Philadelphia Ballet releases $10 ‘Nutcracker’ tickets for opening night

If visions of Sugar Plums are dancing in your (or your child's) head, Philadelphia Ballet is offering a deal.

Starting 8 a.m. Friday, the company is releasing 2,600 tickets at $10 each for opening night — Dec. 6 — of

The ballet is expecting them to sell out quickly, but regular-priced tickets starting at $25 will still be available for the three-week run of .

This is the fourth year the ballet has offered $10 tickets.

"Four years ago, the initial [idea] was, 'let's get everyone back into the theater'" as the COVID-19 pandemic was loosening up, said Shelly Power, Philadelphia Ballet's executive director. "And let's do that for opening night to really kind of push . It really was exciting, and we were happy to do it. What we learned was, over the past four years, we're getting a lot of new audience members because of that experience of 'come and see us, try us.'

"We want to make this accessible to you, and you can start the tradition with your family, just as many, many other people have done over the years. We felt as though it was a really nice way to to open this to the community and make us accessible."

» READ MORE: Two critics went to Philadelphia Ballet's 'The Nutcracker.' Here's what they thought.

Sales from tickets go a long way to support ballet companies all year long. This is no different for Philadelphia Ballet; ticket sales are responsible for 19 percent of the company's $18 million to $20 million operating budget.

That, along with the holiday demand, is why companies offer so many chances to see the annual favorite. Philadelphia Ballet is performing 31 performances of in December. , the second longest run this season, has 11 performances.

is also a good entree into the world of ballet, which some people find intimidating. But after watching , some people wind up buying tickets to other ballets as well, eventually becoming loyal fans.

It is also how many performers wind up on the stage.

"A little girl or boy, might say, 'Wow, I want to do that,' because there's so many children in the show," Power said. "They can see themselves on stage ... the costumes, the magic of the tree.

"And let's not forget that adults love that too."