UK · 1,442 open mic listings · 91 cities
UK Open Mic Finder
Find an open mic near you - 1,442 UK listings (845 verified), when they run, how to sign up, what kit is there.
97% are free entry, 89% take walk-ins and 72% have a house PA. Re-verified on a rolling cycle.
Popular citiesAt a glance
Updated daily1,442
Open mic
listings
across 91 UK citieslistings
| Free entry | 97% of nights |
| House PA | 72% of nights |
| Full backline | 10% of nights |
| Typical slot | 12 minutes |
| Busiest nights | Wednesdays + Thursdays |
01 — Find a night
1,442 nightsPick your night
When
Day
Has
Type
City
Sort
Kick-off12:00 Lincoln Central LibraryCity Centre · LincolnNo fee1st Sat of the month 
Cowley Road StudiosOxfordNo feeHouse PADates vary 13:00Sat 
King Tut's Wah Wah HutCity Centre · GlasgowNo feeFull kit 14:00Tonight 
Music HallCoda Cafe-Bar, Union St · AberdeenNo feeHouse PALast Sat of the month 15:00Sat 
Bolton Gate ArtsWeston Coyney · Stoke-on-TrentNo fee1st Sat of the month 18:00Sat 
AtticSeafront · Southend-on-SeaNo feeHouse PADates vary 18:30Sat Allsop ArmsGloucester Pl · LondonNo feeHouse PA 19:00Tonight 
Hamsteels Community CentreEsh WinningNo feeMonthly 19:30Sat 
Black HorseTown Centre · LutonNo feeFortnightly 20:00Sat 
Doncaster Brewery TapDoncasterNo feeHouse PALast Sat of the month 20:00Sat 02 — The map
Tap a cityNights near you
Bubble size = open mics in that city · tap one to zoom in · two fingers to move
03 — By city
Top 10 of 91Where the nights are
| 01 | London | 70 nights |
| 02 | Manchester | 59 nights |
| 03 | Brighton | 45 nights |
| 04 | Glasgow | 44 nights |
| 05 | Sheffield | 38 nights |
| 06 | Bristol | 35 nights |
| 07 | Cardiff | 34 nights |
| 08 | Edinburgh | 34 nights |
| 09 | Leeds | 34 nights |
| 10 | Nottingham | 32 nights |
All 91 cities, A–ZNights
A
Aberdeen18Aberystwyth7Accrington5Aldershot11B
Basildon11Bath13Bedford9Belfast17Billericay4Birmingham17Blackburn5Blackpool22Boston8Bournemouth14Bradford18Brighton45Bristol35Broxbourne5C
Cambridge17Cardiff34Carlisle9Chelmsford8Cheltenham19Cirencester4Coventry18Crawley12D
Derby15Derry6Doncaster12Dublin1Dundee18Durham10E
Edinburgh34Egham8Epsom6Exeter24F
Farnborough4G
Glasgow44Gloucester9Grimsby8H
Hastings15Hereford21High Wycombe12Horley3Hull18I
Inverness8Ipswich14L
Leeds34Leicester17Lincoln14Liverpool27London70Luton6M
Maidstone9Manchester59Margate16Middlesbrough11Milton Keynes9N
Newcastle25Newquay9Newry3Northampton14Norwich20Nottingham32O
Oxford23P
Peterborough10Plymouth14Portsmouth17Preston17R
Rawtenstall9Reading17S
Scarborough11Sheffield38Southampton28Stockton-on-Tees8Stoke-on-Trent17Sunderland13Sutton9Swansea22Swindon9T
Telford14Tunbridge Wells8W
Waterlooville9Watford10Welshpool2Weymouth9Woking11Wolverhampton21Worthing1Wrexham18Y
York2704 — By night
Nights listedMidweek rules
| 01 | Wednesday | 372 nights |
| 02 | Thursday | 353 nights |
| 03 | Tuesday | 262 nights |
| 04 | Sunday | 213 nights |
| 05 | Monday | 142 nights |
| 06 | Friday | 72 nights |
| 07 | Saturday Tonight | 20 nights |
05 — In numbers
Live dataThe scene, counted
97%Free entry
89%Walk-ins
72%House PA
319 nights re-checked this month, 51 added. Free to cite: DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20173300 · CC BY 4.0 · all our open data.
