Cumbria · 34 gigs · next 4 weeks

What's On in Carlisle

13 Nov – 11 Dec

Help keep grassroots venues open in Carlisle

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A UK venue stops hosting live music every 5 days — and turning up is what keeps a room open. Get a free weekly email of gigs in Carlisle. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy.

All Carlisle gigs This month

Updated 13 November 2026

At a glance

Gigs in
4 weeks

in Carlisle, 13 Nov – 11 Dec

In detail

Venues with something on	6
Venues tracked	19
Open mics	9
Busiest night	Saturday · 13 gigs

34 gigs listed in Carlisle over the next 28 days across 6 venues. Saturday is the busiest night with 13. In total we track 19 grassroots venues and 9 regular open mics here.

01 — This weekend

3 gigs

This weekend in Carlisle

3 gigs are on in Carlisle between Friday and Sunday. Highlights include Death of Guitar Pop at Old Fire Station (Friday), One Step Behind (Madness Tribute) at The Brickyard (Saturday) and The Smiths Ltd at Carlisle Old Fire Station (Saturday). Each card is one night at one venue, with the start time and the price where the venue publishes it; the four-week list below covers everything after Sunday.

Fri13Nov Starts19:30 Death of Guitar PopOld Fire Station · Castle · Carlisle

One Step Behind (Madness Tribute)The Brickyard · Castle · Carlisle 19:30Sat 14 Nov

The Smiths LtdCarlisle Old Fire Station · Castle · Carlisle 19:30Sat 14 Nov

02 — Compared

#3 of 7

How Carlisle compares

Counting every upcoming date, not just the next four weeks, there are 111 gigs listed in and around Carlisle - third of 7 against its nearest places with live music, behind the Edinburgh area (350). Each row counts the gigs, venues and open mics our directories hold in and around that place, refreshed nightly; tap a town for its live music scene.

#	Place	Gigs
01	Edinburgh area 118 venues · 34 open mics	350
02	Newcastle area 75 venues · 25 open mics	283
03	Carlisle area This page 19 venues · 9 open mics	111
04	Middlesbrough area 27 venues · 11 open mics	40
05	Stockton-on-Tees area 16 venues · 8 open mics	25
06	Durham area 17 venues · 10 open mics	11
07	Sunderland area 23 venues · 13 open mics	11

03 — Gigs

34 gigs

Gigs in Carlisle

From 13 Nov to 11 Dec, Carlisle has 34 gigs listed at 6 venues - Saturday is the busiest night. This is the full four-week run, not just the weekend: every gig we hold, in date order.

Fri13Nov Starts19:30 Death of Guitar PopOld Fire Station · Castle · Carlisle

One Step Behind (Madness Tribute)The Brickyard · Castle · Carlisle 19:30Sat 14 Nov

The Smiths LtdCarlisle Old Fire Station · Castle · Carlisle 19:30Sat 14 Nov

Jake Bugg: Acoustic Live Performance + Q&ACarlisle Old Fire Station · Castle · Carlisle 19:00Thu 19 Nov

Young Knives Voices of Animals and Men 20th AnniversaryThe Brickyard · Castle · Carlisle 19:30Thu 19 Nov

Live at The Lodge - EBB & Whimsical CreatureThe Lodge Arts Collective · Carlisle 19:00Fri 20 Nov

Ibiza In SymphonyOld Fire Station · Castle · Carlisle 19:00Fri 20 Nov

Foo Fighters GB + Unreal BloodThe Brickyard · Castle · Carlisle 19:30Fri 20 Nov

Stars in the makingThe Venue Dumfries · Carlisle 19:00Sat 21 Nov

Monster of Rock - Brickyard (Carlisle - 21/11/2026)The Brickyard · Castle · Carlisle 19:00Sat 21 Nov

Search every Carlisle gigEverything upcoming, not just the next four weeks

04 — This week

3 rooms

Where it's on this week

The venues doing the most in Carlisle over the next seven nights, ranked by gigs listed. Use it to spot the rooms worth a walk-in when you have not planned ahead.

#	Venue	Gigs
01	Carlisle Old Fire Station	2
02	The Brickyard	2
03	Old Fire Station	1

05 — Venues

19 rooms

Venues in Carlisle

Carlisle's grassroots venues, all 19 of them, listed whether or not they have something on right now - capacity, backline and hours for each, and a link to its own listings.

