Every Monday in Edinburgh
Kicks off at 19:00, sign-up from 18:30
Free entry for performers and audience
5-minute slots
PA provided — BYO instrument
Part of the Edinburgh open mic directory
Edinburgh · Every Monday · Free
The Canons' Gait Open Mic
Edinburgh's monday open mic. 5-min slots.
Open mic at a glance The Canons' Gait · Edinburgh
Monday
Open mic night
May 2026
Listed since
02 Jun
Last verified
Free
Entry
5 min
Slot length
Verified
Listing status
Plan your open mic night
Check the venue, or find more open mics in Edinburgh.
Last updated: 2 June 2026
The Canons' Gait Open Mic — Quick Facts
The Details
Everything you need before you turn up
DayMonday
Start19:00
Sign-up18:30
Slot length5 min
EntryFree · all ages
Capacity–
Performer typesPoetry
Sound engineerBYO / hire on the night
Where
The Canons' GaitEdinburgh
Edinburgh — check venue website for parking and nearest station.
Contact
Sign-up via online
Host: in-house team
Highlights
Free entry for all
PA system provided
Sign-up via online
Poetry welcome
How do you rate this open mic?One tap, no sign-up required.
Spotted something wrong with this listing?Closed, moved night, different start time? Let us know and we'll re-verify within 48 hours.
What's on Stage
Equipment and backline available at this venue. We verify and update this section regularly.
PA + monitors
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
Vocal mics
In-house engineer
About This Open Mic
The Night
The open mic at The Canons' Gait on Edinburgh's Canongate is the Loud Poets open mic — a poetry night, not a music one — running on the second and last Monday of each month. Doors are 6:30pm for a 7pm start, it's free and unticketed, and it wraps up around 9:30pm with a short interval and a featured guest poet each time. Slots are five minutes; sign up in advance via the Loud Poets online form, with a couple of door spots drawn at random on the night. All ages and all styles welcome — past performers have ranged from 8 to 80.
About The Canons' Gait
The Canons' Gait sits at the Canongate foot of Edinburgh's Royal Mile, a few steps from Holyrood Palace and the Scottish Parliament. The 18th-century building runs a modern upstairs lounge bar over a cellar bar that has long been the live-music room: traditional and contemporary folk plays Wednesday through Saturday, and the long-running 'Out of the Bedroom' songwriters' night gathers musicians and regulars in the basement on Thursdays to play original material and listen. The cellar is a busy Free Fringe comedy and music venue every August, packing the room most nights of the Edinburgh Festival. Part of the Old Town Pub Co. group.
Planning Your Monday Night
Arrive by 18:30 to sign up for a slot. Entry is free and the open mic typically runs until 21:30. A PA is provided — bring your own instrument and amp.
Part of the Edinburgh live music scene.
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Edinburgh
Common Questions
Seven things people ask before turning up at Edinburgh's The Canons' Gait open mic.
Sign-up via online. See all Edinburgh open mic nights.
PA + vocal mic provided. BYO instrument and amp.
5 minutes per act — typically 1 songs solo.
Yes — free entry for performers and audience. Most Edinburgh mics are free; browse the list.
Solo and duo acts work best given the gear available; ask the host before bringing a full band.
Mostly fellow musicians, friends and Edinburgh regulars across the Edinburgh open mic scene. Edinburgh open mic crowds tend to listen attentively.
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