The Kingsdown Vaults at 29–31 Kingsdown Parade, Bristol (BS6 5UE) is a quirky, characterful live-music boozer in the Kingsdown/Cotham area, with an open log fire, a sun-trap beer garden and a genuinely busy gig calendar. Live music runs every Friday and Saturday featuring the best local, national and international folk, country, skiffle and blues, with Bristol's top singer-songwriters playing every Saturday afternoon from 3pm. A weekly Thursday open-mic night — hosted by Ben Hopkin, Lewis Creaven or Elliot Sutcliffe — gives anyone the chance to take the stage, alongside a Tuesday quiz and Sunday comedy. Part of the Guerrilla Pubs group.
Kingsdown · Every Thursday · Free
The Kingsdown Vaults Open Mic
Bristol open mic at The Kingsdown Vaults — listed on Google Places. Schedule below pending venue confirmation; check the venue's own listings before turning up.
Open mic at a glance The Kingsdown Vaults · Bristol
Thursday
Open mic night
Apr 2026
Listed since
13 Sept
Last verified
Free
Entry
12 min
Slot length
Verified
Listing status
Run a Bristol open mic? List it free — verified within 48 hours
Last updated: 13 September 2026
The Kingsdown Vaults Open Mic — Quick Facts
Bristol open mic at The Kingsdown Vaults — listed on Google Places. Schedule below pending venue confirmation; check the venue's own listings before turning up.
✓ Verified activeLast verified
The Details
Everything you need before you turn up
DayThursday
Start20:00
Sign-up20:00 walk-in
Slot length12 min
EntryFree · 18+
Capacity–
Performer typesMusicians
Sound engineerBYO / hire on the night
View on map
Where
The Kingsdown Vaults29-31 Kingsdown Parade
Kingsdown
Bristol BS6 5UE
Kingsdown, Bristol — check venue website for parking and nearest station.
Contact
Walk-in sign-up only
No advance booking
Highlights
Free entry for all
PA system provided
Walk-in sign-up
Musicians 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 Bristol this week — or see what’s on across the UK.
About The Kingsdown Vaults
About This Open Mic
Every Thursday in Kingsdown, Bristol
Kicks off at 20:00
Free entry for performers and audience
12-minute slots
PA provided — BYO instrument
Part of the Bristol open mic directory
The Night
The Kingsdown Vaults runs a weekly open mic every Thursday, with sign-up from 8pm and the music following on, hosted by Harrison with a rotating cast of Bristol's local musicians taking the stage. It's been a fixture of this quirky live-music boozer's programme for years, with an open log fire inside and a lovely beer garden out back. Music-focused, free to play, and welcoming to anyone wanting a turn on stage.
The rest of the week
Live bands on Saturdays (folk, country, skiffle and blues, typically from 8:30pm), and the This Next Act comedy night every Sunday from 8pm hosted by Greg Winfield.
Getting there
29-31 Kingsdown Parade, Bristol BS6 5UE, up the hill from Stokes Croft on the Kingsdown/Cotham border.
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 The Kingsdown Vaults’s Thursday night runs.
20:00Sign-up
20:00Kick-off
00:00Venue closes
Every Thursday 12-min slots Free entry
Find The Kingsdown Vaults
29-31 Kingsdown Parade, Kingsdown, Bristol BS6 5UE
Planning Your Thursday Night
Arrive by 20:00 to sign up for a slot. Entry is free and the open mic typically runs until late. A PA is provided — bring your own instrument and amp.
Part of the Bristol 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 Bristol's The Kingsdown Vaults open mic.
Walk-in sign-up only, opens at 20:00. Arrive early — slots fill on the night. See other Bristol open mic nights for alternatives.
PA + vocal mic provided. BYO instrument and amp.
12 minutes per act — typically 3 songs solo.
Yes — free entry for performers and audience. Most Bristol mics are free; browse the list.
Solo and duo acts work best given the gear available; ask the host before bringing a full band.
29-31 Kingsdown Parade, Kingsdown, Bristol BS6 5UE.
Mostly fellow musicians, friends and Bristol regulars across the Bristol open mic scene. Bristol open mic crowds tend to listen attentively.
Keep up with Bristol
One email a week with live music near you. Free, and it keeps grassroots rooms full.
Help keep grassroots venues open in Bristol
—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 Bristol. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy.
See what’s on in Bristol over the next four weeks →
Booking or playing in Bristol? 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 Bristol?
Add yours to the directory free. 2-minute submission, verified within 48 hours. Reach 1,000+ Bristol musicians.
Looking for paid gigs, not open mics?