The Castle is a 19th-century, family-run traditional inn at 17 Newnham Street in the Castle Quay quarter of Bedford (MK40 3JR), close to the River Ouse and the Cecil Higgins Museum. It runs an open-mic night every Monday, monthly Irish folk sessions and live music most weekends, alongside home-cooked food, traditional Sunday roasts and six regularly changing cask ales. There's an enclosed courtyard for summer and five en-suite guest rooms named after British castles. A welcoming PA-equipped pub stage for Bedford's folk, acoustic and covers performers.
Bedford · Every Monday · No fee listed
The Castle Open Mic
Bedford open mic at The Castle — listed on Google Places. Schedule details below are pending venue confirmation; check the venue's own listings before turning up.
Next night: Mon 16 Nov. Kick-off 19:30, sign-up from 19:30. 12-minute slots. No fee listed.
Nearby open micsUpdated 13 November 2026
At a glance
Checked 27 Aug 202619:30
Kick-off
Mondays
sign-up from 19:30Mondays
| Night | Every Monday |
| Sign-up | 19:30 walk-in |
| Slot | 12 min |
| Entry | No fee listed · 18+ |
| Backline | PA provided |
01 — Inside the room
4 photosPhotos: Google
193
page views on GigXchange. Is it your night?
0 members voted to bring the venue onto GigXchange02 — The details
Before you goEverything you need to know
0
Member votes
votes to get this venue on GigXchange
| Capacity | – |
| Performer types | Musicians |
| Website | castlebedford.co.uk |
The check
| Status | Verified running |
| Last checked | 27 Aug 2026 |
| Checked against | Music directory |
03 — The night
Every MondayHow the night runs
19:30
Kick-off
MondaysRunning order
19:30 Kick-off· 12-minute slots
23:00 Last songs
04 — Find The Castle
17 Newnham StGetting there
The Castle, 17 Newnham St,
Bedford MK40 3JR
Bedford MK40 3JR
The nearest station is Bedford St Johns (rail station), about 15 minutes' walk away.
05 — What's on stage
1 provided · 6 TBC| PA system | Provided |
| Drum kit | TBC |
| Guitar amp | TBC |
| Bass amp | TBC |
| Keys / keyboard | TBC |
| Vocal mics | TBC |
| In-house engineer | TBC |
06 — About
17 Newnham St, BedfordAbout the night
The Castle is a friendly real-ale pub on Newnham Street in Bedford that runs one of Bedfordshire's best-regarded open mics every Monday, hosted by local talent and roughly 8:30pm to 11pm. The room's acoustics suit acoustic acts beautifully and it has a warm, community feel. Free to play — turn up, sign on and enjoy a proper local night.
The Castle is a 19th-century, family-run traditional inn at 17 Newnham Street in the Castle Quay quarter of Bedford (MK40 3JR), close to the River Ouse and the Cecil Higgins Museum. It runs an open-mic night every Monday, monthly Irish folk sessions and live music most weekends, alongside home-cooked food, traditional Sunday roasts and six regularly changing cask ales. There's an enclosed courtyard for summer and five en-suite guest rooms named after British castles. A welcoming PA-equipped pub stage for Bedford's folk, acoustic and covers performers.
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17 Newnham St · Every Monday
The Castle Open Mic
Bedford open mic at The Castle — listed on Google Places. Schedule details below are pending venue confirmation; check the venue's own listings before turning up.
- Monday
- Open mic night
- Apr 2026
- Listed since
- 27 Aug
- Last verified
- No fee
- Entry
- 12 min
- Slot length
- Verified
- Listing status
Run a Bedford open mic? List it free — reviewed before it goes live
Last updated: 13 November 2026
The Castle Open Mic — Quick Facts
The Castle Open Mic runs on Mondays at The Castle in Bedford, starting at 19:30 with sign-up from 19:30. Below: when it runs, sign-up and slots, the stage kit and how to get there.
Open mic status Last verified 27 Aug 2026
How sure we are
Verified active
Checked against the venue’s own listing See The Castle’s venue page →
Music starts around 19:30, finishing about 23:00. Sign-up is on the night from 19:30 - get there early to get a slot. Slots run about 12 minutes - room for roughly 17 acts. A PA is listed; check what else is on stage before you bring a band.
Next nightMon 16 Nov · 19:30Starts in 3d 11h 51m
Age18+
Sign-upWalk-in on the night
BacklinePA provided
Sound engineerAsk the venue
Directory statusVerified active
Member votes0 to get the venue on GigXchange
Websitecastlebedford.co.uk
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. We review corrections within 7 days.
