Leicestershire · 22 gigs · next 4 weeks

What's On in Leicester

13 Nov – 11 Dec

Help keep grassroots venues open in Leicester

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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 Leicester. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy.

All Leicester gigs This month

Updated 12 November 2026

At a glance

Gigs in
4 weeks

in Leicester, 13 Nov – 11 Dec

In detail

Venues with something on	7
Venues tracked	40
Open mics	18
Busiest night	Saturday · 9 gigs

22 gigs listed in Leicester over the next 28 days across 7 venues. Saturday is the busiest night with 9. In total we track 40 grassroots venues and 18 regular open mics here.

01 — This weekend

3 gigs

This weekend in Leicester

This weekend in Leicester, Friday to Sunday: 3 gigs. Highlights include The Jamlocks | Free Entry at The Donkey Inn (Friday), Soul & Motown Night - Ministry of Soul Band at 2Funky Music Cafe (Friday) and Vanitas @ Firebug, Leicester. With Re:O and Voidwalker at Firebug (Saturday). Every card links the full listing - times, entry and tickets; for the weeks after, scroll to the four-week list.

Fri13Nov Starts19:00 The Jamlocks | Free EntryThe Donkey Inn · Castle · Leicester

Soul & Motown Night - Ministry of Soul Band2Funky Music Cafe · LeicesterTickets 20:00Tonight

Vanitas @ Firebug, Leicester. With Re:O and VoidwalkerFirebug · Castle · LeicesterTickets 19:00Sat 14 Nov

02 — Compared

#6 of 7

How Leicester compares

Counting every upcoming date, not just the next four weeks, there are 62 gigs listed in and around Leicester - sixth of 7 against its nearest places with live music, behind the Birmingham area (554). 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	Birmingham area 80 venues · 18 open mics	554
02	Nottingham area 79 venues · 32 open mics	210
03	Derby area 38 venues · 16 open mics	107
04	Coventry area 46 venues · 19 open mics	100
05	Northampton area 26 venues · 14 open mics	68
06	Leicester area This page 40 venues · 18 open mics	62
07	Peterborough area 22 venues · 12 open mics	26

03 — Gigs

22 gigs

Gigs in Leicester

The whole four weeks, 13 Nov to 11 Dec: 22 gigs across 7 venues, busiest on Saturdays. Unlike This Weekend above, this list runs past Sunday - every gig we hold for the city, earliest first.

Fri13Nov Starts19:00 The Jamlocks | Free EntryThe Donkey Inn · Castle · Leicester

Soul & Motown Night - Ministry of Soul Band2Funky Music Cafe · LeicesterTickets 20:00Tonight

Vanitas @ Firebug, Leicester. With Re:O and VoidwalkerFirebug · Castle · LeicesterTickets 19:00Sat 14 Nov

Australian Pink Floyd ShowDe Montfort Hall · Castle · Leicester 19:00Mon 16 Nov

Jason DeruloClub Republic · Leicester 23:00Fri 20 Nov

Ultimate RnB day event, 2 Funky Music Cafe Leicester2 Funky Complex · Westcotes · Leicester 15:00Sat 21 Nov

Alison MoyetDe Montfort Hall · Castle · Leicester 19:00Sun 22 Nov

Birstall Open MicOld Plough Birstall · Birstall East & Wanlip · Leicester 19:30Wed 25 Nov

Jools Holland and His Rhythm & Blues OrchestraDe Montfort Hall · Castle · Leicester 19:30Thu 26 Nov

Shawn Rivera & Dolce Groove2funky Club · Westcotes · Leicester 19:00Fri 27 Nov

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

04 — This week

4 rooms

Where it's on this week

Not the gigs - the rooms. These are the Leicester venues with the most on in the next seven nights, counted from the listings above, so you can see where the city is busiest this week before you pick a night.

#	Venue	Gigs
01	2Funky Music Cafe	1
02	De Montfort Hall	1
03	Firebug	1
04	The Donkey Inn	1

05 — Venues

40 rooms

Venues in Leicester

Every grassroots venue we track in Leicester - all 40, whether or not it has a gig listed right now - with its capacity, kit and opening times. Use it to find a room near you, then check its page for what is on.

