Holiday Sounds in Shwa Rock City

Oh yes, it's the most beautiful time of the year in Shwa Rock City! Make a list, check it twice, and head down to downtown Oshawa for some holiday cheer; there’s enough for all, and all ages are welcome too. And of course, if you are coming into Oshawa, then why not check out what only Oshawa has, and what it has, which is a pretty broad and deep music scene with many local musicians playing over the season, including Sacha, Seagrave, The Stables, and Blue Rodeo, whose co-founder, Greg Keelor, lives just off Hwy 115.

Blue Rodeo will be performing at the Tribute Communities Centre on Saturday, December 27, closing out what has been an incredible year of music for the city. This year saw the inaugural Fall celebration of The Oshawa Halloween Boo Bash and another very successful Convergence Music & Art Festival. Blue Rodeo has its own celebrations too; they just passed their 40th year as one of Canada’s favourite bands. Great to have them home for the holidays. 

Canadian legends Blue Rodeo return to Oshawa's Tribute Communities Centre on December 27.

The Bond|St. Event Centre will celebrate its own success as the City’s newest venue (or venues really) with a free show on Thursday, December 18, featuring Uxbridge rockers Chalk Lake and a supergroup of local musicians, My Friend The Skeleton, who cover all your fave rock ‘n roll hits. Strive Realty LTD presents the show as their way of giving back. 

Lots to celebrate, yes, but also lots of reasons to help those who may have less to celebrate with. The Concert to Feed The Need in Durham, presented by the Rotary Clubs of Durham, takes place at the Biltmore Theatre on Sunday, December 07, at 1:30 p.m.  Artists performing include Andy Earle, New Moon Junction, Kalista Wilson, Steve Waters, David Shewchuck, Rachel and Ayden, and Acoustic Boulevard which features two-time Juno Award nominee for Most Promising Female Vocalist, Terri Crawford. 

Another hometown musician with multiple award nominations will also be playing at the Biltmore: country artist Sacha, whose hit single ‘Hey Mom I Made It’ made it into the Top Twenty Country charts and recently made her Grand Ole Opry debut, will be playing on Friday, December 12. 

Breakout Country Star Sacha will play the Biltmore Theatre on Friday, December 12.

The previous weekend, on Saturday, December 6, it's a night of Oshawa’s other great export, metal acts Seagrave, Beguiler, Afraid, Cruel Intent, and Apple of Basilisk, all gather under the banner "Silent Nightmare" for a much louder charity event. Proceeds will go to the Humane Society of Durham Region. 

And yet another opportunity for those seeking to gather around Oshawa artists for the holiday is the annual holiday concert by bluegrass/folk trio The Stables. This iconic act has entertained the city for almost two decades. The Stables, plus special guests, will set up their guitar, washtub bass, and stripped-down drum kit on Friday, December 19. 

The Regent Theatre has its own Oshawa-only attraction, the Ontario Philharmonic, which calls the historic theatre home. The Ontario Philharmonic will perform its Holiday concert with the magic of Tchaikovsky’s celebrated Nutcracker on Saturday, December 13. This iconic ballet is presented in its full orchestral version, accompanied by engaging multimedia projections, allowing you to follow the story plot while being immersed in the glorious sounds of the orchestra. Conductor Ruben Gazarian, Music Director of the State Opera of Altenburg-Gera in Germany, and the Israel Chamber Orchestra, will be making his Canadian debut. 

Experience the magic of the Ontario Philharmonic's presentation of "The Nutcracker" on Saturday, December 13, at the Regent Theatre.

Yet another icon of the Oshawa music scene will be part of the holiday celebrations. DJ Domn8t’s Christmas Bash takes place Saturday, December 20, bringing you the best Top 40s from 1980 to 2025. Domn8t has been DJing since his teens and also moonlights as the owner/operator of one of the downtown core’s finest restaurants, Avanti Trattoria, and is also the force behind many of the city’s new music-related events. If you want to see Oshawa at its finest, this is yet another opportunity to get down with the Shwarock City!

And yes, the month ends, the year ends, thus another new year, more work, more opportunities, so say goodbye to 2025 and say hello to 2026 with yet another Oshawa-only treat, the nine-piece Professors of Funk led by City Councillor Derek Giberson on Wednesday, December 31.

Happy New Year, y’all, from all in the Shwa Rock City. See you in the core more and more.