The Barra MacNeils is bringing its East Coast inspired Christmas tour to Newmarket and it's proving so popular that a second show has been added.
The Cape-Breton band is made up of the five MacNeil siblings: Lucy, Boyd, Stewart, Kyle and Sheumas. The family is currently touring across the Prairies and will be coming into Ontario later this week for a tour of 12 towns in 12 days, bringing them to Newmarket on Dec. 11.
"We've had full houses pretty well everywhere we've gone so far. It's good. The audiences have been great," said Stewart MacNeil.
That holds true for Newmarket so far. The original show at 7:30 p.m. at the NewRoads Performing Arts Centre has almost sold out, prompting them to schedule another show at 3 p.m. that same day.
The show is full of MacNeil family festive favourites.
"It really does encompass everything from a Cape Breton kitchen party to midnight mass," MacNeil said.
These days, he said with tours running until just days before Christmas, everyone is usually pretty tired by the time the big day rolls around, but they still make their way to their parents' house in Sydney Mines to enjoy food, drinks and a few tunes.
"It really is a nice time to just put our feet up and enjoy what the season has to offer," MacNeil said.
But growing up it was a different time and special in its own way. He said they would go to his grandmother's house about an hour away and gather with loved ones, with traditional music, playing out in the cold, and drying their hats and mitts in Grandma's oven. He remembers it as a really positive season with lots of laughs.
The Barra MacNeils made its first Christmas album in 1999 with traditional carols, Gaelic singers, fiddlers and other friends.
"There's something very festival and cultural about it, and not necessarily what people think of as Christmas music," MacNeil said.
The group made two more Christmas albums over the years and the concert draws from all three. The family combines their range of voices with an arsenal of unique instruments from guitar and piano to accordion and banjo to tin whistles and a bouzouki ,which is in the lute family.
MacNeil said he is so thrilled to still be able to do this Christmas tour and that it has become a bit of traditional for people.
"They really do enjoy coming to see the show and it sort of sets the tone and put them in the mood for the season," he said.
There are only a handful of seats left for the 7:30 p.m. show on Dec. 11 and more seats available for the 3 p.m. that was added, however they are limited so guests should buy early. Tickets are available online.
