Live music on stage: a band under the lights

What's On · UK

What's On in Durham

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

We currently list 3 gigs in Durham between 29 Sept and 27 Oct, across 1 venue. 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 the Durham gig directory or every city we cover.

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

Friday, with 2 gigs listed across the next 28 days. Friday: 2 gigs · Sunday: 1 gig. Filter by This week or This weekend above to narrow it down.

Q: Which Durham venues have the most on?

Right now: 08f0d244-846a-4198-badb-8a76f804daa7. In total we track 16 grassroots venues in Durham, of which 1 have something listed in this window. Capacity, backline and opening times for each are on the Durham venue directory.

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

Durham has 10 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 Durham open mic finder, or the UK-wide finder.

Live music in Durham over the next four weeks — 29 Sept – 27 Oct. 3 gigs listed in Durham over the next 28 days across 1 venue. Friday is the busiest night with 2. In total we track 16 grassroots venues and 10 regular open mics here.

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

Help keep grassroots venues open in Durham

—

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 Durham. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy.

Every grassroots gig we hold for Durham between 29 Sept and 27 Oct.

Friday is the busiest night — 2 gigs
Friday: 2 gigs
Sunday: 1 gig
Imported daily from Ticketmaster, Skiddle and direct submissions

See the listings All upcoming gigs

1 different Durham venues have something on in the next 28 days.

Bar Bianco Chester Le Street — 1 gig
15 more tracked venues with nothing listed yet
Capacity, backline and opening times on every card

See the listings Durham venues

10 regular open mic nights running in Durham. 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 Durham open mics

Everything the Durham scene has beyond tonight's listings.

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

See the listings Browse every city

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 · 3 gigs in Durham over the next four weeks

Last updated: 29 September 2026

Support grassroots music in Durham

Grassroots venues are where every act you have ever paid to see started out. Durham still has 16 of them.

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 shut for good. Those are the rooms where new acts learn to hold an audience, where a first support slot happens, and where a Tuesday night can still turn into something.

This page exists to make them easy to find. It lists 3 gigs across Durham over the next four weeks, pulled from the venues themselves and updated daily — alongside the 16 grassroots venues and 10 regular open mic nights we track in the city. No algorithm decides what you see: it is simply everything we know is on.

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 above sends Durham listings straight to your inbox. If you run a venue here, claim your page so people can find you.

Gigs in Durham

Every grassroots gig we hold for Durham in the next four weeks — 29 Sept – 27 Oct. Updated daily.

Showing 3 of 3 gigs

OCT

lazy Sunday Music with Mark McCann

Bar Bianco Chester Le Street·Chester-le-Street North, Durham

Sunday, 4 October 2026 · 15:00–19:00

Entry—
Tickets—
AgeAll ages
Genre—

View details›

OCT

Pumplejuice Presents - Tired of Fighting / The Fry Ups

Holy Grale Basement·Elvet, Gilesgate & Shincliffe, Durham

Friday, 9 October 2026 · 19:00–22:30

Entry—
Tickets—
AgeAll ages
Genre—

View details›

OCT

Ami Leigh

The Canteen Bar And Kitchen·Shildon & Dene Valley, Durham

Friday, 23 October 2026 · 20:00–22:00

Entry—
Tickets—
AgeAll ages
Genre—

View details›

See every upcoming gig in Durham →

Venues in Durham

Where live music actually happens in Durham.

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Angel Inn

Durham★★★★★ (—)

Historic Crossgate pub with regular live music.

Backline0 of 7

PA system
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
Vocal mics
In-house engineer

Opening times7 of 7

Mon14:00–23:00
Tue14:00–23:00
Wed14:00–23:00
Thu14:00–23:00
Fri12:00–00:00
Sat12:00–00:00
Sun12:00–23:00

View venue›

Photo: Google

Claim this venue

Bar Bianco Chester Le Street

Chester-le-Street★★★★★ (—)

Luxury cocktail bar with DJ nights.

Backline0 of 7

PA system
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
Vocal mics
In-house engineer

Opening times7 of 7

MonClosed
TueClosed
WedClosed
ThuClosed
Fri21:00–02:00
Sat21:00–02:00
SunClosed

Bishop Auckland › Coundon, Bishop Auckland★★★★★ (—)

Working men's club with soul entertainment.

