Cardiff · 31 open mic nights · 6 nights a week

Open Mic Nights in Cardiff

All of Cardiff's open mics - when each runs, how to sign up, what kit is there.

2 have a full backline and 90% list no entry fee. Re-verified on a rolling cycle.

Nearby

Bristol Swansea Exeter

Tonight List your night

Updated 12 November 2026

At a glance

Cardiff

Open mic
nights

listed in Cardiff

In detail

7 days from Fri 13 Nov	at least 19
Nights of the week	6 of 7
No fee listed	90% of nights
Full backline	2 nights
Open-Mic Score	84 /100

01 — Find a night

34 nights

Pick your night

When

Day

Has

Type

City

Sort

MONTHFri Kick-off20:00 The Corn ExchangeHigh St · NewportNo feeHouse PAMonthly

The Fontygary InnRhoose · BarryNo feeHouse PAMonthly 20:00Fri

The Brit BarWeston-super-MareNo fee 20:30Tonight

Foundry SocialCardiffNo feeHouse PA 13:00Sun

The Horse & GroomTown Centre · CowbridgeNo feeHouse PA1st Sun of the month 15:00Sun

The Horse & Groom19 High Street, Cowbridge, CF71 7AD · RhooseNo feeHouse PA1st Sun of the month 19:00Sun

Legends ClubGrangetown · CardiffNo feeHouse PA 20:00Sun

The Live Lounge CardiffCardiffNo feeHouse PA 20:00Sun

The RailwayPontcanna · CardiffNo feeHouse PA 20:00Sun

Le PubNewportNo feeFull kitFortnightly 19:00Mon

02 — The scene

Open-Mic Score

Out of
100

Exceptional — anchored by walk-in and choice, one of the UK's defining open-mic scenes.

Ranked against UK cities (0-100)

Choice	92
Schedule fixed scale	86
Coverage	64
Affordability fixed scale	91
Backline	69
Walk-in fixed scale	97

03 — By night

Nights listed

Cardiff's week

01	Thursday	8 nights
02	Wednesday	6 nights
03	Sunday	6 nights
04	Tuesday	5 nights
05	Monday	3 nights
06	Friday Tonight	3 nights

04 — More of Cardiff

Beyond the list

Featured open micFoundry SocialCardiff · Sun nights
Popular nightsThe Horse & Groom
The Horse & Groom
Legends Club
The Railway

This month

Added	1
Removed	2
Verified	1
Re-verified	5

Also in Cardiff

Cardiff gigsBooked slots, by date
What's on this weekEvery gig over the next seven days
Cardiff venuesThe rooms behind the nights
Cardiff music sceneVenues, rates, guides and gigs

05 — Other cities

90 cities

Nights elsewhere

Bristol Swansea Exeter

All cities, A–ZNights

Aberdeen18 Aberystwyth7 Accrington8 Aldershot14

Basildon12 Bath13 Bedford10 Belfast18 Billericay4 Birmingham18 Blackburn5 Blackpool22 Boston9 Bournemouth16 Bradford19 Brighton45 Bristol35 Broxbourne8

Cambridge17 Carlisle9 Chelmsford8 Cheltenham19 Cirencester7 Coventry19 Crawley13

Derby16 Derry6 Doncaster12 Dublin1 Dundee20 Durham10

Edinburgh34 Egham11 Epsom10 Exeter24

Farnborough4

Glasgow44 Gloucester13 Grimsby8

Hastings15 Hereford21 High Wycombe12 Horley3 Hull18

Inverness11 Ipswich16

Leeds34 Leicester18 Lincoln14 Liverpool27 London70 Luton7

Maidstone9 Manchester59 Margate16 Middlesbrough11 Milton Keynes10

Newcastle25 Newquay10 Newry5 Northampton14 Norwich20 Nottingham32

Oxford23

Peterborough12 Plymouth14 Portsmouth17 Preston17

Rawtenstall12 Reading17

Scarborough11 Sheffield38 Southampton28 Stockton-on-Tees8 Stoke-on-Trent19 Sunderland13 Sutton12 Swansea22 Swindon12

Telford15 Tunbridge Wells9

Waterlooville11 Watford12 Welshpool2 Weymouth12 Woking14 Wolverhampton23 Worthing1 Wrexham18

York27

Live music on stage: a band under the lights

Cardiff Open Mics

Open Mic Nights in Cardiff

31 open mic nights across Town Centre, 19 High Street, Cowbridge, CF71 7AD, Grangetown, Pontcanna + more — part of the wider UK open mic directory. Re-verified on a rolling cycle.