NightMondayEvery MondayNext: Mon 16 Nov
Starts19:30until 23:00
Sign-up19:30Walk-in
Slots12minutes eachRoom for about 17 acts
What’s on in Bedford this week — or see what’s on across the UK.
About This Open Mic
The Castle is a friendly real-ale pub on Newnham Street in Bedford that runs one of Bedfordshire's best-regarded open mics every Monday, hosted by local talent and roughly 8:30pm to 11pm. The room's acoustics suit acoustic acts beautifully and it has a warm, community feel. Free to play — turn up, sign on and enjoy a proper local night.
Equipment and backline at this venue — what's on stage, verified regularly.
PA systemProvided
Drum kitTBC
Guitar ampTBC
Bass ampTBC
Keys / keyboardTBC
Vocal micsTBC
In-house engineerTBC
The Night at a Glance
How The Castle’s Monday night runs.
Next nightMon 16 Nov · 19:30Starts in 3d 11h 51m
Sign-up opens · Kick-off19:30Walk-in on the night
Music ends · Venue closes23:00Last act finishes
Slots12minutes eachroom for about 17 acts
How often
Every Monday
Coming up
Mon 16 Nov · Mon 23 Nov · Mon 30 Nov
Kit
The Castle provides a PA system — check the rest with the venue.
First time here?
Get there by 19:30 for a slot, have your instrument tuned before your turn and keep to about 12 minutes.
Find The Castle
The Castle, 17 Newnham St, Bedford MK40 3JR
AddressThe Castle, 17 Newnham St
Area17 Newnham St, Bedford
PostcodeMK40 3JR
DirectionsOpen in Google Maps →
Getting there
The nearest station is Bedford St Johns (rail station), about 15 minutes' walk away. The Castle is in 17 Newnham St, Bedford — use MK40 3JR for sat-nav, taxis and ride apps. Check the venue's website for parking and the nearest station before you set off.
Open mics nearby
Brewpoint Taproom & Brewery, The Cellar Bar, The Wellington Arms and The Eagle Bookshop
Station data: NaPTAN, Department for Transport (Open Government Licence).
Planning Your Monday Night
Be there by 19:30 to put your name down. The open mic runs until about 23:00. The Castle provides a PA system — check the rest with the venue.
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Common Questions
9 things people ask before turning up at Bedford's The Castle open mic.
Walk-in sign-up only, opens at 19:30. Arrive early — slots fill on the night. See other Bedford open mic nights for alternatives.
The Castle provides a PA system — check the rest with the venue.
12 minutes per act — typically 3 songs solo.
No entry fee is listed for The Castle's open mic - most open mics are free to play and to watch, but check with the venue before you go. Browse Bedford open mics.
Ask the host before bringing a full band — solo and duo acts are the usual open-mic format.
The Castle, 17 Newnham St, Bedford MK40 3JR.
Mostly fellow musicians, friends and Bedford regulars across the Bedford open mic scene. Bedford open mic crowds tend to listen attentively.
The nearest station is Bedford St Johns (rail station), about 15 minutes' walk away. For sat-nav and taxis, the postcode is MK40 3JR. (Station data: NaPTAN, Department for Transport, Open Government Licence.)
Sign-up is walk-in on the night, from 19:30, so you do not need to book ahead. GigXchange doesn't publish venue phone numbers or emails - the venue's own website is linked on this page. Browse other Bedford open mics.
Venues Near The Castle
No other gigs are listed at The Castle in the GigXchange directory yet — these are the rooms around it, their size, kit and live nights.
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The Castle open mic in brief. The Castle open mic runs every Monday from 19:30 (no fee listed); sign-up opens 19:30 and slots run about 12 minutes. The Castle’s venue page lists its kit and capacity if you want to come back with a full band. For another night this week, the open mics near Bedford are listed by day.
Booking or playing in Bedford? The GX Index publishes what UK gigs actually pay, by city, band size and venue type, and the GX Index reports set out the methodology and the sample behind every figure. Both are free to read and free to cite.
Keep exploring: the UK gig directory for what's coming up, the venue directory for rooms that book live music, the open mic finder for recurring stage time, and what's on across the UK this week. The blog covers pricing, contracts and getting booked, and about GigXchange explains who runs it and why. Something not right on this page? Tell us — or start on the home page.
09 — More Bedford open mics
All ›After paid gigs rather than open mics? See Bedford gigs or check the going rate.
10 — Venues near The Castle
All ›More rooms near The Castle: The Bedford Arms, The Cellar Bar, The Eagle Bookshop, The Flower Pot, The Rufus Centre, The Standard, The Three Cups and The Wellington Arms.
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