Photo: Google Drovers RestCarlisle

Old Fire Station CarlisleCecil Street · CarlisleHouse PA 420Cap

Open MindCarlisleHouse PA Cap tbc

Royal Oak, ScotbyScotby · CarlisleHouse PA Cap tbc

Spinners ArmsCarlisle Cap tbc

The BrickyardFisher Street · CarlisleHouse PA 350Cap

The Sands CentreTown Centre · CarlisleHouse PAEngineer 1,800Cap

The SourceNelson St · CarlisleHouse PA 180Cap

Easterbrook HallThe Crichton, Dumfries · Dumfries 1,600Cap

Hawick Town HallTown Centre · HawickHouse PAEngineer 450Cap

All 19 Carlisle venuesCapacity, backline and opening times

06 — Open mics

9 nights

Open mics in Carlisle

9 regular open mics run around Carlisle on a fixed night each week or month - no tickets, just turn up. Cards show the sign-up time, the slot length and any fee.

VariesSun Kick-off20:00 Royal Oak, ScotbyScotby Village · CarlisleNo feeHouse PADates vary

Drovers RestMonkhill, Burgh-by-Sands · CarlisleNo fee1st Tue of the month 20:00Tue

Spinners ArmsCummersdale · CarlisleNo feeFortnightly TBCWed

Open Mind75 English Street · CarlisleNo feeHouse PADates vary 20:00Thu

The SourceNelson St · CarlisleNo feeHouse PA 20:00Thu

The John Peel TheatreTown Centre · WigtonNo feeHouse PA1st Fri of the month 19:30Fri

Kirkgate CentreKirkgate · CockermouthNo fee2nd Sun of the month 14:00Sun

The Pocket Cafe BarLake Road · KeswickNo fee 20:00Mon

The Crafty BaaBank Street · KeswickNo fee 20:00Thu

All 9 Carlisle open micsSign-up times, slots and kit for every night

07 — Support grassroots

Support grassroots music in Carlisle

Grassroots venues are where every act you have ever paid to see started out. Carlisle still has 19 of them.

Carlisle's music runs through The Brickyard on Fisher Street, the Old Fire Station on Cecil Street, The Source on Nelson Street and the Sands Centre, with folk sessions in the village pubs around it.

In the year to July 2025, 78 UK grassroots venues stopped putting on live music and 30 closed outright, while pubs shut at about two a day in early 2026. Each one was somewhere a band played its first paid gig or a songwriter tried a new song on a room of strangers.

Think of this as the city's noticeboard: 34 gigs across Carlisle in the next four weeks, alongside 19 grassroots venues and 9 regular open mic nights, updated daily from the rooms that host them. There is no algorithm and no paid placement. Old Fire Station, The Brickyard and The Source Collective have the most on, and the sound leans rock and tribute act.

The single most useful thing anyone can do is turn up. Buy a ticket, buy a drink at the bar, and go to a night you have not been to before. If you would rather be told than remember, the sign-up below sends Carlisle listings straight to your inbox. If you run a venue here, claim your page so people can find you. The The Source open mic on Thursdays is an easy first night out.

Go to one this month

34 gigs listed in Carlisle over the next four weeks, with 19 grassroots venues and 9 regular open mic nights. Pick one you have not been to before - a ticket and a round at the bar is the most useful thing anyone can do for a room like these. If you only go out once, Saturdays have the most choice.

Help keep grassroots venues open in Carlisle

—

A UK venue stops hosting live music every 5 days — and turning up is what keeps a room open. Get a free weekly email of gigs in Carlisle. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy.

What lands in your inbox. Every Monday at noon, one email of Carlisle gigs for the week ahead - out of roughly 9 a week here, never more than two on the same night, so a packed Saturday does not crowd out the quieter evenings. A quiet week in Carlisle widens it to the next fortnight rather than sending you nothing.

Why sign up. Old Fire Station has the most coming up here, with 13 dates - the email means you see them in time to go. Right now Carlisle leans rock and tribute act. One click unsubscribes, any time.

Planning ahead? Gigs in Carlisle come and go each week; festivals are planned months ahead. One festival timeline holds the UK music festivals we have date-checked, by month, region and genre, and flags clashing weekends.

All Carlisle gigsEverything upcoming, sorted by date
Carlisle venues19 grassroots rooms
Carlisle open mics9 regular nights
The Carlisle sceneVenues, promoters, local rates and members near you
Every city we coverThe same page for every city, updated daily
UK gig directoryEvery upcoming grassroots gig
UK open mic finderStage time near you
UK venue directoryThe rooms behind the gigs

08 — Questions10 answersWhat's on in Carlisle

What's on in Carlisle this weekend?

3 gigs in Carlisle this weekend (Fri 13 Nov – Sun 15 Nov) - including Death of Guitar Pop at Old Fire Station (Friday), One Step Behind (Madness Tribute) at The Brickyard (Saturday), The Smiths Ltd at Carlisle Old Fire Station (Saturday). The full Friday-to-Sunday list is in This Weekend above, and every gig over the next 28 days is below it.