Backline0 of 7

PA system
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
Vocal mics
In-house engineer

Opening times7 of 7

Mon10:00–17:00
Tue10:00–17:00
Wed10:00–17:00
Thu10:00–17:00
Fri10:00–17:00
Sat11:00–23:00
Sun11:00–23:00

Daleside Arms in Croxdale hosts an open mic fortnightly on Tuesdays.

Backline0 of 7

PA system
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
Vocal mics
In-house engineer

Opening times—

Mon—
Tue—
Wed—
Thu—
Fri—
Sat—
Sun—

Durham › Millennium Place★★★★★ (—)

500-cap theatre for indie, folk and comedy.

Backline2 of 7

PA system
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
Vocal mics
In-house engineer

Opening times7 of 7

Mon10:00–17:00
Tue10:00–20:30
Wed10:00–20:30
Thu10:00–20:30
Fri10:00–20:30
Sat10:00–20:30
Sun14:00–20:30

View venue›

Photo: Google

Claim this venue

Hamsteels Community Centre

Esh Winning★★★★★ (—)

Hamsteels Community Centre in Esh Winning hosts an open mic monthly on a Saturday from 19:30.

Backline0 of 7

PA system
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
Vocal mics
In-house engineer

Opening times—

Mon—
Tue—
Wed—
Thu—
Fri—
Sat—
Sun—

View venue›

Photo: Google

Claim this venue

Newton Aycliffe Navy Club

Newton Aycliffe › Bluebell Way★★★★★ (—)

Newton Aycliffe Navy Club in Newton Aycliffe hosts an open mic every Wednesday at 7.

Backline1 of 7

PA system
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
Vocal mics
In-house engineer

Opening times—

Mon—
Tue—
Wed—
Thu—
Fri—
Sat—
Sun—

View venue›

Photo: Google

Claim this venue

Sherburn Village Working Men's Club

Sherburn Village★★★★★ (—)

Sherburn Village Working Men's Club in Sherburn Village hosts an open mic fortnightly on Tuesdays from 19:00.

Backline1 of 7

PA system
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
Vocal mics
In-house engineer

Opening times—

Mon—
Tue—
Wed—
Thu—
Fri—
Sat—
Sun—

Civic hall with pop entertainment.

Backline0 of 7

PA system
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
Vocal mics
In-house engineer

Opening times7 of 7

Mon18:00–22:00
Tue18:00–22:00
Wed18:00–22:00
Thu18:00–22:00
Fri18:00–23:00
Sat18:00–23:00
Sun12:00–15:00

Durham › Claypath★★★★★ (—)

Durham independent drinks den with live bands every Friday.

Backline2 of 7

PA system
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
2 vocal mics
In-house engineer

Opening times7 of 7

Mon14:00–00:00
Tue14:00–00:00
Wed14:00–00:00
Thu14:00–00:00
Fri12:00–00:00
Sat12:00–01:00
Sun12:00–00:00

Durham › St Margarets Garth★★★★★ (—)

Durham craft beer bar with live music.

Backline1 of 7

PA system
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
Vocal mics
In-house engineer

Opening times7 of 7

MonClosed
TueClosed
Wed15:00–23:00
Thu15:00–23:00
Fri12:00–23:00
Sat12:00–23:00
Sun12:00–23:00

Durham › North Road★★★★★ (—)

Award-winning Durham micropub with a monthly acoustic tunes session

Backline0 of 7

PA system
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
Vocal mics
In-house engineer

Opening times7 of 7

MonClosed
Tue16:00–22:30
Wed16:00–22:30
Thu16:00–22:30
Fri14:00–22:30
Sat12:00–22:30
Sun16:00–22:30

Barnard Castle › Town Centre★★★★★ (—)

Folk and live music venue in Barnard Castle

Backline2 of 7

PA system
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
Vocal mics
In-house engineer

Opening times7 of 7

MonClosed
Tue09:00–16:00
Wed09:00–16:00
Thu09:00–23:00
Fri09:00–23:00
Sat09:00–23:00
SunClosed

View venue›

Claim this venue

The Woodman Inn

Durham › Gilesgate★★★★★ (—)

The Woodman Inn in Durham hosts an open mic monthly on a Thursday.