Photo: Google 350 cap 2Funky ComplexLeicester

2Funky Music CafeLeicesterHouse PA 350Cap

33 Cank StreetOld Town · Leicester Cap tbc

45 WestOld Town · Leicester Cap tbc

Baton Rouge Leicester41 Rutland St · LeicesterHouse PA Cap tbc

Blaby And Whetstone Social ClubWhetstone · Leicester 100Cap

Doppler StudioLeicester Cap tbc

Dover CastleLeicesterHouse PA Cap tbc

Duffys Bar, LeicesterLeicester Cap tbc

FirebugCity Centre · LeicesterFull kitEngineer 200Cap

All 40 Leicester venuesCapacity, backline and opening times

06 — Open mics

18 nights

Open mics in Leicester

Unlike the gigs above, these come round every week or month: 18 open mic nights in and around Leicester. Put your name down at sign-up, or just go and listen - most charge nothing.

Fri13Nov Kick-off20:00 Queen of BradgateLeicesterNo feeHouse PA

The Black DogLeicesterNo feeHouse PA1st Sun of the month 15:00Sun

The CookieCity Centre · LeicesterNo feeFull kit 20:00Sun

The Western PubWestern Road · LeicesterNo feeHouse PA1st Sun of the month 20:00Sun

The CriterionCity Centre · LeicesterNo feeHouse PA 20:00Mon

The SoundHouse LeicesterLeicesterNo feeHouse PA 19:00Tue

MoshLeicesterNo feeHouse PA 20:00Tue

The Crows NestEast · LeicesterNo feeHouse PA 20:00Tue

FirebugCity Centre · LeicesterNo feeFull kit 20:00Wed

Old PloughCity Centre · LeicesterNo feeHouse PA 20:00Wed

All 18 Leicester open micsSign-up times, slots and kit for every night

07 — Support grassroots

Support grassroots music in Leicester

Grassroots venues are where every act you have ever paid to see started out. Leicester still has 40 of them.

Universities, carnival, comedy, and a grassroots indie circuit that has outlasted most UK cities its size. Planning a private party instead? See booking live entertainment in Leicester for bands, singers and DJs for one-off occasions. Booking for the company rather than yourself? See corporate entertainment in Leicester for Christmas parties, awards nights and conferences.

Grassroots rooms are disappearing: 78 stopped hosting live music in the year to July 2025, 30 of them for good, and pubs closed at around two a day in the first quarter of 2026. Lose them and you lose the first rung - the support slots and midweek nights every bigger act started on.

This page exists to make them easy to find. It lists 22 gigs across Leicester over the next four weeks, pulled from the venues themselves and updated daily - alongside the 40 grassroots venues and 18 regular open mic nights we track in the city. No algorithm decides what you see: it is simply everything we know is on. Most of it happens at The Donkey Inn, 2Funky Music Cafe and Firebug, and the sound leans dj / electronic and rock.

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 Leicester listings straight to your inbox. If you run a venue here, claim your page so people can find you. The The SoundHouse Leicester open mic on Tuesdays is an easy first night out.

Go to one this month

Leicester has 22 gigs in the next four weeks and 18 open mic nights running. Choose one, go, and tell someone who would like it - word of mouth still fills small rooms. Saturdays are the busiest for gigs here.

Help keep grassroots venues open in Leicester

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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 Leicester. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy.

What you get. A Monday-noon email for Leicester only: the week's gigs, drawn from the 22 listed on this page for the next four weeks, two a night at most (Saturday is the busiest, with 9 dates). When fewer than four Leicester gigs fall in the week, the email reaches on to the next fortnight, then the month, so you still have something to choose from.

Why sign up. De Montfort Hall alone has 5 dates on, The Donkey Inn 4 - the email is how you hear about them before the night, not after. Right now Leicester leans dj / electronic and funk. One click unsubscribes, any time.

Beyond this week. Gigs in Leicester are announced week to week; festivals are planned months out. The UK music festivals we have date-checked sit on one festival timeline, by month, region and genre, with clash checks for your weekends.

All Leicester gigsEverything upcoming, sorted by date
Leicester venues40 grassroots rooms
Leicester open mics18 regular nights
The Leicester 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 Leicester

What's on in Leicester this weekend?

3 gigs in Leicester this weekend (Fri 13 Nov – Sun 15 Nov) - including The Jamlocks | Free Entry at The Donkey Inn (Friday), Soul & Motown Night - Ministry of Soul Band at 2Funky Music Cafe (Friday), Vanitas @ Firebug, Leicester. With Re:O and Voidwalker at Firebug (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 Leicester compare to nearby cities?