06 — Best equipped
Full backline rateTravel light
| 01 | London | 39% |
| 02 | Hastings | 27% |
| 03 | Bristol | 20% |
| 04 | Manchester | 19% |
| 05 | Margate | 19% |
UK Open Mic Directory
UK Open Mic Finder
GigXchange lists 1,442 open mic listings, 845 verified, across 91 UK cities — 97% are free entry. Find an open mic near you, filter by day, fee or backline. Re-verified on a rolling cycle.
Open mic directory
Open mic finder at a glance UK open mic nights · 91 UK cities
1,442
Open mics
91
UK cities
97%
Free entry
7
Nights / week
845
Verified
Nightly
Re-checked
97% of UK open mics are free entry — walk in, sign up, play
Last updated: 23 October 2026
Find an Open Mic Near You
A UK-wide open mic directory: every night searchable by city, day of the week, entry fee, backline, and performer type. Listings are re-verified on a continuous rolling cycle — the longest-unchecked nights are re-checked every night, and reported corrections are reviewed within 7 days; confirmed closures are marked as closed.
1,442
open mic listings tracked across 91 UK cities, from London to Aberdeen
- 97% free entry for performers and audience · the rest are £2–£5
- 72% provide a PA + vocal mic · 10% offer full backline (drums, amps)
- 12-minute slots typical · walk-in sign-up, 30–60 minutes before start
- Wednesdays + Thursdays are the busiest open mic nights nationally — 50% of all listings
Want what is on this week rather than the open mic list? See what’s on across the UK — live music by city, updated daily.
How to cite this dataset
GigXchange, UK Open Mic Directory. Available at: https://gigxchange.app/gigs/open-mic-finder. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Browse by Day
Filter all 1,442 listings by night
Click a day to filter the listings below.
Showing 241–264 of 1,442 · page 11 of 61
2-WK
Thu
The Kings Head
Fen Ditton, Cambridge
- Sign-up19:30
- Slots15 min
- EntryNo fee listed
- PAProvided
- Backline—
- Open toMusicians
View details›
EVERY
Thu
Panton Arms
Cambridge, Cambridge
- Sign-up19:30
- Slots12 min
- EntryNo fee listed
- PAProvided
- Backline—
- Open toMusicians
View details›
Real piano · tiny room
LAST
Thu
The Blue Moon
City Centre, Cambridge
- Sign-up19:30
- Slots12 min
- EntryNo fee listed
- PAProvided
- Backline—
- Open toMusicians, Poets
View details›
EVERY
Thu
The Emperor
21 Hills Road, Cambridge
- Sign-up—
- Slots—
- EntryNo fee listed
- PAProvided
- Backline—
- Open toMusicians
View details›
OTHER
Fri
Golden Hind
Milton Road, Cambridge
- Sign-up—
- Slots—
- Entry£4.00
- PAProvided
- Backline—
- Open toMusicians
View details›
Converted foundry
EVERY
Tue
The Foundry
City Centre, Canterbury
- Sign-up19:30
- Slots12 min
- EntryNo fee listed
- PAProvided
- BacklineFull
- Open toMusicians
View details›
2ND
Tue
Your Music School (YMS)
Wincheap, Canterbury