How does live music in Carlisle compare to nearby cities?

Counting every upcoming date, there are 111 gigs listed in and around Carlisle - third of 7 against its nearest places with live music, behind the Edinburgh area (350).

What live music is on in Carlisle over the next four weeks?

We currently list 34 gigs in Carlisle between 13 Nov and 11 Dec, across 6 venues. The listings above are the full set, sorted by date and refreshed daily from the venues themselves — no algorithm decides what you see. For everything beyond this window, browse every upcoming gig in Carlisle in the gig directory or every city we cover.

Are there free gigs in Carlisle?

None of the Carlisle gigs currently listed are marked free entry, though many venues do not publish a price at all. Carlisle open mic nights are your reliable free option — most charge nothing to watch or to play.

What is the busiest night for live music in Carlisle?

Saturday, with 13 gigs listed across the next 28 days. Saturday: 13 gigs · Friday: 8 gigs · Thursday: 8 gigs. Filter by This week or This weekend above to narrow it down.

Which Carlisle venues have the most on?

Right now: Old Fire Station, The Brickyard, The Source Collective. In total we track 19 grassroots venues in Carlisle, of which 6 have something listed in this window. Capacity, backline and opening times for each are on the Carlisle venue directory.

Where can I find open mic nights in Carlisle?

Carlisle has 9 regular open mic nights that we verify on a rolling cycle. Each listing carries the sign-up time, slot length, entry fee and whether a PA and backline are provided — see the Carlisle open mic finder, or the UK-wide finder.

How much does a gig cost in Carlisle, and what should an artist be paid?

Most Carlisle venues in our listings do not publish a ticket price in advance. Grassroots entry is typically a few pounds on the door, and many nights are free. On the other side of the transaction, the Musicians' Union publishes national gig rates as the recognised floor for live engagements, and the ISM publishes guidance for self-employed musicians. Our own UK gig rate benchmarks show what artists are actually being paid by region and act type.

Why do grassroots venues in Carlisle matter?

Grassroots rooms are where every act you have paid to see learned to hold an audience. Two pubs a day closed across the UK in the first quarter of 2026, and over the year to July 2025 78 grassroots music venues stopped putting on live music — 30 of them for good. Carlisle still has 19 on our list. Music Venue Trust campaigns for them nationally; venues themselves hold TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS and navigate local authority licensing to keep putting music on. The single most useful thing anyone can do is turn up and buy a drink at the bar.

How do I get a Carlisle gig or venue listed on GIGXCHANGE?

Listing is free and takes about two minutes — submit through the Carlisle gig directory and it is reviewed before it goes live. No account is needed and there is no listing fee. If you run a venue here, claim your venue page to keep its capacity, backline and contact details current. Promoters and venues booking acts can also post paid work or find artists directly.

Every What's On page, A–Z140 pages

What's On across the UKNearby: Newcastle, Gateshead, Durham, Lancaster

All 139 other cities, A–ZGigs

Aberdeen27 Accrington7 Aldershot Amersham Aylesbury Ayr

Barnsley Basildon11 Bath23 Bedford9 Belfast95 Berkhamsted Billericay2 Birmingham188 Blackburn3 Blackpool25 Bolton Borehamwood Bournemouth22 Bracknell Bradford39 Bridgend Brighouse Brighton85 Bristol105 Broxbourne9 Bushey

Cambridge17 Cannock Canterbury Cardiff64 Chelmsford6 Cheltenham8 Chesham Cheshunt Chester Colchester Coventry29 Crawley

Derby37 Derry Doncaster3 Dundee12 Dunfermline Durham2

Eastbourne Edinburgh121 Egham6 Epsom10 Exeter15

Farnborough6 Frome

Gateshead Glasgow298 Gloucester2 Grimsby Guildford

Halifax Harpenden Harrogate Hastings12 Hatfield Hemel Hempstead Hereford3 Hertford High Wycombe13 Hitchin Hoddesdon Huddersfield Hull35

Inverness16 Ipswich12

Lancaster Leeds89 Leicester22 Leigh-on-Sea Lincoln7 Liverpool180 London520 Luton8

Maidstone11 Manchester310 Margate4 Marlow Middlesbrough18 Milton Keynes13

Newbury Newcastle109 Newquay13 Newry2 Northampton18 Norwich19 Nottingham93 Nuneaton

Oxford21

Paisley Perth Peterborough11 Plymouth8 Portsmouth14 Potters Bar Preston31

Rawtenstall17 Reading12 Rickmansworth Rochdale

Scarborough14 Sheffield57 Shrewsbury Southampton55 Southport St Albans Stevenage Stirling Stockport Stockton-on-Tees9 Stoke-on-Trent16 Sunderland3 Sutton10 Swansea9 Swindon2

Telford7 Torquay Tring Tunbridge Wells8

Wakefield Walsall Waterlooville4 Watford16 Welwyn Garden City Weymouth3 Whitby Widnes Woking9 Wolverhampton36 Worcester Worthing Wrexham21

York14

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Live music on stage: a band under the lights

What's On · Cumbria

What's On in Carlisle

Q: What's on in Carlisle this weekend?

