Blackfriars Theatre and Arts Centre is Boston's main venue for entertainment and the arts, housed in a converted medieval friary building on Spain Lane in the town centre. It runs a mixed programme of professional touring theatre, comedy, tribute shows and live music, and is home to two long-standing local amateur dramatic and operatic groups. Alongside the main auditorium it has a smaller Revue Bar space used for grassroots gigs, including the Boston Original Bands Initiative nights and the free monthly open mic. The venue is run predominantly by volunteers.
Boston · Every Friday · Free
Blackfriars Theatre and Arts Centre Open Mic
Boston's friday open mic.
Open mic at a glance Blackfriars Theatre and Arts Centre · Boston
Friday
Open mic night
Aug 2026
Listed since
12 Aug
Last verified
Free
Entry
19:30
Sign-up time
Verified
Listing status
Run a Boston open mic? List it free — verified within 48 hours
Last updated: 12 August 2026
Blackfriars Theatre and Arts Centre Open Mic — Quick Facts
✓ Verified activeLast verified
The Details
Everything you need before you turn up
DayFriday
Start19:00
Sign-up19:30 walk-in
Slot length–
EntryFree · all ages
Capacity–
Performer typesMusic · Poetry · Comedy · Spoken_word
Sound engineerBYO / hire on the night
View on map
Where
Blackfriars Theatre and Arts CentreSpain Lane
Boston PE21 6HP
Boston — check venue website for parking and nearest station.
Contact
Walk-in sign-up only
No advance booking
Host: in-house team
Highlights
Free entry for all
Walk-in sign-up
Music, Poetry, Comedy, Spoken_word 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 in Boston this week — or see what’s on across the UK.
About Blackfriars Theatre and Arts Centre
About This Open Mic
Every Friday in Boston
Kicks off at 19:00, sign-up from 19:30
Free entry for performers and audience
Slot length — we’re on it, no info yet
Gear & backline — we’re on it, no info yet
Part of the Boston open mic directory
The Night
A free open mic in the Revue Bar at Blackfriars Theatre and Arts Centre on Spain Lane, Boston. Music, poetry, comedy and storytelling are all welcome. The bar opens at 7pm and the performer list opens at 7.30pm. It runs roughly monthly on a Friday, but not on a fixed Friday of the month, so check the theatre's what's-on for the next date. No ticket is needed.
What's on stage — equipment and backline at this venue, verified regularly.
PA + monitors
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
Vocal mics
In-house engineer
The Night at a Glance
How Blackfriars Theatre and Arts Centre’s Friday night runs.
19:30Sign-up
19:00Kick-off
13:00Venue closes
Every Friday Free entry
Find Blackfriars Theatre and Arts Centre
Spain Lane, Boston PE21 6HP
Planning Your Friday Night
Arrive by 19:30 to sign up for a slot. Entry is free and the open mic typically runs until late. Bring your own gear.
Part of the Boston live music scene.
What should you charge for paid gigs?Most open mic musicians are ready for paid work sooner than they think. Check live UK rates by role, city, and venue size.
Try the Rate CalculatorCommon Questions
Seven things people ask before turning up at Boston's Blackfriars Theatre and Arts Centre open mic.
Walk-in sign-up only, opens at 19:30. Arrive early — slots fill on the night. See other Boston open mic nights for alternatives.
BYO PA, mics and instruments.
Slot length varies — check with the host.
Yes — free entry for performers and audience. Most Boston mics are free; browse the list.
Solo and duo acts work best given the gear available; ask the host before bringing a full band.
Spain Lane, Boston PE21 6HP.
Mostly fellow musicians, friends and Boston regulars across the Boston open mic scene. Boston open mic crowds tend to listen attentively.
Keep up with Boston
One email a week with live music near you. Free, and it keeps grassroots rooms full.
Help keep grassroots venues open in Boston
—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 Boston. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy.
See what’s on in Boston over the next four weeks →
Booking or playing in Boston? 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.
Run an open mic in Boston?
Add yours to the directory free. 2-minute submission, verified within 48 hours. Reach 1,000+ Boston musicians.
Looking for paid gigs, not open mics?