- Sign-up—
- Slots—
- Entry£5.00
- PA—
- Backline—
- Open toMusicians
View details›
MONTH
Wed
The Hare at Blean
Blean, Canterbury
- Sign-up—
- Slots—
- EntryNo fee listed
- PA—
- Backline—
- Open toMusicians
View details›
EVERY
Wed
The Ballroom
Orange Street, Canterbury
- Sign-up—
- Slots—
- EntryNo fee listed
- PAProvided
- Backline—
- Open toMusicians
View details›
EVERY
Thu
Maiden's Head
Wincheap, Canterbury
- Sign-up—
- Slots—
- EntryNo fee listed
- PA—
- Backline—
- Open toMusicians
View details›
EVERY
Thu
The Maidens Head
28 Wincheap, Canterbury
- Sign-up—
- Slots—
- EntryNo fee listed
- PAProvided
- Backline—
- Open toMusicians, Comedians, Poets
View details›
Real piano · community hall
EVERY
Thu
The Westgate Hall
City Centre, Canterbury
- Sign-up19:30
- Slots12 min
- EntryNo fee listed
- PAProvided
- Backline—
- Open toMusicians
View details›
2-WK
Thu
Bramleys Cocktail Bar
Orange Street, Canterbury
- Sign-up—
- Slots—
- EntryNo fee listed
- PA—
- Backline—
- Open toMusicians
View details›
EVERY
Fri
The Penny Theatre
Canterbury, Canterbury
- Sign-up19:00
- Slots—
- EntryNo fee listed
- PAProvided
- Backline—
- Open toMusicians
View details›
EVERY
Sun
Foundry Social
Cardiff, Cardiff
- Sign-up19:30
- Slots12 min
- EntryNo fee listed
- PAProvided
- Backline—
- Open toMusicians
View details›
EVERY
Sun
The Live Lounge Cardiff
Cardiff, Cardiff
- Sign-up19:30
- Slots12 min
- EntryNo fee listed
- PAProvided
- Backline—
- Open toMusicians
View details›
EVERY
Sun
The Railway
Pontcanna, Cardiff
- Sign-up19:30
- Slots12 min
- EntryNo fee listed
- PAProvided
- Backline—
- Open toMusicians
View details›
EVERY
Sun
Legends Club
Grangetown, Cardiff
- Sign-up—
- Slots—
- EntryNo fee listed
- PAProvided
- Backline—
- Open toMusicians
View details›
EVERY
Mon
The Earl Haig Club
Whitchurch, Cardiff
- Sign-up19:30
- Slots15 min
- EntryNo fee listed
- PAProvided
- Backline—
- Open toMusicians
View details›
Welsh-language · iconic
EVERY
Mon
Clwb Ifor Bach
City Centre, Cardiff
- Sign-up19:30
- Slots12 min
- EntryNo fee listed
- PAProvided
- BacklineFull
- Open toMusicians
View details›
MONTH
Tue
The Canopi
Cardiff, Cardiff
- Sign-up19:00
- Slots12 min
- EntryNo fee listed
- PAProvided
- Backline—
- Open toMusicians, Poets
View details›
2-WK
Tue
The Lansdowne Pub
Cardiff, Cardiff
- Sign-up19:30
- Slots12 min
- EntryNo fee listed
- PAProvided
- Backline—
- Open toMusicians
View details›
EVERY
Tue
O'Neill's St Mary Street
Cardiff, Cardiff
- Sign-up—
- Slots—
- EntryNo fee listed
- PAProvided
- Backline—
- Open toMusicians
View details›
Hosted by Genevieve
EVERY
Tue
Porter's
Saint Davids Centre, Cardiff
- Sign-up19:00
- Slots10 min
- EntryNo fee listed
- PAProvided
- BacklineFull
- Open toMusicians, Poets, Comedians
View details›
Browse by City
Jump straight to a city for the full local list.
