Strictly Smokin’ bring Xmas Big Band back to Pilgrim

Strictly Smokin Xmas Pilgrim Newcastle brings one of the region’s established big bands back to the venue on Friday 18 December 2026. The show runs from 6pm to 10.30pm, tickets start at £16, and the return follows a much larger Christmas outing at Newcastle City Hall in 2025.

Strictly Smokin’ have spent more than two decades building a repertoire that reaches beyond traditional swing. The Newcastle-based ensemble now moves between classic big-band writing, contemporary arrangements and specially developed concert productions, with a line-up packed with musicians from across the North East jazz scene.

Strictly Smokin Xmas Pilgrim Newcastle returns to a smaller room

Strictly Smokin’ return to Pilgrim after taking their 2025 Christmas show to Newcastle City Hall. That contrast is one of the most interesting things about this date. A large City Hall production and a closer Pilgrim show offer very different ways to hear the same band, and the December return puts the music back into a room the group already knows well.

The band mixes contemporary writing with classic big-band arrangements. Their recent work has included new material, themed concert productions and collaborations with leading jazz musicians, so the Christmas show does not have to rely only on familiar seasonal standards.

Pilgrim describes the venue as a favourite for the band, which makes sense for an ensemble that can work at both theatre scale and in more immediate club settings. In a smaller room, the brass and rhythm section should feel much closer, while quieter passages can retain the detail that sometimes disappears in a larger hall.

The Christmas format also arrives after a busy period for Strictly Smokin’. Their wider programme has included touring work, new arrangements and performances around the North East, while the band continues to connect experienced regional players with guest artists and newer material.

The 18 December date therefore works as more than a festive repeat. It is a return to a familiar Newcastle room after a year in which the band pushed its Christmas show onto a bigger stage, giving local listeners a chance to hear the ensemble from a different distance.

Strictly Smokin’ Xmas Big Band takes place at Pilgrim Newcastle on Friday 18 December 2026 from 6pm to 10.30pm. Tickets start at £16 and the event is 14+, with under-18s accompanied by an adult. Check the band and venue channels before travelling for any late changes.

More North East dates are listed in SoundBite North East’s Upcoming Gigs, while the venue programme is on our Pilgrim Newcastle page.