84/ 100

Cardiff Open-Mic Score

ExceptionalAnchored by walk-in and choice, one of the UK's defining open-mic scenes.

Choice92

Schedule86

Coverage64

Affordability91

Backline69

Walk-in97

What's on tonight? Filter the Cardiff listings by night

31 open mic nights across Town Centre, 19 High Street, Cowbridge, CF71 7AD, Grangetown, Pontcanna + more
6 nights a week have at least one
90% list no entry fee
2 with full backline
Venue, sign-up time, slot length and fee per card
Re-verified on a rolling cycle

Find out more Join free

Ready for a booked slot? Cardiff's upcoming gigs, sorted by date

One-off gigs at indie venues and community stages
Sorted by date, refreshed continuously
Free and ticketed shows
Every gig links its venue

Find out more Join free

Capacity, backline and booking contacts for Cardiff venues

Grassroots venues, pubs and stages
Backline and tech specs where known
Re-verified on a rolling cycle
Claim your venue to keep it current

Find out more Join free

Everything the Cardiff scene has beyond the open mics

City guide: venues, promoters and bookers
Local rate benchmarks before you quote
How to get gigs in the city
Members near you on GigXchange

Find out more Join free

Reach Cardiff musicians, comedians and poets looking for stage time

2-minute submission — no account needed
Reviewed before it goes live
Free — no listing fee
Corrections and closure reports welcome

Find out more

90% of Cardiff open mics list no entry fee — check the night, sign up, play

Last updated: 12 November 2026

31 Open Mic Nights Across Cardiff

At least 19 open mic nights are on in and around Cardiff in the 7 days from Fri 13 Nov; the other 12 run less often or on dates that vary, so check their listing. 31 open mic nights (14 verified) are running in and around Cardiff, from venues like Foundry Social, and 2 offer a full backline. Thursday and Sunday are the busiest. Each listing carries the date we last checked it. Open mics are one part of the Cardiff circuit — see what’s on in Cardiff over the next four weeks for the ticketed bills at the same venues.

open mic nights listed in Cardiff

30 of 31 take walk-in sign-up on the night · 3 list an entry fee
2 venues offer full backline (drum kit, guitar amp, bass amp, mics)
Spread across 6 different nights of the week
Music + comedy + poetry — filter by type below

31
Open mic nights: 6
Nights a week: 90%
No fee listed: 2
Full backline: 12 Nov
Last updated

What’s on in Cardiff this week — or see what’s on across the UK.

By Day of the Week

31 open mic nights are listed in Cardiff, across 6 nights of the week. Pick a night, see what's on. Each card shows venue, sign-up time, slot length, fee and backline.

Showing 1–12 of 34 · page 1 of 3

Next Sun 15 NovStarts 13:00

Sign-up19:30
Slots12 min
EntryNo fee listed
PAProvided
Backline—
Open toMusicians

Next Sun 6 DecStarts 15:00

Sign-up14:30
Slots12 min
EntryNo fee listed
PAProvided
Backline—
Open toMusicians

19 High Street, Cowbridge, CF71 7AD

Next Sun 6 DecStarts 19:00

Sign-up19:30
Slots15 min
EntryNo fee listed
PAProvided
Backline—
Open toMusicians

Next Sun 15 NovStarts 20:00

Sign-up—
Slots—
EntryNo fee listed
PAProvided
Backline—
Open toMusicians

Next Sun 15 NovStarts 20:00

Sign-up19:30
Slots12 min
EntryNo fee listed
PAProvided
Backline—
Open toMusicians

View details›

EVERY

Sun

The Live Lounge Cardiff

Cardiff

Next Sun 15 NovStarts 20:00

Sign-up19:30
Slots12 min
EntryNo fee listed
PAProvided
Backline—
Open toMusicians

Starts 19:00

Sign-up19:30
Slots10 min
EntryNo fee listed
PAProvided
BacklineFull
Open toMusicians

Next Mon 16 NovStarts 20:00

Sign-up19:30
Slots15 min
EntryNo fee listed
PAProvided
Backline—
Open toMusicians

Next Mon 7 DecStarts 20:00

Sign-up—
Slots—
EntryNo fee listed
PA—
Backline—
Open toMusicians

Starts 19:00

Sign-up19:00
Slots12 min
EntryNo fee listed
PAProvided
Backline—
Open toMusicians, Poets

Starts 20:00

Sign-up—
Slots—
EntryNo fee listed
PA—
Backline—
Open toMusicians

Next Tue 17 NovStarts 20:00

Sign-up19:00
Slots10 min
EntryNo fee listed
PAProvided
BacklineFull
Open toMusicians, Poets, Comedians

View details›

Venues in Cardiff

63 grassroots music venues are listed in Cardiff, including rooms that host these open mics and the places to play once you are ready for a gig. Each card opens the venue's own page with its capacity, kit and what is on.

