The World of Nutcracker Will Bring an Immersive Holiday Experience to Doral

Downtown Doral wants to become a must-visit destination in South Florida during the holiday season. But with so much Christmas competition already out there, the 250-acre, mixed-use development knows it's not enough to light up a Christmas tree and trot out the jolly old fat man for photos.

This year, for the first time, Downtown Doral will offer an immersive experience based on The Nutcracker. The World of Nutcracker, which runs November 30-January 3, will begin in a tent where digital scenes from The Nutcracker will cover every wall. The festive experience will then move outside to the Pine Forest, where live actors will re-enact the Nutcracker Prince versus Mouse King duel.

Afterward, guests can meet Drosselmeier in his toy workshop and buy and customize their own Nutcracker miniature figures. For food offerings, they can expect vendors in the Nutcracker Emporium who are representative of the countries referenced in The Nutcracker, including Germany, China, and Spain. There, they will also find a 19th-century sleigh perfect for those all-important photo ops.

The entire experience is said to last 30 to 45 minutes.

"We really want to own the holiday season," says Ana-Marie Codina Barlick, CEO of Codina Partners, the developers of Downtown Doral. "We want to do something different and cutting edge that will attract people and give them a high-quality experience. They can expect something they've never experienced before. You're in the actual story. And whether you know the story or not, you're going to enjoy it."

For those not up on The Nutcracker universe, it began with E. T. A. Hoffmann's 1816 tale The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, which was turned into a more kid-friendly story by Alexandre Dumas in 1845. A group of Russians had the bright idea to give The Nutcracker the ballet treatment in 1892, resulting in Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky's famous score, including "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" and "March of the Toy Soldiers."

New York City Ballet cofounder George Balanchine then put his spin on things by adding choreography and using Dumas' story and Tchaikovsky's score. This production of The Nutcracker debuted in New York in 1954 and was later turned into a 1993 film starring Macaulay Culkin.
Many in South Florida have experienced The Nutcracker firsthand on stage thanks to Miami City Ballet, which has performed Balanchine's version every December since 2017. Miami City Ballet collaborated on a production of The Nutcracker with Downtown Doral during the pandemic, which apparently planted the seed for the World of Nutcracker.

"I love The Nutcracker, so I'm super-biased," says Codina Barlick. "It's something very different, very wholesome, and very classic. Because it's ballet and there's no language, it appeals to everyone. I encourage everyone to watch The Nutcracker by Miami City Ballet at the Arsht Center because it's a magical experience. But not everyone wants to go to the ballet. Some people would maybe rather just spend 45 minutes on The Nutcracker.

"The digital aspect of the World of Nutcracker really brings it to another generation — a younger generation. It's a good alternative and can expose people to a classical story in a contemporary setting."

The World of Nutcracker isn't the first immersive experience based on an older tale to come to South Florida. The Little Prince World, inspired by the 1943 book The Little Prince, set up shop in Watson Island in late 2023. Other temporary immersive experiences in the area have included the Messi Experience, the Golden Girls Kitchen, and Surreal 360: a Salvador Dalí Experience.

While holiday attractions have become a big business in South Florida, with new ones popping up just about every year, the World of Nutcracker is the first of its kind in the area. Brett Smock, the producing artistic director at the REV Theatre Company in New York, directs the experience.

"We're not going to be Santa's Enchanted Forest," Codina Barlick says, referencing South Florida's long-time holiday amusement park, which recently announced it wouldn't be returning this season. "We want this to be elegant and give people an elevated experience."

The goal is for Downtown Doral to offer a must-see holiday attraction every year.

"We commissioned the experience and own it," says Codina Barlick. "We will be repeating it, and I'm sure improving upon on it over the years. We have a long-term vision of emulating the larger European cities that have large light displays and things like that. This is the first step in a long-term vision that we have of Downtown Doral being a very special place for the holidays."

The World of Nutcracker. 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, November 30, through Friday, January 3, at Downtown Doral, 5275 Paseo Blvd., Doral; 305-592-0681; downtowndoral.com. Tickets cost $18 to $60.