London70 micsManchester59 micsBrighton45 micsGlasgow44 micsSheffield38 micsBristol35 micsCardiff34 micsEdinburgh34 micsLeeds34 micsNottingham32 micsSouthampton28 micsLiverpool27 micsYork27 micsNewcastle25 micsExeter24 micsOxford23 micsBlackpool22 micsSwansea22 micsHereford21 micsWolverhampton21 micsNorwich20 micsCheltenham19 micsAberdeen18 micsBradford18 micsCoventry18 micsDundee18 micsHull18 micsWrexham18 micsBelfast17 micsBirmingham17 micsCambridge17 micsLeicester17 micsPortsmouth17 micsPreston17 micsReading17 micsStoke-on-Trent17 micsMargate16 micsDerby15 micsHastings15 micsBournemouth14 micsIpswich14 micsLincoln14 micsNorthampton14 micsPlymouth14 micsTelford14 micsBath13 micsSunderland13 micsCrawley12 micsDoncaster12 micsHigh Wycombe12 micsAldershot11 micsBasildon11 micsMiddlesbrough11 micsScarborough11 micsWoking11 micsDurham10 micsPeterborough10 micsWatford10 micsBedford9 micsCarlisle9 micsGloucester9 micsMaidstone9 micsMilton Keynes9 micsNewquay9 micsRawtenstall9 micsSutton9 micsSwindon9 micsWaterlooville9 micsWeymouth9 micsBoston8 micsChelmsford8 micsEgham8 micsGrimsby8 micsInverness8 micsStockton-on-Tees8 micsTunbridge Wells8 micsAberystwyth7 micsDerry6 micsEpsom6 micsLuton6 micsAccrington5 micsBlackburn5 micsBroxbourne5 micsBillericay4 micsCirencester4 micsFarnborough4 micsHorley3 micsNewry3 micsWelshpool2 micsDublin1 micWorthing1 mic
UK Open Mic Scene in Numbers
Live statistics computed from all 1,442 listings on every page load — these numbers can't go stale.
Wed
Peak Night
Wednesday is the UK's busiest open mic night with 372 listings (26% of all listings)
12 min
Typical Slot
The typical UK open mic slot is 12 minutes or 2–3 songs
72%
PA Provided
72% of UK open mics provide at least a PA system and one vocal mic
10%
Full Backline
10% offer full backline (drums, guitar amp, bass amp, PA)
97%
Free Entry
97% of UK open mics are free for both performers and audience
8pm
Typical Start
Most sessions start between 7pm and 8:30pm — typically 8pm
89%
Walk-In
89% use walk-in signup on the night — no pre-booking needed
59%
Verified
59% verified against a live source, on a rolling re-check cycle
Open Mics by Day of the Week
National distribution across all listings
Mon
142
10%
Tue
262
18%
Wed
372
26%
Thu
353
24%
Fri
72
5%
Sat
20
1%
Sun
213
15%
What is the busiest night for open mics in the UK? Wednesday is the busiest open mic night in the United Kingdom, with 372 of 1,442 listings (26%) running on Wednesdays according to GigXchange's open mic directory. Thursday is the second-busiest night with 353 sessions. Weekends are quieter — Friday and Saturday combined account for just 6% of all listings, as most venues reserve peak trading nights for paid acts.
How long is an open mic set in the UK? The typical UK open mic slot is 12 minutes, usually 2–3 songs, based on 1,442 listings tracked by GigXchange. 97% of UK open mics are free for both performers and audience. 72% provide a PA system and at least one vocal microphone; 10% offer full backline including drums, guitar amp and bass amp.
Do you need to sign up in advance for a UK open mic? No — 89% of UK open mics use walk-in signup on the night, typically 30–60 minutes before music starts; the typical start time nationally is 8pm. The rest take sign-ups online via venue websites or social media. Data from GigXchange's UK Open Mic Finder, re-verified on a rolling cycle.
Open Mic Rankings
Which UK cities have the most open mic nights, the best equipment, and the highest free-entry rates?
Most Open Mics
| # | City | Count | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London | 70 | |
| 2 | Manchester | 59 | |
| 3 | Brighton | 45 | |
| 4 | Glasgow | 44 | |
| 5 | Sheffield | 38 | |
| 6 | Bristol | 35 | |
| 7 | Cardiff | 34 | |
| 8 | Edinburgh | 34 | |
| 9 | Leeds | 34 | |
| 10 | Nottingham | 32 |
Best Backline Provision (cities with 15+ listings)
| # | City | Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London | 39% | |
| 2 | Hastings | 27% | |
| 3 | Bristol | 20% | |
| 4 | Manchester | 19% | |
| 5 | Margate | 19% | |
| 6 | Glasgow | 18% | |
| 7 | Birmingham | 18% | |
| 8 | Cambridge | 18% | |
| 9 | Sheffield | 16% | |
| 10 | Brighton | 13% |
07 — Small print 12 answers Common questions Open Mic FAQs
Common questions about UK open mic nights, answered with live data.