3 gigs in Carlisle this weekend (Fri 13 Nov – Sun 15 Nov) - including Death of Guitar Pop at Old Fire Station (Friday), One Step Behind (Madness Tribute) at The Brickyard (Saturday), The Smiths Ltd at Carlisle Old Fire Station (Saturday). The full Friday-to-Sunday list is in This Weekend above, and every gig over the next 28 days is below it.

Q: What live music is on in Carlisle over the next four weeks?

We currently list 34 gigs in Carlisle between 13 Nov and 11 Dec, across 6 venues. The listings above are the full set, sorted by date and refreshed daily from the venues themselves — no algorithm decides what you see. For everything beyond this window, browse every upcoming gig in Carlisle in the gig directory or every city we cover.

Q: What is the busiest night for live music in Carlisle?

Saturday, with 13 gigs listed across the next 28 days. Saturday: 13 gigs · Friday: 8 gigs · Thursday: 8 gigs. Filter by This week or This weekend above to narrow it down.

Q: Which Carlisle venues have the most on?

Right now: Old Fire Station, The Brickyard, The Source Collective. In total we track 19 grassroots venues in Carlisle, of which 6 have something listed in this window. Capacity, backline and opening times for each are on the Carlisle venue directory.

Q: Where can I find open mic nights in Carlisle?

Carlisle has 9 regular open mic nights that we verify on a rolling cycle. Each listing carries the sign-up time, slot length, entry fee and whether a PA and backline are provided — see the Carlisle open mic finder, or the UK-wide finder.

Live music in Carlisle over the next four weeks — 13 Nov – 11 Dec. 34 gigs listed in Carlisle over the next 28 days across 6 venues. Saturday is the busiest night with 13. In total we track 19 grassroots venues and 9 regular open mics here.

Two pubs a day are closing, and last year 78 grassroots venues stopped putting on live music. Get Carlisle gigs in your inbox — and go to one.

Help keep grassroots venues open in Carlisle

—

A UK venue stops hosting live music every 5 days — and turning up is what keeps a room open. Get a free weekly email of gigs in Carlisle. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy.

Every grassroots gig we hold for Carlisle between 13 Nov and 11 Dec.

Saturday is the busiest night — 13 gigs
Saturday: 13 gigs
Friday: 8 gigs
Most listed genres: Rock (10), Tribute Act (5), Pop (4), Punk Rock (3)
Imported daily from Ticketmaster, Skiddle and direct submissions

See the listings All upcoming gigs

6 different Carlisle venues have something on in the next 28 days.

Old Fire Station — 13 gigs
The Brickyard — 10 gigs
The Source Collective — 4 gigs
The Venue Dumfries — 2 gigs
13 more tracked venues with nothing listed yet
Capacity, backline and opening times on every card

See the listings Carlisle venues

9 regular open mic nights running in Carlisle. Turn up, put your name down, play.

Weekly and fortnightly nights across the city
Most are free to attend and free to play
Re-verified on a rolling cycle

See the listings Carlisle open mics

Everything the Carlisle scene has beyond tonight's listings.

City guide: Carlisle venues, promoters and bookers
Local rate benchmarks before you book or quote
Members near you on GigXchange

See the listings Carlisle scene

What’s on near you, wherever you are — the same page for every city we track.

Gigs, venues and open mics per city
One email a week with live music near you
Free to browse — no account needed

See the listings Browse every city

Updated daily · 34 gigs in Carlisle over the next four weeks

Last updated: 13 November 2026

This Weekend in Carlisle

NOV

Death of Guitar Pop

Old Fire Station·Castle, Carlisle

Friday, 13 November 2026 · 19:30–22:00

Entry—
Tickets—
AgeAll ages
GenrePop, Ska

Help keep grassroots venues open in Carlisle

Help keep grassroots venues open in Carlisle

What's On in Carlisle

Help keep grassroots venues open in Carlisle

This Weekend in Carlisle

How Carlisle Compares

Gigs in Carlisle

Where It's On This Week

Venues in Carlisle

Open mics in Carlisle

Support grassroots music in Carlisle

Go to one this month

Help keep grassroots venues open in Carlisle

What's on in Carlisle — FAQs

Play or put on gigs in Carlisle?