A December Run a Front Desk Will Get Asked About
San Francisco Ballet stages Nutcracker at the War Memorial Opera House from 4 to 27 December 2026. The production page lists 35 performances across 20 dates. The venue stands at 301 Van Ness Avenue, at the corner of Grove Street in the Civic Center.
The Ballet’s FAQ page and plan-your-visit page carry the house rules for entry, bags and catering.
Screening Sits at Three Entrances
The War Memorial and Performing Arts Center runs a patron screening system at three points: the north carriage entrance, the south carriage entrance and the main entrance on Van Ness. Tickets are scanned before patrons are screened.
Patrons do not stop at the system, and they do not empty their pockets or open their bags. Patrons and visitors with medically implanted devices may pass through the system. The plan-your-visit page states that the system carries low risk for those devices.
The Bag Rule and Two Coat Check Points
All bags are subject to search on arrival. Clear bags are not required. A bag enters the auditorium when it fits under the seat or on the patron’s lap at approximately 14 by 14 by 6 inches. The same page prints the figure as 14x14x6.
Large items go to coat check. The published list names large backpacks, luggage, shopping bags and other large packages that do not fit comfortably at the seat.
Coat and parcel check operates on the north and south sides of the Lobby level on the main floor. All parcels, backpacks and luggage must be checked. The page gives the safety and comfort of the audience as the reason.
Lost and found runs through the north coat check room on the Main Lobby level. After a performance, unclaimed items travel to the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center main office at 401 Van Ness, Room 110. The FAQ lists the email wmpac-lostandfound@sfgov.org and a voicemail line at 415-621-6600. Walk-in inquiries are not possible. The FAQ states that items can take three days or more to reach the main office, be sorted and be catalogued.
One Caterer Holds the House
Global Gourmet Catering holds the Opera House’s exclusive food and beverage contract. The plan-your-visit page names the company as the exclusive food and beverage services provider and states that it runs the eateries and concessions across the building.
Prelude at the Opera House and Bar sits in the Lower Lounge, with entry through the North Carriage entrance under the awning. Prelude opens two hours before the 2:00 pm Sunday performances and the 7:00 pm Tuesday to Saturday performances. It opens one hour before the 6:00 pm shows. Pre-paid buffet dinners run through OpenTable.
The North Box Restaurant sits on the mezzanine level on the north side. It opens two hours before the 2:00 pm Sunday performance and the 7:00 pm Tuesday to Saturday performances. Its second window is one hour before the 2:00 pm Tuesday to Saturday performances, the 7:00 pm Sunday performance and the 6:00 pm shows. Global Gourmet recommends that patrons pre-order their meals.
Intermission drink orders go to operahousepreorder@ggcatering.com. The page asks patrons to place the order before the curtain. A San Francisco health mandate is added to every check, and the page gives support for employee benefits as the reason.
No outside food is allowed in the Opera House. Food, including candy, is not allowed in the auditorium. Drinks bought at the theater bars may enter the auditorium in the approved compostable cup and lid.
The Run’s Own Consumption
Nutcracker season consumes 1,200 pointe shoes, per the Ballet’s by-the-numbers page. The same page counts 3,700 volunteer hours by SF Ballet BRAVO members in each Nutcracker season.
The Clocks a Guest Asks About
The FAQ suggests arriving at least 45 minutes before the performance and gives the Will Call queue as the reason. The Opera House lobby opens one hour before the performance. The Ballet Box Office opens only on performance days and starts four hours before the performance. The lobbies close 30 minutes after the end of a performance, and the doors are locked at that point.
The production page prints a run time of 117 minutes across three blocks. Act I runs 47 minutes, the intermission runs 20 and Act II runs 50.
What the Pages Do Not Publish
The production page, the FAQ, the plan-your-visit page and the ticket policy page carry no hotel partner, no room block, no group rate, no group code and no shuttle. The production page publishes no attendance figure. Ticket Services answers at 415 865 2000, Monday to Friday, 10 am to 4 pm.