Celebrate Christmas Hawaiian-style with ukulele maven Jake Shimabukuro at the Tower.

The venerable Tower Theatre in downtown Bend buzzes with high-quality events year-round, but the historic venue takes on a particularly festive sparkle during the run-up to Christmas.

The next couple of weeks are packed with holiday concerts covering a range of styles, from choral performances to swingin’ jazz to Hawaiian music to bluegrass-meets-hip-hop. (You read that right.)

You can get more information at towertheatre.org, and here’s a rundown of what’s coming to the stage at “Bend’s living room” between now and the arrival of the jolly dude:

John Craigie

To be clear, there is no indication that John Craigie’s concert Thursday night at the Tower will be Christmas-themed, but he’s stopping in Bend on what he’s calling his “Keep It Warm” tour, so we’re counting it.

Besides, you should want to see Craigie no matter the season. The Portland-based singer-songwriter writes the kind of tuneful, folksy Americana music that is endlessly easy on the ears. His most recent album, 2022’s Mermaid Salt, was recorded in Enterprise and finds Craigie inching toward a country-flecked brand of elegant symphonic pop that will appeal to fans of Gregory Alan Isakov.

Don’t show up late and miss opener Goodnight Texas, by the way. They’re a good band! 8 p.m. Thursday, doors open 7 p.m. $29.50-$43.50.

Gangstagrass

On Monday, Gangstagrass finally plays the Tower, eight months after the hip-hop and bluegrass hybrid act canceled a planned April show at the venue.

Back then, GO! ran a feature story on the band, which started “as a studio project by Brooklyn-based producer Rench and developed into a five-headed collision of big beats, banjos, rapped rhymes and honeyed vocal harmonies,” to quote … ourselves. It’s a blend that has attracted a big fan base, including all four judges on “America’s Got Talent” in 2021.

“These sounds work together because they come from the common roots we have in this country,” the band told The Bulletin in April. “This is American music. Our shows are what happens when we all party together.” 7:30 p.m. Monday, doors open 6:30 p.m. $27-$57.

Jake Shimabukuro

Jake Shimabukuro is one of the best ukulele players out there, and people love to watch him work. But the Hawaii-born artist’s success is built on his understanding of how to make the uke appealing to a mass audience as much as it is his technical proficiency.

Shimabukuro is well known for using his ukulele to make jazz, blues, bluegrass, rock ‘n’ roll and even classical music, but on Thursday, Dec. 15, he’ll bring to Bend his beloved “Christmas in Hawai’i” show, which features tropical versions of holiday classics such as “We Three Kings,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “O Holy Night” and “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” plus selections from his 2021 album “Jake & Friends,” which featured guest spots by Jack Johnson, Ziggy Marley, Billy Strings, Moon Taxi, Willie Nelson and other folks you love. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15, doors open 6:30 p.m. $37-$57.

Patrick Lamb

Portland-based jazz-pop saxophonist Patrick Lamb returns to the Tower on Saturday, Dec. 17, with his popular “A Charlie Brown Christmas” show featuring the music of legendary pianist Vince Guaraldi. He did the same last year, and here’s what I wrote back then:

“Alongside Darlene Love, Bing Crosby and Mariah Carey, any great collection of Christmas music should include jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi’s classic soundtrack to the animated 1965 TV special ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas.’ Few tunes set a more festive mood than ‘Linus and Lucy,’ and few evoke a peaceful evening, a crackling fire and snow falling outside more than ‘Christmas Time is Here.’”

All still true! Lamb will do two shows on Saturday, Dec. 7, one at 4 p.m. (doors open at 3 p.m.) and one at 7 p.m. (doors open 6 p.m.). $30-$35.

Swingin’ Tower Christmas

As we get really close to Dec. 25, the locals will take over the Tower’s stage for Swingin’ Tower Christmas, a family friendly extravaganza of the most swingin’ Christmas songs and stories of the season. Hosts Mollie and Jim Tennant will lead the night through some groovy, festive faves backed by a 17-piece big band, and word on the street is that Santa himself might make an appearance. 7 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Dec. 21-23, doors open 6 p.m. $22-$32.