Songs For Tibb’s Eve
In Newfoundland, Tibb’s Eve (or December 23rd) is the unofficial start of the Christmas season. It’s a party. And while Christmas may be about family, Tibb’s Eve is decidedly about friends. It is a time when people, who have been scattered across the island and country reunite, raise a glass and celebrate in their hometowns.
Learn more about Tibb’s Eve
It is not a particularly long-standing tradition dating back to the early/mid 1900s. That said, it seems to be growing in popularity. Bars and clubs across the island hold major events each year… except, well, this year.
Viruses - is there nothing they won’t ruin?
Last Christmas I had a conversation with a friend about Tibb’s Eve songs — we wondered whether there were any songs that specifically mentioned the day. We could only come up with one — Tibb’s Eve by Newspaper Fashion Show. It’s a great alt rock track but not overly December 23rd-y.
This year, there’s a new song to add to the list — Before the Night (Tibb’s Eve) by The Duds. This one, with references to Nat King Cole, has a definite holiday flair. For all that I think, lyrically, it benefits the listener to know there is a second, non-Christmas meaning for Tibb’s Eve. The phrase Tibb’s Eve is sometimes used as an expression meaning ‘a day that will never come.’
Check out Before the Night (Tibb’s Eve) and more from The Duds right here.
2023 Update!
This year Port-aux-Poutines have created another song for the list. ‘La Veille Du Réveillon,’ a French-language Christmas song, describes gathering with friends at the pub of Tibb’s Eve.
It’s a wonderful addition to the Tibb’s Eve song collection!
2024 Update!
Tim Baker, formerly of Hey Rosetta!, has expanded the Tibb’s Eve canon with his latest album, Full Rainbow of Light, which features the three-part Saint Tibb’s Suite. The first part, Saint Tibb’s Suite I: Tibb’s Eve, is a beautiful, contemplative take on Christmas and it’s sort of aspirational nature; there are so many Christmas songs of peace and joy, too few stop to acknowledge how fleeting (if even possible) those concepts are.
The traditions of Tibb’s Eve aren’t just mentioned—they’re central to the song’s theme. Baker sings, “On the day they say never comes, yeah when all of our work will be done, when our friends and our enemies drink from the same cup.”
It’s absolutely worth a listen. I love it, and I have a feeling it’ll be on repeat well after December is over.
And if you know any other Tibb’s Eve songs, I’d love to hear about them.
A love lost, a restless spirit, and a cursed town... Can they escape the past, or will the whispers on the wind pull them back? Find out in the old Newfoundland Boxing Day tale.