The Bierkeller is a lively three-floor, three-bar Bavarian beer hall and entertainment complex at 11-13 Friar Lane in Nottingham city centre (NG1 6DA), with a sizeable capacity (around 400). Alongside its weekend Oompah band sessions it runs a popular open mic every Thursday at 8pm, free to perform and free to watch. It's a well-equipped night for a city-centre venue: performers can grab the house guitar, bass or drums, or just bring their voice, with a vocal PA in place — so solo acts, duos and full bands can all play. The crowd is a mix of working musicians, students and locals out for the night. Just turn up and put your name down.
City Centre · Every Thursday · Free
The Bierkeller Open Mic
City Centre's thursday-night free open mic at The Bierkeller — PA + vocal mic, walk-in sign-up from 7:30pm, 15-minute slots, all ages.
Open mic at a glance The Bierkeller · Nottingham
Thursday
Open mic night
Apr 2026
Listed since
03 Jun
Last verified
Free
Entry
15 min
Slot length
Verified
Listing status
Run a Nottingham open mic? List it free — verified within 48 hours
Last updated: 3 June 2026
The Bierkeller Open Mic — Quick Facts
City Centre's thursday-night free open mic at The Bierkeller — PA + vocal mic, walk-in sign-up from 7:30pm, 15-minute slots, all ages.
✓ Verified activeLast verified
The Details
Everything you need before you turn up
DayThursday
Start20:00
Sign-up19:30 walk-in
Slot length15 min
EntryFree · all ages
Capacity–
Performer typesMusic · Comedy · Poetry
Sound engineerBYO / hire on the night
View on map
Where
The Bierkeller13 Friar Lane
City Centre
Nottingham NG1 6DA
City Centre, Nottingham — check venue website for parking and nearest station.
Highlights
Free entry for all
PA system provided
Walk-in sign-up
Music, Comedy, Poetry 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.
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About The Bierkeller
About This Open Mic
Every Thursday in City Centre, Nottingham
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 Nottingham open mic directory
The Night
The Bierkeller on Friar Lane runs a popular weekly open mic every Thursday from 8pm, and it's a genuine all-comers night — singers, acoustic players, comedians and spoken-word performers all share the stage. The room comes with a house guitar, bass and a full drum kit, so a whole band can plug in or you can simply bring your voice. It's a lively German-beer-hall setting with long communal tables and hearty food. There's no advance booking: arrive early and get your name on the sign-up list, which fills quickly.
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 Bierkeller’s Thursday night runs.
19:30Sign-up
20:00Kick-off
00:30Venue closes
Every Thursday 15-min slots Free entry
Find The Bierkeller
13 Friar Lane, City Centre, Nottingham NG1 6DA
Planning Your Thursday 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 Nottingham 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 Nottingham's The Bierkeller open mic.
Walk-in sign-up only, opens at 19:30. Arrive early — slots fill on the night. See other Nottingham 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 Nottingham mics are free; browse the list.
Solo and duo acts work best given the gear available; ask the host before bringing a full band.
13 Friar Lane, City Centre, Nottingham NG1 6DA.
Mostly fellow musicians, friends and Nottingham regulars across the Nottingham open mic scene. Nottingham open mic crowds tend to listen attentively.
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