The Black Cat is a highly regarded traditional Scottish bar on Rose Street in central Edinburgh, celebrated for an extensive 250-plus malt-whisky selection, Scottish craft beer and knowledgeable, characterful staff. It's a small, single-roomed, selectively lit room furnished with an eclectic mix of tables, stools and half-barrels — and a genuine home of live trad music, with Scottish folk sessions from 9.30pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and from 4pm on Sundays, plus a Tuesday quiz. An intimate, atmospheric grassroots venue that gives Edinburgh's folk and traditional players a regular acoustic stage several nights a week.
Edinburgh · Every Tuesday · Free
The Black Cat Open Mic
Weekly Tuesday open mic night at The Black Cat pub in Edinburgh, sign up from 7:30pm for an 8pm start.
Open mic at a glance The Black Cat · Edinburgh
Tuesday
Open mic night
May 2026
Listed since
28 Jul
Last verified
Free
Entry
19:30
Sign-up time
Closed
Listing status
Run a Edinburgh open mic? List it free — verified within 48 hours
Last updated: 2 June 2026
The Black Cat Open Mic — Quick Facts
Weekly Tuesday open mic night at The Black Cat pub in Edinburgh, sign up from 7:30pm for an 8pm start.
We’ve marked this as closedSeen it running recently?Checked · 10 seconds, no signup
The Details
Everything you need before you turn up
DayTuesday
Start20:00
Sign-up19:30 walk-in
Slot length–
EntryFree · 18+
Capacity–
Performer typesMusic
Sound engineerBYO / hire on the night
View on map
Where
The Black Cat168 Rose St
Edinburgh EH2 4BA
Edinburgh — check venue website for parking and nearest station.
Highlights
Free entry for all
PA system provided
Walk-in sign-up
Music 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 Edinburgh this week — or see what’s on across the UK.
About The Black Cat
About This Open Mic
Every Tuesday in Edinburgh
Kicks off at 20:00, sign-up from 19:30
Free entry for performers and audience
Slot length — we’re on it, no info yet
PA provided — BYO instrument
Part of the Edinburgh open mic directory
The Night
The Black Cat in Edinburgh hosts a weekly open mic on Tuesday evenings. A traditional Scottish pub with a friendly atmosphere known for live music.
Sign-up process
Sign up from 7:30pm at the venue. Walk-in sign-ups only.
Getting there
168 Rose St, EH2 4BA.
The venue
Traditional pub. 18+ policy. A cozy bar with a dedicated space for live music.
What's on stage — equipment and backline at this venue, verified regularly.
PA + monitors
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
2 vocal mics
In-house engineer
The Night at a Glance
How The Black Cat’s Tuesday night runs.
19:30Sign-up
20:00Kick-off
01:00Venue closes
Every Tuesday Free entry
Find The Black Cat
168 Rose St, Edinburgh EH2 4BA
Planning Your Tuesday Night
Arrive by 19:30 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 Edinburgh 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 Edinburgh's The Black Cat open mic.
Walk-in sign-up only, opens at 19:30. Arrive early — slots fill on the night. See other Edinburgh open mic nights for alternatives.
PA + vocal mic provided. BYO instrument and amp.
Slot length varies — check with the host.
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.
168 Rose St, Edinburgh EH2 4BA.
Mostly fellow musicians, friends and Edinburgh regulars across the Edinburgh open mic scene. Edinburgh open mic crowds tend to listen attentively.
Keep up with Edinburgh
One email a week with live music near you. Free, and it keeps grassroots rooms full.
Help keep grassroots venues open in Edinburgh
—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 Edinburgh. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy.
See what’s on in Edinburgh over the next four weeks →
Booking or playing in Edinburgh? 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 Edinburgh?
Add yours to the directory free. 2-minute submission, verified within 48 hours. Reach 1,000+ Edinburgh musicians.
Looking for paid gigs, not open mics?