About 97% of UK open mics are free for both performers and audience. A small minority charge £2-£5 entry, usually when there's a feature act or a prize pot. Each listing on this page is tagged Free or Paid so you can filter before you travel. Once you start getting paid work, use our Rate Calculator to check what UK musicians actually charge by role and city.
Backline varies. Around 72% provide a PA and at least one vocal mic; about 10% have a full backline (drum kit, guitar amp, bass amp). Bring your own instrument and any pedals. Every listing breaks down exactly what's on stage — filter to full backline to see those nights only.
Most UK open mics use walk-in sign-up on the night (89% of listings), typically 30-60 minutes before the music starts. The rest take sign-ups online via the venue's website or social media. Slots are usually 10-15 minutes or 2-3 songs. Arrive early — popular nights fill up fast. New to gigging? Read our guide on how to get your first paid gigs after a few open mic nights, or check the Gig Directory for upcoming paid shows near you.
Yes — submission is free and takes 2 minutes. Use the Submit form linked from the top of the page. We review every submission and verify the venue is real before adding it to your city. If you run a venue, you can also claim and edit your listing once it's live — or browse the wider GigXchange platform for paid bookings via our venue tools.
Open mics are typically walk-in, free, 10-15 minute slots — great for testing material and meeting promoters. Paid gigs are booked in advance, last 30+ minutes, and require a press pack or showreel. After a few open mics, performers usually progress to support slots, then headline gigs. The Musicians' Union publishes guidance on the transition from unpaid to paid work. See our city-by-city booking guides for what venues actually pay, or browse artist profiles to see how working musicians present themselves.
Listings are re-verified on a continuous rolling cycle — the longest-unchecked nights are automatically re-checked every night, so the whole directory keeps cycling through verification. Reported corrections are reviewed within 7 days; a night confirmed closed is marked closed on its page. Each night's own page shows when it was last checked. Popular cities: London, Manchester, Glasgow, Bristol.
Wednesday is the busiest open mic night in the UK, with 372 of 1,442 listings (26%) running on Wednesdays. Thursday follows with 353. Weekends are quieter — Friday and Saturday combined account for just 6% of all listings, as most venues reserve peak trading nights for paid acts. Venues hosting live music under 200 capacity typically don't need a separate licence thanks to the Live Music Act 2012, which is one reason weeknight open mics are so common.
The typical UK open mic slot is 12 minutes, usually 2–3 songs, based on 1,442 listings. Slots range from 5 minutes at busier nights to 20 minutes at quieter venues. Most hosts announce a time limit at sign-up.
72% of UK open mics provide at least a PA system and one vocal microphone. 10% offer full backline including drums, guitar amp and bass amp. The rest either have no PA or have not listed one. Each listing on this page shows exactly what equipment is provided. Venues playing recorded music between acts may also need a PPL licence — that's on the venue, not the performer.
London has the most open mic nights of any UK city with 70 listings (4.9% of the national total). Manchester is second with 59, followed by Brighton (45), Glasgow (44), and Sheffield (38). See the full city rankings above.
No — 89% of UK open mics use walk-in signup on the night, typically 30–60 minutes before music starts; the typical start time nationally is 8pm. The rest take sign-ups online via venue websites or social media. Arrive early at popular nights — slots fill up fast.
Run an open mic? List it free.
2-minute form. We review every submission before it goes live. Reach the UK musicians, comedians and poets actively looking for stage time in your city.
Past the open-mic stage? Step up to paid bookings:
Run an open mic?
List it free. Performers find you by night, city and kit - verified before it goes live.
The numbers behind this page: UK open mic statistics, every city's open mic list and the venue directory - all built from the same data.