See all 63 Cardiff venues

Cardiff Open Mic Scene in Numbers

Counted from the 31 Cardiff open mic nights listed: 90% have no entry fee listed, 6% have full backline and Thursday is the busiest night. The chart shows how the week's nights split, day by day.

31
Nights listed: 6
Nights a week: 90%
No fee listed: 6%
Full backline: 84%
PA provided: Thu
Busiest night: 12 min
Typical slot: 20:00
Typical start

Open mics by night · share of the week

10%Mon

16%Tue

19%Wed

26%Thu

10%Fri

0%Sat

19%Sun

Cardiff Open Mic FAQs

6 answers about open mics in Cardiff, from the best nights for new performers and what is on tonight to whether they are free, which have full backline and how to get a regular slot.

What's the best open mic in Cardiff for new performers?

Foundry Social is one of the most-recommended starter mics — check the cards above for full backline + walk-in sign-up venues, which tend to be most welcoming for first-timers. For broader context, browse the UK open mic directory.

Where can I find an open mic in Cardiff tonight?

Cardiff has 6 different open-mic nights running across the week. Use the day filter above to see what's on tonight.

What else is on in Cardiff besides open mics?

Open mics are the regular, low-key layer of the scene. For the ticketed and one-off bills, what’s on in Cardiff over the next four weeks lists every grassroots gig we hold for the city — often at the same venues that host these mics. The full evergreen listing is the Cardiff gig directory.

Are Cardiff open mics free?

28 of the 31 open mics we list in Cardiff list no entry fee and 3 do; most open mics are free, but check with the venue. Filter the main directory by "Free entry" for the wider list.

Which Cardiff open mics provide a full backline?

2 of Cardiff's 31 open mics have a full backline (drum kit, guitar amp, bass amp, mics). Filter by 'Full backline' tag to see them.

How do I get a regular slot at a Cardiff open mic?

Show up to the same mic 4-6 weeks in a row — hosts run on consistency. Once you're known, ask the host about a featured or paid support slot. We've written a longer guide on how to get paid gigs as a UK artist.

07 — Keep up with Cardiff

One email a week. Gigs near you.

Keep up with Cardiff

One free email a week with upcoming grass-roots gigs and nights in Cardiff. All it takes is your email address and town, you can unsubscribe at any time, and every reader who turns up helps keep Cardiff's small venues open.

Help keep grassroots venues open in Cardiff

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See what’s on in Cardiff over the next four weeks →

How the nights run. Of the 31 running nights, 18 are weekly and 13 run less often - check the date before you go. Most start between 19:30 and 20:00. Listed slot lengths are usually around 12 minutes each. Where a sign-up time is given, the list usually opens around 19:30.

Who plays. Besides music, 6 take poetry, 3 take comedy, 2 take spoken word and 1 takes electronic sets. With a PA listed at 26 nights, a singer-songwriter can bring just an instrument.

After the open mic. When you're ready for a paid set, the Cardiff venue directory lists the rooms that book live music and the GX Index shows what they pay. Want to run one? How to start an open mic night. More open mics nearby: Bristol (35), Swansea (22) and Exeter (24).

More Cities

Switch to another UK city for the same format with its own local nights, start times and sign-up details, or go back to the UK open mic finder to search every listing at once.

Run a Cardiff open mic? List it free.

Listing an open mic is free, takes about 2 minutes and is reviewed before it goes live. It appears beside the 31 Cardiff nights already listed, where musicians, comedians and poets look for stage time.

For Artists For Venues For Agents For Promoters For Organisers For Fans

ForArtistsGet booked. Get paid. ForVenuesFill the calendar. ForAgentsRun your roster. ForPromotersBuild the bill. ForOrganisersBook acts for your event. ForFansFind tonight’s gigs.

Run a Cardiff open mic?

List it free. Performers find you by night and kit - reviewed before it goes live.

Claim your venue List my night

The data behind these numbers: UK open mic statistics and every UK open mic - all from the same directory.