As the calendar turns toward the end of the year, Chicago’s most magnificent venues are once again transformed by the warm light of thousands of flickering candles. The best Candlelight concerts in Chicago showcase some of the season’s most popular tributes, including the iconic anthems of Queen, The Beatles, Taylor Swift and many more. The series continually offers fresh artistic visions, ensuring that new classical music tributes are unveiled every season for all to enjoy.
What’s more, thanks to Candlelight’s gift card, treating your loved ones to an unforgettable experience featuring music and light has never been easier.
Featured Candlelight concerts in Chicago
Candlelight: Christmas Carols on Strings
Ring in the holiday season at with a magical Candlelight holiday concert! You’ll be surrounded by the warm glow of hundreds of flickering candles as a talented string quartet performs festive favorites like ‘O Holy Night’, ‘Jingle Bells’, and ‘Silent Night’. This magical evening will warm your heart with timeless carols and Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker.
Tribute to Drake
When the echo of Hold On, We’re Going Home glides beneath a canopy of flickering candles, time slows. The rhythm of Take Care and the pulse of Hotline Bling melt into something intimate — a dialogue between light and sound. Each melody reveals Drake’s gift for turning vulnerability into power, confidence into confession, emotion into art. Within this glowing haven, his words shimmer anew, tender and timeless.
Candlelight: Tribute to Taylor Swift
Bathed in a sea of candlelight, the soft ache of All Too Well meets the golden dream of Love Story. Every note captures Taylor Swift’s gift for storytelling — her melodies tracing heartbreak and rebirth, memory and wonder. Between flickers of light, her words breathe again, tender yet fearless, like secrets sung to the night. An intimate symphony of emotion glows around every heart in the room.
Candlelight: Rock Favorites on Strings
The opening chords of Sweet Child O’ Mine shimmer beneath the glow of a thousand candles, as the pulse of Hotel California and the cry of Nothing Else Matters rise and fall like waves of memory. Each song, reborn on strings, carries the spirit of rebellion and release that defined a generation. In this luminous stillness, the edge of rock becomes a whisper — raw, radiant, eternal.
Candlelight: Rock Favorites on Strings
From the anthemic pulse of “Livin’ on a Prayer” to the haunting beauty of “Nothing Else Matters”, rock’s greatest emotions find new form in strings at this Candlelight tribute. Taking place at Stan Mansion, each melody glows with raw nostalgia and power, resonating softly through the intimate warmth of flickering candles. Prepare to be dazzled by a luminous performance at a historic venue.
All upcoming Candlelight concerts in Chicago
Candlelight reviews
The Candlelight concerts have been met by countless 5-star reviews in Chicago, and guests have called it “a creative, enchanting, and new concert experience” and that “the performers were fantastic!”
“It was so good. First time attending a candlelight event and we plan on attending another.” – A Tribute to Coldplay on Strings
“Unique and fun! Highly recommend.” – A Tribute to U2
“We had a great time! It was a holiday gift for my friend and we really enjoyed it. I love how they did mash up, like Taylor did on tour!” – A Tribute to Taylor Swift
Candlelight concert locations in Chicago
Candlelight concerts in Chicago illuminate several stunning venues that each offer a unique ambiance for classical music lovers. Stan Mansion captivates with its soaring 32-foot ceiling and ornate interiors, while Wicker Park Lutheran Church enchants with breathtaking stained-glass windows and a historic pipe organ at the heart of Wicker Park. The Arts Center of Oak Park impresses with its Neoclassical architecture and vintage instruments, and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church offers a sublime Neo-Gothic space.
Reasons to go to a Candlelight concert
There are loads of reasons to attend Candlelight concerts, where the intimate setting created by thousands of flickering candles enhances every musical note with warmth and emotion. The carefully curated repertoire and world-class performances draw audiences into a deeply immersive experience, while the elegant venues add historical charm and beauty to each event. Together, these elements create a uniquely enchanting atmosphere that invites reflection, connection, and unforgettable moments shared through the universal language of music.