Holiday Radio Specials
Beginning December 21 through the New Year, let WHYY be the soundtrack to your holiday season.
Celebrate the holidays with WHYY’s special radio programming! From timeless classics to unique holiday-themed shows, there’s something for everyone. Browse the schedule below, tune in live, and add your favorite programs to your calendar so you don’t miss out!
We also have many holiday programs airing on WHYY-TV 12. View the TV schedule to learn more.
Saturday, December 21
- Tiny Desk Holiday | 8-9 p.m.
Featuring Steve Martin, Sharon Jones and more!
Add to calendar » - Classical and holiday music | 9 p.m. – Midnight
Sunday, December 22
- Jazz Pianist Christian Sands | 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Christian Sands shares music and memories from his record Christmas Stories. We’ll hear tales of his childhood in snowy New England, the ultimate Christmas party music, and more.
Add to calendar » - Classical and holiday music | 9 p.m. – Midnight
Monday December 23
- The Film Score: Music for the Winter Holidays | 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips looks at holiday and wintertime movie music. In addition to beloved standards (“White Christmas” from “Holiday Inn” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” from “Meet Me in St. Louis”), Michael shares an eclectic mix of wintry film scores, ranging from “It Happened in Sun Valley” (from “Sun Valley Serenade”) to Alexandre Desplat’s folk-inspired score for “The Grand Budapest Hotel” to Bernard Herrmann’s bracing sleigh ride accompaniment composed for the Orson Welles drama “The Magnificent Ambersons.”
Add to calendar » - Classical and holiday music | 9 p.m. – Midnight
Tuesday, December 24
- A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols | 10 a.m. – Noon
A WHYY Christmas Day tradition! Listen to a worldwide Christmas broadcast of biblical readings, carols and related seasonal classical music by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge in an acoustically and architecturally renowned venue, the college’s 500-year-old chapel.
Add to calendar » - A Christmas Carol | 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Gather the family around the radio for a public radio tradition hosted by NPR’s Susan Stamberg. Master comedian Jonathan Winters presents a distinctive reading of Dickens’ holiday classic, A Christmas Carol, with a special performing edition prepared by Dickens himself.
Add to calendar » - Classical and holiday music | 9 p.m. – Midnight
Wednesday December 25
- Classical and holiday music | 10 a.m. – Noon
- Good Souls Special | Noon – 1 p.m.
Revisit some of this year’s Good Souls honorees.
Add to calendar » - Angel Hair and Tinsel Music | 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Baby Boomers were born from 1946 – 1964, coming of age in the ’60s through the ’80s. Here’s the Christmas music of their lives, and the lives they touched.
Add to calendar » - Hip Holiday Music | 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
- The Choirs of Morehouse and Spelman Colleges | 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Two of the most prestigious historically black institutions in the nation join together to present a spine-tingling holiday concert program.
Add to calendar » - Classical and holiday music | 9 p.m. – Midnight
Thursday, December 26
- Itzak Perlman’s Chanukah Radio Party | 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Join the superstar violinist as he tells the story of the Jewish festival of lights and shares his favorite recordings of the holiday.
Add to calendar » - Classical music | 9 p.m. – Midnight
Monday December 30th
- The Sounds of Kwanzaa | 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Musician and Former Classical 24 radio host Garrett McQueen offers a background on the history of Kwanzaa and its guiding principles, alongside musical selections that highlight the spirit of the celebration. The show features the compositions of Florence Price, Duke Ellington, Sean O’Loughlin, and special performances by Imani Winds.
Add to calendar » - Classical music | 9 p.m. – Midnight
New Years Eve, Tuesday December 31st
- Sinatra 50’s and 60’s | 8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Add to calendar » - Sinatra New Year’s Concert | 9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Add to calendar » - Classical music | 10:00 p.m. – Midnight
Welcome to 2025! January 1, 2025
- Back to the Garden: Woodstock Revisited | 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Woodstock organizers, artists and audience members recall the 1969 music festival that rocked the world in more ways than one.
Add to calendar » - Peak Travel Radio Special | 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Thinking about your next vacation? Peak Travel, an original podcast from WHYY, explores how travel shapes communities in hot-spots around the world. We’ll share the wonder that comes with exploring new places, as well as the harm that our worst travel habits can cause.
Add to calendar » - Classical music | 8:00 p.m. – Midnight
Don’t forget to listen live on WHYY this holiday season. Wishing you and your family a joyous celebration!
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