Winter is fast approaching, and with it comes a full slate of holiday shows. But that’s far from the only thing on offer in December, with a star-studded lineup including last year’s JUNO winner for “Artist of the Year” and a pair of sold-out shows by former Hey Rosetta! frontman Tim Baker. As always, The Coast has you covered.
Joel Plaskett
Halifax’s favourite rock troubadour puts on a sold-out show at The Carleton to kick off the month—and also celebrate the venue’s 15th anniversary. Fun fact: Plaskett was the first-ever performer to grace The Carleton’s stage in 2008, back when the Argyle Street pub was still under construction.
December 1, The Carleton (1685 Argyle Street), sold out [Music]
The Midnight Clear
Ukelele artist James Hill and cellist Anne Janelle came together thanks to a Japanese-only compilation album. That spawned the Canadian Folk Music Award-winning True Love Don’t Weep, along with a catalogue that has been hailed as “inventive, entertaining, beautifully written and brilliantly performed.” At The Bus Stop Theatre, the two will perform Christmas songs from their album The Midnight Clear. The show starts at 7pm.
December 1, The Bus Stop Theatre (2203 Gottingen Street), tickets $35 [Music]
Meaghan Smith: The Holiday Show
JUNO Award-winning artist Meaghan Smith had a song featured in 2009’s (500) Days of Summer and has been described as “wry and retro, with wordplay harkening back to Tin Pan Alley’s heyday” in the New York Times. She performs three nights of holiday shows in support of Feed Nova Scotia. The shows start at 7:30pm and includes a visit from Santa Claus.
December 1-3, The Stage at St. Andrew’s (6036 Coburg Road), tickets $38.61 [Music]
The Dirty Nil
Hamilton punk rockers The Dirty Nil won “Breakthrough Group of the Year” at the 2017 JUNOs and just released their fourth studio album, Free Rein to Passions, in May. This one’s a head-banger.
December 7, The Marquee Ballroom (2037 Gottingen Street), tickets $27.96 [Music]
Charlotte Cardin
Montreal singer-songwriter Charlotte Cardin was impossible to miss in 2022. Last year, the 29-year-old took home a leading four JUNO Awards, including “Artist of the Year,” “Single of the Year” and “Album of the Year” for her breakout album, Phoenix. She’s followed that up with 2023’s 99 Nights, an album Cardin described to Canadian Press as “the diary of a very precise moment”: One summer, two years ago, hanging out and recording at musical director Mathieu Sénéchal’s Montreal apartment. Both of Cardin’s shows are sold out, but she’ll return in 2024 for JUNO Week with another show at the Light House Arts Centre.
December 8-9, Light House Arts Centre (1800 Argyle Street), sold out [Music]
The Nutcracker
Symphony Nova Scotia, Halifax Dance and Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia combine for this 10-day run of holiday shows at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium—an annual tradition that has lasted for more than 30 years. The showtimes range between 2pm, 4pm and 7:30pm.
December 8-17, Rebecca Cohn Auditorium (6101 University Avenue), tickets $15-$80 [Music]
The Glorious Sons
Since their 2011 debut, the Kingston, Ont. rockers have released two EPs, two live albums and four studio albums. Their latest offering, 2023’s Glory, sees the JUNO-winning band crafting a soundscape that falls somewhere between The Lumineers and the Arkells. It’s stadium rock—and pretty damn catchy, at that—which makes the Scotiabank Centre venue all the more fitting.
December 9, Scotiabank Centre (1800 Argyle Street), tickets $45.50-$371 [Music]
Chris Locke
If you watched Internet comedy in the early YouTube days, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Chris Locke’s work—whether you recognize it or not. Along with Nathan Fielder and a handful of other comedian friends, including Tim Gilbert and Aaron Eves, Locke built a reputation for oddball sketch humour with an understated delivery. The stand-up comic has appeared in Mr. D, TallBoyz, The Baroness von Sketch Show and Run the ‘Burbs, and just starred in his first feature-length film, the PEI comedy crime caper Who’s Yer Father?
December 9, The Sanctuary (100 Ochterloney Street), tickets $28.75 [Comedy]
Boney M. featuring Liz Mitchell: Holiday Favourites and Classic Hits
The German disco-funk group is back again! (Well… part of the group, that is.) After last year’s holiday hit, the “Rasputin” singer and Boney M. lead vocalist Liz Mitchell returns to Halifax for a night of songs that includes both the band’s biggest hits, as well as holiday classics. The show starts at 7:30pm.
December 12, Scotiabank Centre (1800 Argyle Street), tickets $73.75-$91 [Music]
Adam Baldwin & The Jenny Wren
Back in his hometown after a three-month tour through Europe and the US, promoting his sophomore album Concertos & Serenades, the Dartmouth singer-songwriter performs a winter show with a full backing band. Tickets are sold out for Baldwin’s Friday night show, but some still remain for Thursday evening.
December 14-15, Light House Arts Centre (1800 Argyle Street), tickets $44.45 [Music]
Tim Baker w/ Haley Heynderickx
The former Hey Rosetta! frontman returns to Halifax for a pair of shows, following the October release of his Along the Mountain Road EP. Unlike Baker’s last Halifax stop, when the St. John’s singer-songwriter was accompanied by his touring band All Hands, this one’s a solo effort. Portland-based singer-guitarist Haley Heynderickx opens the pair of shows.
December 14-15, The Stage at St. Andrew’s (6036 Coburg Road), sold out [Music]
Lennie Gallant: The Innkeeper’s Christmas
North Rustico singer-songwriter and three-time JUNO nominee Lennie Gallant has performed at the 2010 Olympic Games, had his music sent into space and been inducted into the Order of Canada. Gallant has won a whopping 18 East Coast Music Awards, including “Entertainer of the Year” in 2017. He brings his annual Christmas show to The Stage at St. Andrew’s. The show starts at 7:30pm.
December 16, The Stage at St. Andrew’s (6036 Coburg Road), tickets $49.26 [Music]
The Irish Descendants w/ Aaron Collis and Mark Manning (Rum Ragged)
The Newfoundland folk group have toured the island and Atlantic Canada for nearly 35 years running, playing more than 6,000 live shows to audiences in North America and beyond. The band just put out a new Christmas album, too.
December 16, Light House Arts Centre (1800 Argyle Street), tickets $42.50 and up [Music]
Dave Gunning
Pictou’s Dave Gunning earned a 2012 JUNO nomination for “Roots & Traditional Solo Album of the Year,” then followed that up by winning CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada song contest in 2014. With a sound that falls between folk and roots, Gunning’s 2022 album The Same Storm feels every bit like an ode to Nova Scotia. And Nova Scotia loves him back—tickets are already swept up.
December 17-21, The Carleton (1685 Argyle Street), sold out [Music]
