Memorial Opera House stands at 301 Van Ness Avenue in ZIP 94102. The platform's San Francisco directory carries 72 members in that ZIP. Four of them sit inside half a mile of the house: Inn at the Opera at 333 Fulton Street, 0.07 miles; Hayes Valley Inn at 417 Gough Street, 0.16 miles; Inn on Grove at 465 Grove Street, 0.19 miles; and Inn at Gough at 135 Gough Street, 0.29 miles. Each figure is a straight-line mile from the property's own coordinates to the Opera House address.
The day rates the platform publishes for San Francisco on the October 14, 2026 read sit downtown. Nine of the twenty cards on the city page carry a San Francisco breadcrumb, at $85 to $159 against a published city average of $119.61 for a day room.
Hotel Bijou Union Square lists $85 with windows from 8 am to 2 pm and 9 am to 4 pm. The Mosser Hotel lists $91 across five windows between 8 am and 10 pm. Hotel Caza Fisherman's Wharf lists $107, the Hilton San Francisco Financial District $116 on a single 10 am to 4 pm window, Axiom Hotel $122, Hotel Zeppelin $138, Hotel Zelos $144, Hotel Zetta $152 and Taj Campton Place $159. The other eleven cards carry a breadcrumb in San Mateo or Alameda County.
The platform sells day-use rooms in four slots: morning 6 am to 12 pm, afternoon 12 pm to 6 pm, evening 6 pm to 12 am and overnight 12 am to 6 am. An afternoon slot covers a 2 pm curtain from the check-in side and runs until 6 pm. A morning slot ends at 12 pm and fits the two 11 am dates.
Two Dates Worth Planning Around
Nutcracker Nightcap runs December 4 at 9 pm for a $150 ticket, restricted to guests 21 and over, and its tickets do not include a seat at the performance. The Sensory Friendly Performance on December 27 at 11 am is built as a relaxed performance for neurodiverse audiences of all ages. The company dates its Nutcracker to 1944 and describes that production as America's first.
