How the Grinch Stole Christmas at The Old Globe

The Old Globe is back in Who-ville for year 29. Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! runs November 4 through December 31, 2026 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage — the same Balboa Park house that has owned this show since the late ’90s. Official opening night is Sunday, November 8.

This is the Timothy Mason / Mel Marvin musical (Jack O’Brien’s original production, James Vásquez directing this season), not the Jim Carrey movie and not a kids’ pageant with a rented backdrop. The Shiley Stage gets dressed as snow-covered Who-ville. The songs you came for are in the room: “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” “Welcome, Christmas (Fah Who Doraze),” and “Santa for a Day.”

Overview

Runtime is one hour and 20 minutes with no intermission — short enough for most kids who can actually sit still, long enough that you’re not paying Old Globe prices for a 40-minute assembly.

Ages: 3 and up for afternoon and evening shows. Kids under 3 are not admitted except at the 10:30 a.m. all-ages performances, where you can request a free lap ticket for a child under three sharing a seat with a parent or guardian. Call Ticket Services at (619) 234-5623 for those lap tickets — they are not sold as regular seats, and they are not available for ages 3+ or for any afternoon/evening show. Every person in the theatre needs a ticket, including infants. Minors 12 and under have to sit with an accompanying adult.

What You Need to Know

• Event: Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
• When: Wednesday, November 4 – Thursday, December 31, 2026 (opening Sunday, November 8)
• Where: Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage, Old Globe Theatre, Conrad Prebys Theatre Center — 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego, CA 92101
• Runtime: 1 hour 20 minutes, no intermission
• Tickets: TheOldGlobe.org or (619) 234-5623
• Box office: Tuesday–Sunday, 1:00 p.m. until final curtain; closed Mondays and some holidays
• Price: Official face value is not posted as a single starting number — it moves by seat and performance. Buy through the Globe, not a resale tab.

General public single tickets went on sale online September 16, with phone and window sales from September 18. Weekend matinees and the week of Christmas go first.

Access and the Spanish-language run

The Globe has dated access performances on the 2026 calendar:

• ASL-interpreted: Friday, November 13, 7:00 p.m. and Friday, December 11, 7:00 p.m.
• Open caption: Saturday, November 28, 2:00 p.m.
• Sensory-friendly: Saturday, December 12, 2026, 10:00 a.m.

Separately, ¡Cómo el Grinch robó la Navidad! is a fully produced Spanish-language staging for four performances only, November 19–22, 2026 — same property, not a simultaneous-interpreter add-on. Confirm those dates on the Globe PDP when you buy; inventory is small.

Tree lighting (free)

The 21st annual Globe Christmas Tree Lighting is Sunday, November 8 at 6:00 p.m. on Copley Plaza, free to the public. It’s the same night as the musical’s official opening. Extra details were still TBA on the Globe’s holiday-season release — treat 6 p.m. as the posted start, not a concert set time.

Getting there

The theatre sits at 1363 Old Globe Way inside Balboa Park, north of El Prado. Box office email is tickets@theoldglobe.org. If you need accessible seating, sort it with Ticket Services when you buy — don’t assume you can fix it at the door on a sold-out Saturday.

Good to Know

This is San Diego’s December theatre default, which is why it sells like one. If you have a toddler who cannot last 80 minutes in a seat, use a 10:30 a.m. all-ages date or skip the paid show and catch the free tree lighting on Copley Plaza. If you want the English musical plus the Spanish production, those four November dates are the only window.

Tickets: https://www.theoldglobe.org/pdp/26-season/dr.-seusss-how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-2026/

Holiday season notes: https://www.theoldglobe.org/news--media/latest-news/press-release-page/2026/2026-holiday-season/

More of what’s on: https://www.hellosandiego.com/events