Backline0 of 7

PA system
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
Vocal mics
In-house engineer

Opening times—

Mon—
Tue—
Wed—
Thu—
Fri—
Sat—
Sun—

View venue›

Photo: Google

Claim this venue

Waddington Street Centre

Durham › Waddington Street★★★★★ (—)

Community centre home to Durham's long-running Poetry Jam open mic

Backline0 of 7

PA system
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
Vocal mics
In-house engineer

Opening times7 of 7

Mon09:00–17:00
Tue09:00–17:00
Wed09:00–17:00
Thu09:00–17:00
Fri09:00–17:00
Sat09:00–15:00
SunClosed

Durham › Crossgate★★★★★ (—)

Historic Durham pub with folk sessions every Monday and Tuesday night

Backline0 of 7

PA system
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
Vocal mics
In-house engineer

Opening times7 of 7

Mon11:30–23:00
Tue11:30–23:00
Wed11:30–23:00
Thu11:30–23:00
Fri11:30–00:00
Sat11:30–00:00
Sun11:30–23:00

View venue›

All 16 Durham venues →

Open mics in Durham

Turn up, put your name down, play. Most are free.

Starts 20:00

Sign-up—
Slots—
EntryFree
PA—
Backline—
Open toMusicians

View details›

2-WK

Tue

Sherburn Village Working Men's Club

Sherburn Village, Sherburn Village

Starts 19:00

Sign-up—
Slots—
EntryFree
PA—
Backline—
Open toMusicians

Starts 20:00

Sign-up—
Slots—
EntryFree
PAProvided
Backline—
Open toMusicians

Sign-up—
Slots—
EntryFree
PA—
Backline—
Open toMusicians

View details›

EVERY

Wed

Newton Aycliffe Navy Club

Bluebell Way, Newton Aycliffe

Starts 19:15

Sign-up—
Slots—
Entry£2.00
PA—
Backline—
Open toMusicians

St Margarets Garth, Durham

Starts 20:00

Sign-up19:30
Slots12 min
EntryFree
PAProvided
Backline—
Open toMusicians

View details›

1ST

Thu

Waddington Street Centre

Waddington Street, Durham

Starts 19:30

Sign-up—
Slots—
EntryFree
PA—
Backline—
Open toPoets, Spoken word artists

Starts 20:00

Sign-up—
Slots—
EntryFree
PA—
Backline—
Open toMusicians

Sign-up—
Slots—
EntryFree
PA—
Backline—
Open toMusicians

View details›

MONTH

Sat

Hamsteels Community Centre

Esh Winning, Esh Winning

Starts 19:30

Sign-up—
Slots—
EntryFree
PA—
Backline—
Open toMusicians

View details›

All 10 Durham open mics →

What's on in Durham — FAQs

Common questions about live music in Durham, answered with this week's live data.

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

We currently list 3 gigs in Durham between 29 Sept and 27 Oct, across 1 venue. 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 the Durham gig directory or every city we cover.

Are there free gigs in Durham?

None of the Durham gigs currently listed are marked free entry, though many venues do not publish a price at all. Durham 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 Durham?

Friday, with 2 gigs listed across the next 28 days. Friday: 2 gigs · Sunday: 1 gig. Filter by This week or This weekend above to narrow it down.

Which Durham venues have the most on?

Right now: 08f0d244-846a-4198-badb-8a76f804daa7. In total we track 16 grassroots venues in Durham, of which 1 have something listed in this window. Capacity, backline and opening times for each are on the Durham venue directory.

Where can I find open mic nights in Durham?

Durham has 10 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 Durham open mic finder, or the UK-wide finder.

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

Most Durham 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 Durham 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. Durham still has 16 on our list. Music Venue Trust campaigns for them nationally; venues themselves navigate PRS licensing and 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 Durham gig or venue listed on GIGXCHANGE?

Listing is free and takes about two minutes — submit through the Durham gig directory and it is verified within 48 hours. 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.

Go to one this month

3 gigs listed in Durham over the next four weeks, across 16 grassroots venues and 10 open mic nights. Buy a ticket, buy a drink at the bar, and go to a night you have not been to before — it is the single most useful thing anyone can do for a room like these.

Help keep grassroots venues open in Durham

—

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 Durham. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy.