Oxford · 20 open mic nights · 5 nights a week

Open Mic Nights in Oxford

Every open mic in Oxford - when it runs, how to sign up, what kit is there.

100% of them list no entry fee; 1 has a full backline. Re-checked on a rolling cycle.

Nearby

Reading Birmingham Leicester

Tonight List your night

Updated 12 November 2026

At a glance

Oxford

Open mic
nights

listed in Oxford

In detail

7 days from Fri 13 Nov	at least 15
Nights of the week	5 of 7
No fee listed	100% of nights
Full backline	1 nights
Open-Mic Score	72 /100

01 — Find a night

23 nights

Pick your night

When

Day

Has

Type

City

Sort

VariesSat Kick-off13:00 Cowley Road StudiosOxfordNo feeHouse PADates vary

James St. TavernOxfordNo feeHouse PA 14:30Sun

The Eagle TavernWitneyNo fee1st Sun of the month 19:00Sun

The Royal BlenheimOxfordNo feeHouse PA 19:00Sun

The Harcourt ArmsJericho · OxfordNo feeHouse PA 19:30Sun

The Bullingdon162 Cowley Rd · OxfordNo feeHouse PA 20:00Sun

The WheatsheafOxfordNo feeHouse PA1st Sun of the month 20:00Sun

The White Hart, WolvercoteWolvercote · OxfordNo feeHouse PAMonthly 20:00Sun

The Old Bookbinders Ale HouseJericho · OxfordNo feeHouse PA 20:30Sun

Jude The ObscureOxfordNo feeHouse PA 20:00Mon

02 — The scene

Open-Mic Score

Out of
100

Strong — affordability and walk-in lead the mix, with room to grow on coverage.

Ranked against UK cities (0-100)

Choice	82
Schedule fixed scale	71
Coverage	33
Affordability fixed scale	100
Backline	47
Walk-in fixed scale	100

03 — By night

Nights listed

Oxford's week

01	Sunday	8 nights
02	Wednesday	6 nights
03	Thursday	4 nights
04	Monday	1 night
05	Saturday	1 night

04 — More of Oxford

Beyond the list

Featured open micJames St. TavernOxford · Sun nights
Popular nightsThe Eagle Tavern
The Royal Blenheim
The Harcourt Arms
The White Hart, Wolvercote

This month

Added	0
Removed	1
Verified	0
Re-verified	3

Also in Oxford

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

05 — Other cities

90 cities

Nights elsewhere

Reading Birmingham Leicester

All cities, A–ZNights

Aberdeen18 Aberystwyth7 Accrington8 Aldershot14

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

Cambridge17 Cardiff34 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

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

Oxford Open Mics

Open Mic Nights in Oxford

20 open mic nights across Jericho, Wolvercote, 162 Cowley Rd, Cowley Road + more — part of the wider UK open mic directory. Re-verified on a rolling cycle.

72/ 100

Oxford Open-Mic Score

StrongAffordability and walk-in lead the mix, with room to grow on coverage.

Choice82

Schedule71

Coverage33

Affordability100

Backline47

Walk-in100

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

20 open mic nights across Jericho, Wolvercote, 162 Cowley Rd, Cowley Road + more
5 nights a week have at least one
100% list no entry fee
1 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? Oxford'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 Oxford 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 Oxford 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 Oxford 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

100% of Oxford open mics list no entry fee — check the night, sign up, play

Last updated: 12 November 2026

20 Open Mic Nights Across Oxford

At least 15 open mic nights are on in and around Oxford in the 7 days from Fri 13 Nov; the other 5 run less often or on dates that vary, so check their listing. 20 open mic nights (11 verified) are running in and around Oxford, from venues like James St. Tavern, and 1 offers a full backline. Sunday and Wednesday are the busiest. Every listing shows when we last checked it. Open mics are one layer of the Oxford circuit — see what’s on in Oxford over the next four weeks for the ticketed bills at the same venues.

open mic nights listed in Oxford

20 of 20 take walk-in sign-up on the night
1 venues offer full backline (drum kit, guitar amp, bass amp, mics)
Spread across 5 different nights of the week
Music + comedy + poetry — filter by type below

20
Open mic nights: 5
Nights a week: 100%
No fee listed: 1
Full backline: 12 Nov
Last updated

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

By Day of the Week

20 open mic nights are listed in Oxford, across 5 nights of the week. Pick a night to see what's on. Each card lists the venue, sign-up time, slot length, fee and backline.

Showing 1–12 of 23 · page 1 of 2

Next Sun 15 NovStarts 14:30

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

Next Sun 6 DecStarts 19:00

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

Next Sun 15 NovStarts 19:00

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

Next Sun 15 NovStarts 19:30

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

View details›

MONTH

Sun

The White Hart, Wolvercote

Wolvercote

Starts 20:00

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

Next Sun 6 DecStarts 20:00

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

Next Sun 15 NovStarts 20:00

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

View details›

EVERY

Sun

The Old Bookbinders Ale House

Jericho

Next Sun 15 NovStarts 20:30

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

Next Mon 16 NovStarts 20:00

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

Next Wed 18 NovStarts 20:00

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

Next Wed 18 NovStarts 20:00

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

Next Wed 18 NovStarts 20:00

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

View details›

Venues in Oxford

35 grassroots music venues are listed in Oxford, 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 35 Oxford venues

Oxford Open Mic Scene in Numbers

Counted from the 20 Oxford open mic nights listed: 100% have no entry fee listed, 5% have full backline and Sunday is the busiest night. The chart shows how the week's nights split, day by day.

20
Nights listed: 5
Nights a week: 100%
No fee listed: 5%
Full backline: 95%
PA provided: Sun
Busiest night: 12 min
Typical slot: 20:00
Typical start

Open mics by night · share of the week

5%Mon

0%Tue

30%Wed

20%Thu

0%Fri

5%Sat

40%Sun

Oxford Open Mic FAQs

6 answers about open mics in Oxford, 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 Oxford for new performers?

James St. Tavern 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 Oxford tonight?

Oxford has 5 different open-mic nights running across the week. Use the day filter above to see what's on tonight.

What else is on in Oxford 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 Oxford 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 Oxford gig directory.

Are Oxford open mics free?

None of the 20 open mics we list in Oxford has an entry fee listed - most open mics are free to play and watch, but check with the venue.

Which Oxford open mics provide a full backline?

1 of Oxford's 20 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 Oxford 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 Oxford

One email a week. Gigs near you.

Keep up with Oxford

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

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

How the nights run. 15 of the 20 running nights are weekly and 5 run less often, so check the date before you go. Most start at 20:00. Listed slot lengths are usually around 12 minutes each. When a sign-up time is listed, the list tends to open around 19:30.

Who plays. Besides music, 2 take poetry. With a PA listed at 19 nights, a singer-songwriter can bring just an instrument. None lists an entry fee.

After the open mic. When you're ready for a paid set, the Oxford 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: Reading (17), Birmingham (18) and Leicester (18).

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 Oxford 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 20 Oxford 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 Oxford open mic?

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

Claim your venue List my night

Where these figures come from: UK open mic statistics and every UK open mic - all from the same directory.