English National Ballet performing The Nutcracker Dec 18, 2024

English National Ballet performing The Nutcracker

Every holiday season, as snow begins to fall and Christmas lights twinkle in the night, the story of "The Nutcracker" comes to life on stages around the world. Written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1892, this beloved ballet is based on E.T.A. Hoffmann"s fairy tale "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King." Set on Christmas Eve, it follows a young girl named Clara, who goes on an adventure with the Nutcracker Prince as they battle the evil Mouse King. Many renowned ballet companies present their rendition of this classic every year, including the New York City Ballet, the Boston Ballet, and the English National Ballet, pictured here.

© Caroline Holden/Alamy

palette

Today in History

Dec 18, 2018A hit ballet, long after its debut
Dec 18, 2019It’s Weihnachtsmarkt time!
Dec 18, 2020A towering view of the Pale Mountains
Dec 18, 2021Full moon
Dec 18, 2022South Beach in Miami Beach, Florida
Dec 18, 2023Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
Dec 18, 2025Celebrating 54 years of Capitol Reef National Park

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jan 14, 2023Feast of the Donkey
Feb 29, 2024Leap day
Jun 20, 2020 Beyond Walls for World Refugee Day
Jun 25, 2025Glastonbury Festival begins
Jul 30, 2025International Day of Friendship
Aug 16, 2025World Honey Bee Day
May 10, 2024Misool, Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia
Aug 14, 2023World Lizard Day
May 20, 2020It s World Bee Day
May 2, 2023Jöriseen lakes in the Silvretta Alps, Switzerland
Dec 30, 2025Whooper swans, Kotoku Pond, Japan
Nov 8, 2022Yi Peng Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Jun 6, 2019Engineering an artificial harbor in Normandy
Mar 24, 201930 years after Exxon Valdez
May 16, 2022Burrowing owls
Mar 22, 2025World Water Day
Jan 27, 2019A memorial in Germany
Jan 8, 2020Take the stairs
May 28, 2021Freeloaders of the avian world
May 18, 2023International Museum Day
Apr 16, 2020Bridges to the past
Jun 15, 2019Pasadena Chalk Festival supports local arts education
Mar 28, 2020The meeting point of the winds
Jul 16, 2018Instant romance
Jul 3, 2024World Meerkat Day
Feb 5, 2023Monarch butterflies, Pismo Beach, California
Nov 9, 2024Aït Benhaddou, Morocco
Sep 14, 2019I am the walrus
Oct 10, 2022Indigenous Peoples Day
Aug 7, 2021Salt of the earth