Strictly Smokin’ Bring Xmas Big Band Back to Pilgrim
Newcastle's Strictly Smokin’ Big Band bring their Christmas show back to Pilgrim on 18 December after last year's City Hall performance.
Strictly Smokin’ at Pilgrim returns on Friday 18 December 2026 for the band’s Christmas big-band show, running from 6pm to 10.30pm. The Newcastle ensemble are back at a venue Pilgrim describes as one of their favourite rooms, following last year’s larger Newcastle City Hall Christmas performance.
Strictly Smokin’ at Pilgrim brings the Christmas show back into a closer room
The venue change is what makes this date interesting. Strictly Smokin’ marked their 15th Christmas season in 2025 with a move to O2 City Hall Newcastle. For 2026, the festive show comes back to Pilgrim, putting the band and its large arrangements into a much tighter setting.
Strictly Smokin’ return to Pilgrim after taking their 2025 Christmas show to Newcastle City Hall. That shift from a major hall back into a smaller club should change how the music feels. Brass, reeds, rhythm section and vocals will be much closer to the audience, while the standing-room layout keeps the night more connected to Pilgrim’s regular live atmosphere.
The band have spent years pushing beyond a narrow idea of traditional big-band music. Their own site describes productions built around carefully researched narratives, video backdrops and contemporary arrangements, while their recorded work ranges from swing to newer original and modern material. Pilgrim’s Christmas listing reflects that breadth by promising bold, contemporary and classic jazz and big-band arrangements rather than a set made up only of seasonal standards.
The North East connection runs right through the group. Strictly Smokin’ are Newcastle-based, with a line-up drawn from experienced musicians active across the region’s jazz, theatre and commercial music scenes. That local identity makes the Pilgrim return feel more like a home show than a touring Christmas package.
The 6pm start also gives the event room to work as a full evening rather than a short festive set. It runs until 10.30pm, after which Pilgrim opens the venue for its free Follow the Star Christmas party, so the big-band show effectively anchors the first half of a longer night.
Strictly Smokin’ at Pilgrim takes place on Friday 18 December 2026 from 6pm to 10.30pm. Tickets start at £16, and the event is listed as 14+, with under-18s required to be accompanied by an adult.
Check Pilgrim and Strictly Smokin’ before travelling in case timings or entry details change.
