The Lifeboat (now Floc. The Lifeboat) is a Grade II listed ale & cider house at 1 Market Street in Margate's Old Town, Kent, built in the early 1700s and opened as a bar in 2010. In March 2026 it was taken over by Floc Brewery (near Canterbury), keeping the name and becoming the third Floc venue, so the bar now pours Floc's craft beers plus a deep range of West Country and Kentish ciders, perries, mead, wines and artisan spirits. It has long been one of Thanet's busiest grassroots music pubs, known for jazz, blues/funk jams, open mics and live bands; under Floc it opens Wednesday to Sunday, so check current nights before travelling.
Margate · Monthly on Tuesdays · No fee listed
The Lifeboat Open Mic
Market Street, Old Town's tuesday open mic.
Kick-off 20:00. No fee listed.
Nearby open micsUpdated 13 November 2026
At a glance
Checked 20 Oct 202620:00
Kick-off
Tuesdays
sign-up on the nightTuesdays
| Night | Monthly on Tuesdays |
| Sign-up | Walk-in |
| Slot | Ask the host |
| Entry | No fee listed · all ages |
| Backline | PA provided |
01 — Inside the room
4 photosPhotos: Google
154
page views on GigXchange. Is it your night?
0 members voted to bring the venue onto GigXchange02 — The details
Before you goEverything you need to know
0
Member votes
votes to get this venue on GigXchange
| Capacity | – |
| Performer types | Musicians |
The check
| Status | Being verified |
Help keep this trueOne tap
Is this night still on?
No sign-up. We review corrections within 7 days.
03 — The night
Monthly on TuesdaysHow the night runs
Once a month · Tuesdays
Check the date before you goRunning order
20:00 Kick-off
23:00 Last songs
04 — Find The Lifeboat
Market Street, Old TownGetting there
Market Street, Old Town, Margate
05 — What's on stage
1 provided · 6 TBC| PA system | Provided |
| Drum kit | TBC |
| Guitar amp | TBC |
| Bass amp | TBC |
| Keys / keyboard | TBC |
| Vocal mics | TBC |
| In-house engineer | TBC |
06 — About
Market Street, Old Town, MargateAbout the night
The Lifeboat Ale & Cider House is a snug, candlelit free house on Market Street in Margate's Old Town, and it runs an open mic on the 2nd Tuesday of every month from 8pm to 11pm. It sits within a busy musical calendar here — a band or singer every Thursday, a Poetry & Song evening on the first Monday of the month, and Sunday-afternoon jazz — so the open mic draws a warm, music-loving crowd. Free and welcoming; well worth a slot.
The Lifeboat (now Floc. The Lifeboat) is a Grade II listed ale & cider house at 1 Market Street in Margate's Old Town, Kent, built in the early 1700s and opened as a bar in 2010. In March 2026 it was taken over by Floc Brewery (near Canterbury), keeping the name and becoming the third Floc venue, so the bar now pours Floc's craft beers plus a deep range of West Country and Kentish ciders, perries, mead, wines and artisan spirits. It has long been one of Thanet's busiest grassroots music pubs, known for jazz, blues/funk jams, open mics and live bands; under Floc it opens Wednesday to Sunday, so check current nights before travelling.
Played here before?One tap
How was the night?
One tap. It tells the next act what to expect.
Run this room?
This night - and this page - is yours.
What you get | 01 | Correct the day, time and sign-up |
| 02 | Edit your profile and photos |
| 03 | Receive artist enquiries |
| 04 | Update backline and capacity |
Market Street, Old Town · Monthly on Tuesdays
The Lifeboat Open Mic
Market Street, Old Town's tuesday open mic. Starts at 20:00.
- Tuesday
- Open mic night
- May 2026
- Listed since
- 20 Oct
- Last checked
- No fee
- Entry
- —
- Sign-up time
- Community
- Listing status
Run a Margate open mic? List it free — reviewed before it goes live
Last updated: 13 November 2026
The Lifeboat Open Mic — Quick Facts
The Lifeboat Open Mic runs on Tuesdays (monthly) at The Lifeboat in Margate, starting at 20:00. Below: when it runs, sign-up and slots, the stage kit and how to get there.
Open mic status Last checked 20 Oct 2026
How sure we are
Partly verified
Music starts around 20:00, finishing about 23:00. Sign-up is on the night - get there early to get a slot. A PA is listed; check what else is on stage before you bring a band.
AgeAll ages
Sign-upWalk-in on the night
BacklinePA provided
Sound engineerAsk the venue
Directory statusBeing verified
Member votes0 to get the venue on GigXchange
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. We review corrections within 7 days.
