Arts near Madison to mid-December: library film nights and a Dec. 13 holiday concert, A Christmas Carol from Dec. 4 and the Huntsville Nutcracker Dec. 11-13.

Last checked Nov. 6, 2026. Rebuilt each month. Madison has no visitor bureau events feed, so every listing here comes from the venue’s or organizer’s own calendar: the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library, the Von Braun Center, Huntsville Ballet and Fantasy Playhouse.

Madison’s own arts calendar runs through the Madison Public Library, 142 Plaza Blvd., which has film nights, craft classes and a holiday band concert through mid-December. The big stage shows are at the Von Braun Center in downtown Huntsville, about five miles east: A Christmas Carol from Dec. 4 and the Huntsville Ballet’s Nutcracker Dec. 11-13. For everything else this month, see things to do in Madison this month.

Exhibitions now showing

No Madison gallery or museum had posted a dated exhibition on its own website as of Nov. 6. Downtown’s Christmas on Main trees, decorated by local businesses and groups, go on show along Main Street from Friday, Dec. 4, with ornament decorating by the Madison Arts Alliance at the 6 p.m. lighting, the city says. Details are on our Christmas parade and tree lighting page.

Theater and dance

A Celtic Christmas, Saturday, Nov. 7. 7:30 p.m. at the Mark C. Smith Concert Hall, Von Braun Center, 700 Monroe St. SW, Huntsville, on the VBC’s event page.

Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley, Nov. 13-22. A holiday play at the VBC Playhouse, opening at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, on the VBC’s event page.

Books and Ballet, Wednesday, Nov. 18. Storytime with dancers from the Huntsville Ballet at the Madison Public Library, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., on the library calendar.

A Christmas Carol, Dec. 4-13. Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theater and Academy’s 37th year of its Dickens adaptation at the VBC Playhouse, according to the theater:

  • 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4
  • 1 and 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, and Sunday, Dec. 6
  • 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, and Friday, Dec. 11
  • 1 and 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, and Sunday, Dec. 13

The Nutcracker, Dec. 11-13. Huntsville Ballet with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra at the Mark C. Smith Concert Hall: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12; and 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13. Seats are $45, $50 and $55 plus a $5 fee, the ballet says. Times, parking and Sweet Seats are on our Nutcracker and holiday shows page.

Concerts and classical

Huntsville Concert Band holiday concert, Sunday, Dec. 13. “Holiday Classics,” directed by Marsha Asquith, 3 to 4 p.m. at the Madison Public Library, on the library calendar.

The Madison City Community Orchestra has played a Christmas concert in early December in past years; it had not posted a 2026 date as of Nov. 6. We will add it when it does.

Film

The library’s film nights at the Madison Public Library, each on its own calendar page:

Classes and workshops

  • Adult Sewing: Snap Bags: 5:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, with more sessions Nov. 12, 18 and 21, at the Madison Public Library, on the library calendar.
  • Madison Studio Open House: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, at the library’s makerspace studio, on the library calendar.
  • Adult Sewing: Wristlets: 5:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7, with more sessions Dec. 10, 11 and 16, on the library calendar.

Check each class page for sign-up rules before you go.

Regular events

  • Open Studio: Monday to Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in The Studio at the Madison Public Library, on the library calendar.
  • North Alabama Stitchers: 9:30 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays Nov. 18, Dec. 2 and Dec. 16 at the library.
  • Zine Club: 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, and Wednesday, Dec. 16, at the library.

Send us your event

Running a show, concert, exhibition or class in Madison? Email the date, time, venue, price and a photo to hello@madisonnewstoday.com. Listings are free, and they go on this page and in the site’s events diary.

Frequently asked questions

When is The Nutcracker near Madison in 2026?

Huntsville Ballet’s Nutcracker, with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra playing live, runs Dec. 11-13 at the Mark C. Smith Concert Hall in the Von Braun Center, about five miles east of Madison. Tickets on the ballet’s page start at $45.

Is there a holiday concert in Madison?

The Huntsville Concert Band plays a holiday concert from 3 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, at the Madison Public Library, 142 Plaza Blvd., on the library’s calendar.

When is A Christmas Carol at the Von Braun Center?

Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theater stages A Christmas Carol at the VBC Playhouse over two weekends, Dec. 4-6 and Dec. 10-13, with 1, 6 and 7 p.m. shows, according to the theater.

Are there art exhibitions in Madison this month?

No Madison gallery or museum had a dated exhibition on its own website as of Nov. 6. Galleries and artists can send shows to hello@madisonnewstoday.com.