From nostalgic carols to toe-tapping holiday songs and from velvet-voiced choirs to spine-tingling Messiah renditions, live music is the essence of Christmas for many of us. And this year, stages around the region are ringing with a huge array of inviting, spirit-soaring performances.

 

Check out some of our 2024 favourites below and book your tickets as soon as possible: many of these concerts are limited runs or one-night-only performances. For more options, peruse the ever-changing Shows section of our site––where you’ll also find multiple chances to win free tickets for upcoming concerts!

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Yuletide classics

 

Early Music Vancouver’s amazing Festive Cantatas: Bach & Zelenka concert at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts will be an uplifting addition to any Christmastime events calendar. And Winter Harp’s costumed performers will also be playing their traditional songs and carols on stages around the region––it’s a must-see tradition for many locals.

 

This December, Vancouver Bach Choir and special guests are also back at downtown Vancouver’s historic Orpheum Theatre with their Christmas with the Bach Choir concert––complete with more than 500 on-stage singers. On December 14, the choir returns to the Orpheum for a one-night-only performance of the spine-tingling Handel’s Messiah.

 

You can also join the Chilliwack Symphony Orchestra’s Baroque ensemble, Cantare Super Orchestrum, for their rendition of Handel’s festive masterwork in a special Messiah in the Valley concert at Vancouver’s Holy Rosary Cathedral. The historic Canadian Memorial United Church is also hosting a warm and welcoming holiday concert this year. Its The Gift of Music––a Classic Christmas features favourite holidays songs, music and carols plus a starring role for the church's grand 96-year-old pipe organ.

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Contemporary delights

 

If you regard music as the food of Christmas love, consider a couple of cool options at Coquitlam’s intimate Evergreen Centre studio theatre. The Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble’s Holidays show is a toe-tapping reverie of winter-warming music, filled with familiar songs and beloved tunes. And the theatre’s Nadeau Ensemble: A Prairie Christmas concert is brimming with contemporary festive music led by celebrated Vancouver harpist Janelle Nadeau.

 

Keen to join in? Book ahead for Presentation House Theatre’s Holiday Singalong in North Vancouver, where you’ll be provided with song sheets so you can belt out all your fave festive tunes. If you’d prefer to leave it to the experts, The Dimes—Vancouver’s favourite vocal trio––will be singing their festive playbill of everything from 1950s songs to latter-day chart toppers at venues and events around the region––and you can even book them for your own party!

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Velvet vocals

 

If the holidays are all about soaring choral music for you, there are some excellent local concerts to consider. The much-loved Christmas with Chor Leoni festive shows are back again this year. The male voice choir will be offering their delightful renditions and unique arrangements of classic songs and carols. Alternatively, the Vancouver Welsh Men's Choir is celebrating its 45th anniversary with a delightful Let it Snow holiday concert suffused with rich harmonies and a playbill of traditional carols and holiday favourites. 

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Celebrating their Artistic Director Justin Maller's 20th season, Coquitlam Chorale is casting its mind back on two decades of great holiday concerts. During their 2024 show, the 65-member choir will sing everything from jazzy spins on well-known Christmas songs to a great selection of heartwarming carols. 

 

Comfort & Joy is the perfect name for Coastal Sound’s immersive choral show at Coquitlam’s Evergreen Centre. While the city's Universal Gospel Choir will raise the roof and celebrate its 40th anniversary with Soul for the Season, a toe-tapping treat featuring Juno-nominated guest performer, Warren Dean Flandez.

 

But that's not all. Over at Vancouver’s Pacific Spirit United Church, the city’s celebrated Elektra adult treble voice choir will deliver a unique concert of contemporary, folk-inspired music and creative video projections entitled The Light of Hope Returning. And the internationally renowned Vancouver Chamber Choir is presenting its magical Christmas by Candlelight  performance in a delightful church setting. 

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For more information on festive events, attractions and shows in the city and beyond, visit the Vancouver Christmas Guide. Written by Lonely Planet travel writer John Lee, it’s the best online guide to the area’s 2024 holiday happenings. The site was co-created with Christmas Cat Max, who pens its gift reviews and often appears on its @VancouverChristmasGuide Instagram feed.