December Music Events In Truckee Tahoe
HOW THIS GUIDE WORKS
This guide is your quick hit list of music forward nights around Truckee and North Lake Tahoe from December 10 through the end of the month. Everything listed here has a strong live music or performance angle so you can build a full evening around it, whether you are already coming up for Tahoe Live or just looking for a reason to get out after dark.
The focus stays on the venues and nights that tell you the most about what winter actually feels like here, from hilltop lodges in Truckee to lakefront decks in Tahoe City to the Crown Room in Crystal Bay.
TAHOE LIVE, THE HEADLINE WEEKEND
Where beanies and bikinis collide, Tahoe Live flips The Village at Palisades Tahoe into a three night winter festival at the base of the peaks. Big name DJs, lights bouncing off the mountains and a crowd that shows up for late nights and village energy make this feel like a city festival dropped into the Sierra.
The lineup brings world class artists like Zeds Dead, Alison Wonderland, DJ Diesel, Porter Robinson, LSZEE, San Holo, Jessica Audiffred, Peekaboo and more into one weekend of music, snow and mountain atmosphere.
If you are thinking about owning in Olympic Valley or using a place at Palisades as your home base, weekends like Tahoe Live become part of the decision. You get national level shows without leaving the valley followed by quiet mornings once the music shuts down.
Event Details
Dates
Friday December 12 to Sunday December 14 2025
Location
The Village at Palisades Tahoe, Olympic Valley
Main event page
https://www.palisadestahoe.com/events-and-activities/events-calendar/tahoe-live
Tickets and lineup
https://tahoelive.net
FRIDAY NIGHT MUSIC AT COTTONWOOD, TRUCKEE
Dates
Friday December 12 and Friday December 19 2025
Time
6:30 to 8:30 in the evening
Location
Cottonwood Bar and Restaurant
10142 Rue Hilltop, Truckee
Event Info
Why It’s Worth Going
Friday night at Cottonwood feels like the Truckee winter postcard in real life. You drive up the old hill road, step into a warm lodge with big windows overlooking the town lights, and settle in while a musician plays to a room full of locals. It is an easy date night or friends night that still gets you home at a reasonable hour.
If you are eyeing Sierra Meadows, Glenshire, or Tahoe Donner, this is exactly the kind of winter evening you are signing up for when you own in Truckee.
APRÈS SKI PARTY AT SIERRA SURF CLUB, TAHOE CITY
Date
Saturday, December 13, 2025
Time
6:00 PM
Location
Sierra Surf Club at evo Hotel
425 North Lake Boulevard, Tahoe City
Event Info
https://tahoe.com/business/sierrasurfclub/events
Why It’s Worth Going
From last run to first round, Sierra Surf Club’s après party is pure North Shore energy. DJ Prince Volume on the decks, drinks with lake views, retro ski atmosphere, and a crowd that blends locals with visitors who wish they were. It is an easy walk from the rest of downtown Tahoe City and the best way to feel what evenings look like if you own or stay on this side of the lake.
TRUCKEE BLUEGRASS JAM AT ALIBI ALE WORKS
Dates
Sunday December 14, Sunday December 21 and Sunday December 28 2025
Time
6:00 to 8:30 in the evening
Location
Alibi Ale Works, Truckee Public House
10069 Bridge Street, Truckee
Event Info
https://alibialeworks.com/events/bluegrass-jam-2025-12-14/
Why It’s Worth Going
Truckee Bluegrass Jam turns Alibi into a winter mountain picking circle. Fiddles, mandolins, upright bass, and guitars trade solos while the room fills with friends, families, ski jackets slung over chair backs, and a lot of flannel. It is relaxed, it is very Truckee, and it is one of the best ways to close out a weekend without buying a full concert ticket.
If you picture yourself in a downtown condo or one of the older neighborhoods near Brickelltown, this is the kind of night you can walk to.
SWING NIGHT WITH GOLD NOIRE, TRUCKEE
Date
Friday December 19 2025
Time
7:00 to 9:00 in the evening
Location
Alibi Ale Works, Truckee Public House
10069 Bridge Street, Truckee
Event Info
https://alibialeworks.com/events/
Why It’s Worth Going
Swing Night with Gold Noire brings a bit of city club energy into a mountain brewery. You get a live band, a room full of people actually dancing and a lively but not overwhelming atmosphere. It is a great call if you want something more intentional than background bar music while still staying right in town.
From a lifestyle angle, nights like this show how much is happening in Truckee without ever leaving the small downtown grid. That matters if walkability is high on your list.
THE MORGAN WALLEN EXPERIENCE, CRYSTAL BAY CASINO
Date
Saturday December 20 2025
Time
8:00 in the evening
Location
Crown Room at Crystal Bay Casino
14 State Route 28, Crystal Bay
Event Info
https://www.crystalbaycasino.com/event/the-morgan-wallen-experience/
Why It’s Worth Going
The Crown Room is the North Shore’s go-to venue for a real concert night, and The Morgan Wallen Experience brings a high-energy tribute show to that room. It is standing-room-only, with a full country atmosphere, big sing-along moments, and a short drive or cab ride from Kings Beach, Tahoe Vista, or Incline Village.
If you want to see what a North Shore show night feels like before deciding whether to own nearby, this is the night.
WHY THESE MUSIC NIGHTS MATTER FOR TAHOE LIFESTYLE AND REAL ESTATE
Looking at Tahoe Live and these other December music nights does more than fill a winter calendar. It shows you which pockets of the region stay lively after dark, which towns lean local and low-key, and where you can still find a quiet street close by when you are ready to call it.
If you can picture yourself walking from an older Truckee neighborhood up to Cottonwood for live music, wandering from a Tahoe City condo to Sierra Surf Club, or catching a Crown Room show before heading back to Kings Beach or Incline Village, that is real lifestyle data. It helps answer not just where you want to vacation but where you might want to plant deeper roots.
WRAPPING IT UP
Use this guide as your starting point for December nights around Truckee and North Lake Tahoe. Stack Tahoe Live with a Truckee brewery jam, a Tahoe City après party, or a Crown Room concert, and you will get a real feel for how winter actually lives up here once the lifts stop spinning.
If that sparks a bigger question about finding a home or condo that fits the way you want to spend time in Tahoe, reach out anytime. I am here in Truckee and North Lake Tahoe, helping people line up places that match the lifestyle they really want. You can always find me at KennyKnowsTahoe.com.
