Maybe you’re home from Away for the holidays looking for some out-on-the-town reunion, or maybe you’re just looking to catch some great tunes over the holidays. Either way, there’s a packed schedule of live music in Cape Breton’s venues.
On the western side of the Island, Slowcoaster will be rocking out at The Hoff in Inverness at 10:00pm on Wednesday, December 22. If you’re an out-of towner, the Hoff Pub & Grill is located at 20 Mill Road, Inverness.
For more traditional fare earlier in the evening, check out some Acadian music with Bruno and Maurice at Le Gabriel Lounge in Cheticamp, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm.
The much anticipated Stoked for the Holidays all-ages concert takes place December 23 at Christ Church Hall, on Trinity Avenue, Sydney. With nearly 20 different mainstage and side stage acts, it’s a great opportunity to catch what the Cape Breton scene is offering for rock, punk, hardcore, metal, hip hop, and much more. Admission is $10, doors open at 2:00pm, and vendors will be on hand selling CDs and merch by local bands. The all-ages show ends at 10:00pm, but there will be an afterparty at 10:00pm for the 19+ crowd at the Upstairs, with $5 admission.
For a different style of concert on the 23rd, make sure you bundle up for John Gracie’s fourth annual free Christmas Concert at Sydney’s Wentworth Park bandshell with the Cape Breton Chordsmen. Showtime is 7:00pm, and there will be a silver collection for the Salvation Army. If you’re looking for some Cape Breton fiddle and folksy modern bluegrass, Colin Grant and Crowdis Bridge will be at Governor’s Pub doing their thing at 10:00pm with a bunch of slick tunes and a crazy assortment of stringed instruments.
For folks in Cheticamp on December 24, gather the friends and family together at the Doryman Tavern for an early show with Baddeck fiddler Rachel Davis, along with Marc Boudreau. They’ll be playing from 2:00pm to 6:00pm, so finish up those Christmas Eve errands early and give yourself some time to relax and enjoy some music.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of our live music roundup, featuring the highlights of live music scheduled for after December 25!
