Mariah Carey's Christmas Time is an annual concert series by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. Originally launched as her fourteenth concert tour in 2024, the series began on November 6, 2024, in Highland, California at the Yaamava' Resort & Casino, and concluded on December 17, 2024, in New York City at the Barclays Center, with three scheduled dates cancelled due to illness. In 2025, the series continued as a concert residency at Dolby Live in Paradise, Nevada and is scheduled to make its international debut in Brazil , England, and Malta in 2026.
Background In August 2024, Mariah Carey announced Mariah Carey's Christmas Time, deemed as her largest holiday tour to date, via her social media channels. The tour coincided with the 30-year anniversary of her first Christmas album and fourth studio album Merry Christmas (1994) and her song "All I Want for Christmas Is You", one of the best-selling digital singles of all time.
On September 15, 2025, Carey announced that her holiday show would return as a concert residency at Dolby Live in Paradise, Nevada. The residency lasted for ten performances from November 28 through December 13, 2025.
On May 26, 2026, Carey announced the first international shows of Mariah Carey's Christmas Time, playing two dates in Brazil in November. This marks the third year in a row Carey is set to perform in the country, as well the first time Carey is going to perform a holiday show outside North America since the European leg of All I Want for Christmas Is You: A Night of Joy and Festivity in 2018.
Critical reception Critics felt the concert's Christmas theme came across effectively. In The Arizona Republic, Ed Masley viewed it as "sweet and old-fashioned and corny as hell in a way that was utterly entertaining, hitting all the notes you'd want this sort of Christmas show to hit". Houston Chronicle critic Joey Guerra called the concert "a joy — equal parts Nutcracker fantasia, holiday pageant and TV variety show". Referring to the presence of "reindeer, sleighbells, carolers, and even Santa Claus", DeVaughan Douglas described it as "a full Christmas production" in the Houston Press. For The Desert Suns Brian Blueskye, the show "brought out the traditional feels celebrating all the usual themes of family, giving and Christmastime love". MusicRows Sherod Robertson remarked that Carey's inclusion of her children "added a personal touch to the concert, emphasizing the themes of love and togetherness central to the holiday season". Mars Salazar of the Austin American-Statesman and Desiree Gutierrez of the Dallas Observer said Carey evoked Christmas sentiments despite performing in November.
Carey's vocals received praise. Jasmine Osby of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said she "delivered, showcasing her powerhouse singing and mind-blowing vocal range from beginning to end". Blueskye agreed: her voice was "stunning and powerful from start to finish". The Tennesseans Melonee Hurt thought Carey "showed the crowd she still possesses the five-octave vocal range that made her famous". In The Boston Globe, Victoria Wasylak wrote that Carey's "sparkling five-octave vocal range allowed her to claim the title "Queen of Christmas". Guerra said "she pulled it all out of the bag: whistle notes, belts, falsetto." In USA Today, Melissa Ruggieri felt Carey "still lands those signature dog-whistle notes quite impressively". Salazar thought her "powerhouse vocals were the highlight, with vibrato so effortless that it almost looked like she was lip syncing." Writing for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Shaun Brady said "Carey sounded strong and for the most part seemed to be singing live, with little reliance on recordings and lip-synch". According to Rodney Ho of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Carey's "voice remained supple and smooth." Fort Worth Star-Telegram contributor Stefan Stevenson suggested her "vaunted vocals, while still smooth and powerful, seemed muted at times, as if she was struggling with a throat issue of some kind."
Carey's stage presence garnered a mixed reception. Osby thought Carey "worked the stage like a catwalk" in lieu of dancing. Similarly, Salazar said "she let her backup dancers do the heavy lifting throughout the performance, only walking back and forth around the stage." Brady echoed these comments: Carey "comported herself perhaps too regally, pacing the stage slowly while relying on her dancers to supply the energy." According to Guerra, "the band, backup singers and dancers provided a strong framework" for her nonetheless. Gutierrez said "the dancers proved to be pivotal to the show" due to Carey's focus on singing. Hurt felt Carey's lacking of dancing did not detract from the concert as audiences came to hear her sing. Ho thought the tightness of her clothing and wearing of high-heeled shoes contributed to a lack of energy; Wasylak suggested a cold might explain why she occasionally seemed less inspired than the audience. Robertson said Carey established a connection with the audience by "sharing personal anecdotes about the holiday season and expressing her gratitude for their unwavering support over the years". For Ruggieri, Carey's foray into the crowd to sign items showed how she is not necessarily a diva.
Set list 2024
"The Christmas Princess"
Act I "Sugar Plum Fairy" "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing / Gloria (In Excelsis Deo)" "Joy to the World" "Silent Night" "O Holy Night" "Christmas Time Is in the Air Again" "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" "Christmas Wrapping" and "Deck the Halls / Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"
Act II "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" intro "Oh Santa!" "Sleigh Ride" "Charlie Brown Christmas" "Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)" "When Christmas Comes" "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) / House Top Celebration" "Fall in Love at Christmas" and "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen"
Act III "My All" "Emotions" "Hero" "Fantasy" "Always Be My Baby" "We Belong Together"
Encore "Carol of the Bells" "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town / Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" "All I Want for Christmas Is You"
2025
"The Christmas Princess"
Act I "Sugar Plum Fairy" "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing / Gloria (In Excelsis Deo)" "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" intro "Oh Santa!" "Sleigh Ride" "Charlie Brown Christmas" "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" "Lil Snowman"
Act II "Christmas Time Is in the Air Again" "Joy to the World" "Silent Night" "When Christmas Comes" "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) / House Top Celebration" "Fall in Love at Christmas" "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen"
Act III "My All" "Jesus I Do" "Play This Song" "In Your Feelings" "Fantasy" Medley: "Honey / Heartbreaker" "Emotions" "Make It Happen" "Always Be My Baby" "Hero" "We Belong Together"
Encore "Carol of the Bells" "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town / Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" "The Christmas Princess" "All I Want for Christmas Is You"
Tour dates + List of 2024 concerts Date (2024) City Country Venue November 6 Highland United States Yaamava' Resort & Casino November 8 Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl November 10 Lincoln Thunder Valley Casino Resort November 13 Thousand Palms Acrisure Arena November 15 Phoenix Footprint Center November 17 Austin Moody Center November 19 Houston Toyota Center November 21 Dallas American Airlines Center November 23 Atlanta State Farm Arena November 25 Nashville Bridgestone Arena November 27 Rosemont Allstate Arena November 29 St. Louis Enterprise Center December 1Washington D.C. Capital One Arena December 3 Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center December 5 Boston TD Garden December 7 Baltimore CFG Bank Arena December 9 Raleigh Lenovo Center December 17 Brooklyn Barclays Center
+ List of 2025 concerts Date (2025) City Country Venue November 28ParadiseUnited StatesDolby Live November 29 December 2 December 3 December 5 December 6 December 9 December 10 December 12 December 13
+ List of 2026 concerts Date (2026) City CountryVenue November 17 São Paulo BrazilNubank Parque November 18 November 21 Rio de JaneiroFarmasi ArenaNovember 27BirminghamEnglandUtilita ArenaNovember 30LondonThe O2 ArenaDecember 2ManchesterCo-op LiveDecember 8AttardMaltaMalta Fairs & Convention Centre
Cancelled shows + List of cancelled concerts, showing date, city, venue and reason of cancellation Date (2024) City State Venue Reason December 11 Pittsburgh United States PPG Paints Arena Flu December 13 Newark Prudential Center December 15 Elmont UBS Arena
Notes
References