For KING + COUNTRY is heading back to Nashville's Grand Ole Opry House this December for a four-night Christmas residency, bringing their cinematic 'A Drummer Boy Christmas' production to the historic stage from December 15 through 18. The show blends large-scale staging, storytelling and live music built around the meaning of Christmas, a holiday tradition that has become an annual fixture for many of the duo's fans.
The four-time Grammy Award-winning duo — brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone — will present the run as part of a lineup pairing new music with their upcoming film, according to Rutherford Source, which reports the residency follows the release of the duo's new Christmas album and theatrical film, both titled 'Drummer Boy.'
Familiar Carols Get a Cinematic Twist
Per the outlet's report, the show will include performances of holiday staples like 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel' and 'Little Drummer Boy' alongside original Christmas songs and selections pulled from across the band's catalog. The production will also weave in moments inspired directly by the 'Drummer Boy' film, tying the stage show to the duo's latest movie project.
From Big Screen to Opry Stage
That film, an Angel Studios release directed by Ben and Joel David Smallbone, is set to open nationwide on November 6, weeks before the Opry dates, according to Screen Daily. Angel Studios unveiled the Revolutionary War action-musical during its 2026 CinemaCon slate presentation.
It isn't the brothers' first trip to theaters. Their 2024 biopic 'Unsung Hero,' directed by Joel Smallbone and released by Lionsgate, dramatized the Smallbone family's move from Australia to the United States, grossed more than $20 million at the box office and won the GMA Dove Award for Feature Film of the Year, according to FreeCCM.
A Hometown Tradition Rooted in Immigration
Joel and Luke Smallbone immigrated with their family from Australia to Nashville in 1991, and Opry House appearances have since become a tradition of returning to their adopted hometown, per Taste of Country. The duo has made a habit of closing out major tour legs with Opry performances, and in December 2025 they set the record for the longest artist residency ever held at the Opry House with a five-night holiday run, according to MusicRow.
Trading Pyrotechnics for Opry Tradition
The Opry House seats 4,400, a far more intimate setting than the arenas the duo typically tours, according to Visit Music City. Built in 1974 as the custom-built home of the Grand Ole Opry broadcast, the venue's production rules strictly prohibit pyrotechnics, confetti, glitter and snow machines inside the auditorium — restrictions that apply to every visiting residency and private event on the Opry stage, per Opry.com.
Chart Records and a History of Giving Back
The original 'A Drummer Boy Christmas' album, released in October 2020, peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart and hit No. 1 on the iTunes Top Albums chart, according to the Gospel Music Association. During previous holiday tours, the duo also partnered with The Salvation Army's Rescue Christmas initiative, encouraging concertgoers to bring unwrapped toys for local families in need, the association notes.
As of 2024, for KING + COUNTRY had racked up more than 2 billion career on-demand streams and 13 Billboard Christian Airplay No. 1 singles, alongside 10 GMA Dove Awards, 17 K-LOVE Fan Awards and a Billboard Music Award to go with their four Grammys, according to Curb Records.
Tickets for the December residency are on sale now at Opry.com.