NightTuesdayMonthly on Tuesdays
Starts20:00until 23:00
Sign-upWalk-insign-up
SlotsTBCslot lengthNot confirmed yet
What’s on in Margate this week — or see what’s on across the UK.
About This Open Mic
The Lifeboat Ale & Cider House is a snug, candlelit free house on Market Street in Margate's Old Town, and it runs an open mic on the 2nd Tuesday of every month from 8pm to 11pm. It sits within a busy musical calendar here — a band or singer every Thursday, a Poetry & Song evening on the first Monday of the month, and Sunday-afternoon jazz — so the open mic draws a warm, music-loving crowd. Free and welcoming; well worth a slot.
The kit on stage — equipment and backline at this venue, verified regularly.
PA systemProvided
Drum kitTBC
Guitar ampTBC
Bass ampTBC
Keys / keyboardTBC
Vocal micsTBC
In-house engineerTBC
The Night at a Glance
How The Lifeboat’s Tuesday night runs.
Kick-off20:00Monthly on Tuesdays
Music ends23:00Last act finishes
How often
Monthly on Tuesdays
Getting there
Market Street, Old Town, Margate - the map is below.
Kit
The Lifeboat provides a PA system — check the rest with the venue.
First time here?
Get there early for a slot, have your instrument tuned before your turn.
Find The Lifeboat
Market Street, Old Town, Margate
AreaMarket Street, Old Town, Margate
DirectionsOpen in Google Maps →
Getting there
The Lifeboat is in Market Street, Old Town, Margate. Check the venue's website for parking and the nearest station before you set off.
Open mics nearby
The Foundry, Your Music School (YMS), Rosslyn Court and The Hare at Blean
Planning Your Tuesday Night
Arrive early to get your name down. The open mic runs until about 23:00. The Lifeboat provides a PA system — check the rest with the venue.
The scene Live music in Margatethe venues, the gigs and where it happensGet gigs How to get gigs in Margatepay, venues that book, how to pitchBands Find a band in Margateacts to book or play alongsideGigs Upcoming gigs in Margateevery listing, sorted by dateArtists Browse artist profilesfind acts to play or collaborate withOpen mics UK Open Mic Finderfree stage time, night by night
How much should paid gigs pay you? Most open mic musicians are ready sooner than they think — try the Rate Calculator for live UK rates by role, city and venue size. In the wider Margate live music scene.
Common Questions
8 things people want to know before Margate's The Lifeboat open mic.
Walk-in sign-up only. Arrive early — slots fill on the night. See other Margate open mic nights for alternatives.
The Lifeboat provides a PA system — check the rest with the venue.
Slot length varies — check with the host.
No entry fee is listed for The Lifeboat's open mic - most open mics are free to play and to watch, but check with the venue before you go. Browse Margate open mics.
Ask the host before bringing a full band — solo and duo acts are the usual open-mic format.
The Lifeboat is in Market Street, Old Town, Margate. Get directions, or see the other Margate open mics.
Mostly fellow musicians, friends and Margate regulars across the Margate open mic scene. Margate open mic crowds tend to listen attentively.
Sign-up is walk-in on the night, so you do not need to book ahead. GigXchange doesn't publish venue phone numbers or emails. Browse other Margate open mics.
Venues Near The Lifeboat
No other gigs are listed at The Lifeboat in the GigXchange directory yet — these are the rooms around it, their size, kit and live nights.
08 — Keep up with Margate
One email a week. Gigs near you.
Keep up with Margate
One email a week with live music near you. Free, and it keeps grassroots rooms full.
Help keep grassroots venues open in Margate
—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 Margate. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy.
See what’s on in Margate over the next four weeks →
The Lifeboat open mic in brief. The Lifeboat open mic runs monthly on Tuesdays from 20:00 (no fee listed). Coming back with a full band? The Lifeboat’s venue page has its kit and capacity listed. The open mics near Margate are listed by day, for another night this week.
Booking or playing in Margate? 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.
09 — More Margate open mics
All ›After paid gigs rather than open mics? See Margate gigs or check the going rate.
10 — Venues near The Lifeboat
All ›More rooms near The Lifeboat: Drill Shed, Folkestone Railway Social Club, Folklore, Hall By The Sea, Dreamland Margate, Leas Cliff Hall, Maiden's Head, Margate Lido Complex, Quarterhouse, Queens Road Baptist Centre - Concerts and Workshops, Rosslyn Court and Royal Norfolk Hotel.
Run The Lifeboat?
Free to join. No subscription. 5% only if you want the deposit protected.
Run an open mic in Margate?
Add yours to the directory free. 2-minute submission, reviewed before it goes live.