’Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the city of Eugene, not a thing-to-do was stirring … Ha! As if.
Merry Christmas Eve, Lookout readers. This week, many of our typical venues are having sleepy weeks for the holiday, but there’s still plenty to add to your calendar. Our events this week defy easy categorization — though we do have an especially packed section for what’s playing in theaters this week. Let’s get into it:
Music
‘GLOOM IV: Darkness Falls Over the Holidays’
Are you something of a Grinch? Are you into experimental drone music? Are you free on Christmas Eve? This candlelit 21+ event at John Henry’s for “the outcasts, the untethered and those uninterested in holiday cheer” just might make your night as DJ x4NGSTx spins a drone and melancholic ambient set. Bah Humbug, but goth.
- When: Wednesday, Dec. 24, starting at 9 p.m.
- Where: John Henry’s, 881 Willamette St. in downtown Eugene
- How much: Free to attend, but donations are accepted
Concert from ‘The Voice’ contestant Austin Gilbert
Anyone in for a honky-tonk day after Christmas? Our local “The Voice” contestant Austin Gilbert and his band will be performing their last show of the year this Friday. I spoke with Gilbert back in October after his blind audition, a rendition of country star Luke Combs’ “The Kind of Love We Make.”
Though Gilbert was eliminated in the show’s knockout rounds, the third phase of the show’s competition, he impressed both Michael Buble and Reba McIntire with his earnest country chops.
- When: Friday Dec. 26, from 8 p.m. to midnight
- Where: Low Places, formerly the Twisted River Saloon, 1444 Main St. in Springfield
- How much: There is no cover for the concert, but of course bring some money for drinks if you’d like.
Buenas Vibras pre-New Year’s masquerade party
Baile! Eugene has a thriving Latin dance scene through its Buenas Vibras dance nights, as Lookout contributor Lizbeth Solorzano wrote about back in May. This week, Buenas Vibras is ringing in 2026 with a masquerade party, which starts with a dance lesson before a social dance. No masquerade ball looks are required — but they are fun.
- When: Saturday, Dec. 27, 8:30 p.m.
- Where: The Barn Light Bar, 924 Willamette St. in downtown Eugene
- How much: Cover is $5
What were the other options again?
Stage shows to check out
Staged reading of ‘It’s Brilliant Here’
This one-night-only engagement is a staged reading of “It’s Brilliant Here,” a comedy about a rich gay couple in 1990s Los Angeles written by the playwright William S. “Sam” Gregory. Gregory grew up in Eugene and graduated from South Eugene High School before studying theater and producing a number of his plays in Portland in the 1990s…