The best concerts in L.A. this December

Take your Christmas movie binge-watching up a notch and reserve a seat to one of the upcoming special screenings of Home Alone at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The Los Angeles Philharmonic is bringing the classic to life and performing John Williams’s score live to picture in an immersive experience, conducted by David Newman. 

While Santa may still be working with his elves to load up his sleigh, you can relax and enjoy a Christmas Eve celebration at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Gather up your friends and family and go hear L.A.’s biggest holiday show, now in its 65th year, which includes more than 20 choirs, music ensembles and dance troupes from all over the city. The free three-hour show celebrates L.A.’s multicultural observation of the holidays and has hosted everything from an all-women soul ensemble to Hawaiian music to Indian dance. The performance runs from 3 to 6pm, and guests are encouraged to come and go as they please throughout the show. Reservations and tickets are not necessary; parking at the Dorothy Chandler is also free. Those who still have last-minute holiday responsibilities to attend to can listen to a livestream of the concert on pbssocal.org or watch it on PBS SoCal.

Strike the electrified, amped-up harp and join the chorus: The KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas lineup is here. Don’t let its dainty Christmas name fool you—the annual concert is most definitely a plugged-in affair featuring some of the year’s top mainstream, alt-rock radio staples. The ’90s-heavy lineup includes the Smashing Pumpkins, Beck, 311, Sublime, Jimmy Eat World, Franz Ferdinand, Royel Otis, AWOLNATION, the Linda Lindas and bby.

Out-of-context samples from The Office, horror-movie-inspired music videos and the slurping sounds of an Invisalign being removed may not seem like the makings of a pop juggernaut, but L.A. local—not to mention Grammy and Oscar winner—Billie Eilish has become a free-spirited icon of her generation. She’ll spend five nights at the Kia Forum during her “Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour.”

Mexican folk dance company Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles is taking the Soraya stage in Northridge once again for a mariachi-infused holiday performance that celebrates the different regions of Mexico. The two music- and dance-filled shows will also feature the talents of guest vocalist Camila Fernández, granddaughter of famed Mexican singer Vicente Fernández.

Strike the harp and join the chorus with the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Holiday Sing-Along at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The family-friendly seasonal program offers two performances hosted by Melissa Peterman with performances from a choir, a jazz combo and on the massive pipe organ. Lyric sheets for the holiday classics will be provided, just in case you forget how many fa-la-la-la-las are in “Deck the Halls.”

Don something festive and head over to Royce Hall to hear the angels sing—the Angel City Chorale, that is. The America’s Got Talent semifinalists will sing both Christmas and Hanukkah classics at their annual holiday concert. The 180-member group, known for its mishmash of classical, pop, world, contemporary and gospel genres, will perform sparkling arrangements at the “Bling”-themed show. Also promised are photo ops, carol sing-alongs and some surprises. If you can’t make it, the Sunday concert will also be livestreamed.

If the words “Disney” and “sing-along” normally make you think of mini-vans and Frozen, rethink your word associations and head to the Walt Disney Concert Hall for the annual Messiah Sing-Along. The event allows the 2,200-member audience to sing their hearts out and try to hit the high notes alongside the Los Angeles Master Chorale, conducted by artistic director Grant Gershon. Songs will be performed by the professional orchestra and a quartet of professional soloists.

We never thought we’d be in the same club as Michelle Obama and Rihanna until Club Quarantine came along. Alright, technically it was a virtual club streamed on Instagram, but that’s no matter: DJ D-Nice’s hours-long sets from his Downtown L.A. home became life-affirming in a real tough year. Now, he’s bringing those positive vibes IRL for this New Year’s Eve show at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Shakira, Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull, Los Tigres del Norte, Banda MS, Juanes and Carlos Vives top this Latin music fest at Dodger Stadium.