Counting every upcoming date, there are 62 gigs listed in and around Leicester - sixth of 7 against its nearest places with live music, behind the Birmingham area (554).

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

We currently list 22 gigs in Leicester between 13 Nov and 11 Dec, across 7 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 Leicester in the gig directory or every city we cover.

Are there free gigs in Leicester?

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

Saturday, with 9 gigs listed across the next 28 days. Saturday: 9 gigs · Friday: 8 gigs · Sunday: 2 gigs. Filter by This week or This weekend above to narrow it down.

Which Leicester venues have the most on?

Right now: The Donkey Inn, 2Funky Music Cafe, Firebug. In total we track 40 grassroots venues in Leicester, of which 7 have something listed in this window. Capacity, backline and opening times for each are on the Leicester venue directory.

Where can I find open mic nights in Leicester?

Leicester has 18 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 Leicester open mic finder, or the UK-wide finder.

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

Most Leicester 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 Leicester 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. Leicester still has 40 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 Leicester gig or venue listed on GIGXCHANGE?

Listing is free and takes about two minutes — submit through the Leicester 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: Nuneaton, Nottingham, Coventry, Derby

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 Carlisle34 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 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 · Leicestershire

What's On in Leicester

Q: What's on in Leicester this weekend?

3 gigs in Leicester this weekend (Fri 13 Nov – Sun 15 Nov) - including The Jamlocks | Free Entry at The Donkey Inn (Friday), Soul & Motown Night - Ministry of Soul Band at 2Funky Music Cafe (Friday), Vanitas @ Firebug, Leicester. With Re:O and Voidwalker at Firebug (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 Leicester over the next four weeks?

We currently list 22 gigs in Leicester between 13 Nov and 11 Dec, across 7 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 Leicester in the gig directory or every city we cover.

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

Saturday, with 9 gigs listed across the next 28 days. Saturday: 9 gigs · Friday: 8 gigs · Sunday: 2 gigs. Filter by This week or This weekend above to narrow it down.

Q: Which Leicester venues have the most on?

Right now: The Donkey Inn, 2Funky Music Cafe, Firebug. In total we track 40 grassroots venues in Leicester, of which 7 have something listed in this window. Capacity, backline and opening times for each are on the Leicester venue directory.

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

Leicester has 18 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 Leicester open mic finder, or the UK-wide finder.

Live music in Leicester over the next four weeks — 13 Nov – 11 Dec. 22 gigs listed in Leicester over the next 28 days across 7 venues. Saturday is the busiest night with 9. In total we track 40 grassroots venues and 18 regular open mics here.

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

Help keep grassroots venues open in Leicester

—

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 Leicester. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy.

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

Saturday is the busiest night — 9 gigs
Saturday: 9 gigs
Friday: 8 gigs
Most listed genres: DJ / Electronic (3), Rock (2), Pop (2), Funk (2)
Imported daily from Ticketmaster, Skiddle and direct submissions

See the listings All upcoming gigs

7 different Leicester venues have something on in the next 28 days.

The Donkey Inn — 4 gigs
2Funky Music Cafe — 1 gig
Firebug — 1 gig
2 Funky Complex — 1 gig
33 more tracked venues with nothing listed yet
Capacity, backline and opening times on every card

See the listings Leicester venues

18 regular open mic nights running in Leicester. 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 Leicester open mics

Everything the Leicester scene has beyond tonight's listings.

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

See the listings Leicester 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 · 22 gigs in Leicester over the next four weeks

Last updated: 12 November 2026

This Weekend in Leicester

NOV

The Jamlocks | Free Entry

The Donkey Inn·Castle, Leicester

Friday, 13 November 2026 · 19:00–23:45

Entry—
Tickets—
AgeAll ages
Genre—

Help keep grassroots venues open in Leicester

Help keep grassroots venues open in Leicester

What's On in Leicester

Help keep grassroots venues open in Leicester

This Weekend in Leicester

How Leicester Compares

Gigs in Leicester

Where It's On This Week

Venues in Leicester

Open mics in Leicester

Support grassroots music in Leicester

Go to one this month

Help keep grassroots venues open in Leicester

What's on in Leicester — FAQs

Play or put on gigs in Leicester?