Red Arch is an event space set beneath Manchester's railway arches at 11 Red Bank in Cheetham Hill / the Green Quarter (M4). It keeps the original industrial character of the brick arches but adds warm lighting, a full bar serving cocktails and a built-in sound system suitable for music or presentations. For performers, Red Arch runs an Open Mic night on the last Thursday of each month, and the space is otherwise hired out for parties and events. A flexible, atmospheric arch venue rather than a dedicated gig room — good for open-mic acts and one-off promoted nights using the in-house PA.
Cheetham Hill · Every last Thursday of the month · Free
Red Arch Open Mic
Manchester open mic at Red Arch — listed on Google Places. Schedule details below are pending venue confirmation; check the venue's own listings before turning up.
Open mic at a glance Red Arch · Manchester
Thursday
Open mic night
Apr 2026
Listed since
03 Jun
Last verified
Free
Entry
15 min
Slot length
Verified
Listing status
Run a Manchester open mic? List it free — verified within 48 hours
Last updated: 3 June 2026
Red Arch Open Mic — Quick Facts
Manchester open mic at Red Arch — listed on Google Places. Schedule details below are 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-up19:30 walk-in
Slot length15 min
EntryFree · 18+
Capacity–
Performer typesMusic
Sound engineerBYO / hire on the night
View on map
Where
Red Arch11 Red Bank, Cheetham Hill
Cheetham Hill
Manchester M4 4HF
Cheetham Hill, Manchester — 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
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 Manchester this week — or see what’s on across the UK.
About Red Arch
About This Open Mic
Every last Thursday of the month in Cheetham Hill, Manchester
Kicks off at 20:00, sign-up from 19:30
Free entry for performers and audience
15-minute slots
PA provided — BYO instrument
Part of the Manchester open mic directory
The Night
The Red Arch Open Mic runs on the last Thursday of every month at the Red Arch, a railway-arch space at 11 Red Bank in Cheetham Hill, just north of Manchester's Northern Quarter. It's a free night running 8pm till 11pm, with a friendly, creative crowd. Slots aren't first-come on a sheet — you reach out on their social media beforehand to secure your spot, so message ahead rather than just turning up. A great monthly fixture if you want a proper stage in an unusual setting.
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 Red Arch’s Thursday night runs.
19:30Sign-up
20:00Kick-off
23:00Last songs
Every last Thursday of the month 15-min slots Free entry
Find Red Arch
11 Red Bank, Cheetham Hill, Cheetham Hill, Manchester M4 4HF
Planning Your Thursday Night
Arrive by 19:30 to sign up for a slot. Entry is free and the open mic typically runs until 23:00. A PA is provided — bring your own instrument and amp.
Part of the Manchester 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 Manchester's Red Arch open mic.
Walk-in sign-up only, opens at 19:30. Arrive early — slots fill on the night. See other Manchester open mic nights for alternatives.
PA + vocal mic provided. BYO instrument and amp.
15 minutes per act — typically 4 songs solo.
Yes — free entry for performers and audience. Most Manchester mics are free; browse the list.
Solo and duo acts work best given the gear available; ask the host before bringing a full band.
11 Red Bank, Cheetham Hill, Cheetham Hill, Manchester M4 4HF.
Mostly fellow musicians, friends and Manchester regulars across the Manchester open mic scene. Manchester open mic crowds tend to listen attentively.
Keep up with Manchester
One email a week with live music near you. Free, and it keeps grassroots rooms full.
Help keep grassroots venues open in Manchester
—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 Manchester. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy.
See what’s on in Manchester over the next four weeks →
Booking or playing in Manchester? 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 Manchester?
Add yours to the directory free. 2-minute submission, verified within 48 hours. Reach 1,000+ Manchester musicians.
Looking for paid gigs, not open mics?