The Half Moon is a small late-night pub at 17-18 St Clement's Street in Oxford (OX4 1AB), billing itself as Oxford's only late-night Irish pub and packing live music into almost every night. It runs Oxford's longest-running free late-night open mic, hosted by compere 'Sparky, The Dangerous Poet', with all forms of music, poetry and performance welcome, a PA provided and a free drink for performers. The weekly grain is traditional Irish/English folk sessions on Monday and Sunday, jazz on Tuesday, open-mic nights on Thursday, and Oxford's rising talent every Friday and Saturday. Open daily 6pm/7pm to 2am, with an open fire, a house piano and a house guitar. An intimate room of around 200 capacity welcoming originals and covers across folk, Irish-traditional, jazz and acoustic.
Oxford · Every Thursday · No fee listed
St Clement's's thursday-night free open mic at Half Moon — PA + vocal mic, walk-in sign-up from 7:30pm, 10-minute slots, all ages.
Next night: Thu 19 Nov. Kick-off 21:00, sign-up from 19:30. 10-minute slots. No fee listed.
Nearby open micsUpdated 13 November 2026
Thursdays
| Night | Every Thursday |
| Sign-up | 19:30 walk-in |
| Slot | 10 min |
| Entry | No fee listed · all ages |
| Backline | PA provided |
| Capacity | – |
| Performer types | Musicians · Poets |
| Host | Sparky, The Dangerous Poet |
| Status | Verified running |
| Last checked | 29 Sept 2026 |
| Checked against | Web listing |
St Clement's, Oxford OX4 1AB
The nearest station is Oxford (rail station), about 1 mile away - a taxi or bus is the easier last leg.
| PA system | Provided |
| Drum kit | TBC |
| Guitar amp | TBC |
| Bass amp | TBC |
| Keys / keyboard | TBC |
| Vocal mics | TBC |
| In-house engineer | TBC |
Sparky's Flying Circus is Oxford's longest-running open mic — every Thursday at 9pm at the Half Moon on St Clement's, hosted by 'Sparky, The Dangerous Poet'. It's a free, late-night session welcoming all forms of music, poetry, performance and song, with featured guest artists each week. PA is provided and performers get a free drink. A genuinely eclectic, supportive room — turn up, sign up with Sparky, and take the stage.
The Half Moon is a small late-night pub at 17-18 St Clement's Street in Oxford (OX4 1AB), billing itself as Oxford's only late-night Irish pub and packing live music into almost every night. It runs Oxford's longest-running free late-night open mic, hosted by compere 'Sparky, The Dangerous Poet', with all forms of music, poetry and performance welcome, a PA provided and a free drink for performers. The weekly grain is traditional Irish/English folk sessions on Monday and Sunday, jazz on Tuesday, open-mic nights on Thursday, and Oxford's rising talent every Friday and Saturday. Open daily 6pm/7pm to 2am, with an open fire, a house piano and a house guitar. An intimate room of around 200 capacity welcoming originals and covers across folk, Irish-traditional, jazz and acoustic.
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Half Moon Open Mic
St Clement's's thursday-night free open mic at Half Moon — PA + vocal mic, walk-in sign-up from 7:30pm, 10-minute slots, all ages.
- Thursday
- Open mic night
- Apr 2026
- Listed since
- 29 Sept
- Last verified
- No fee
- Entry
- 10 min
- Slot length
- Verified
- Listing status
Last updated: 13 November 2026
Half Moon Open Mic — Quick Facts
Half Moon Open Mic runs on Thursdays at Half Moon in Oxford, starting at 21:00 with sign-up from 19:30. Below: when it runs, sign-up and slots, the stage kit and how to get there.
The night starts at 21:00. It's walk-in sign-up, with the list opening at 19:30 - arrive early to get a slot. Slots run about 10 minutes. A PA is listed; check what else is on stage before you bring a band. Sparky, The Dangerous Poet hosts the night.
What’s on in Oxford this week — or see what’s on across the UK.
About This Open Mic
Sparky's Flying Circus is Oxford's longest-running open mic — every Thursday at 9pm at the Half Moon on St Clement's, hosted by 'Sparky, The Dangerous Poet'. It's a free, late-night session welcoming all forms of music, poetry, performance and song, with featured guest artists each week. PA is provided and performers get a free drink. A genuinely eclectic, supportive room — turn up, sign up with Sparky, and take the stage.
Equipment and backline at this venue — what's on stage, verified regularly.
The Night at a Glance
How Half Moon’s Thursday night runs.
Every Thursday
Thu 19 Nov · Thu 26 Nov · Thu 3 Dec
Half Moon provides a PA system — check the rest with the venue.
Get there by 19:30 for a slot, have your instrument tuned before your turn and keep to about 10 minutes.
Find Half Moon
17 Saint Clement's Street, St Clement's, Oxford OX4 1AB
The nearest station is Oxford (rail station), about 1 mile away - a taxi or bus is the easier last leg. You'll find Half Moon in St Clement's, Oxford; OX4 1AB is the postcode for sat-nav and ride apps. Check the venue's website for parking and the nearest station.
James St. Tavern, The Eagle Tavern, The Royal Blenheim and The Harcourt Arms
Station data: NaPTAN, Department for Transport (Open Government Licence).
Planning Your Thursday Night
Get there by 19:30 to sign up for a slot. Half Moon provides a PA system — check the rest with the venue.
What should you charge for paid gigs? 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 Oxford live music scene.
Common Questions
9 questions people ask before going to Oxford's Half Moon open mic.
Venues Near Half Moon
No other gigs are listed at Half Moon in the GigXchange directory yet — these are the rooms around it, their size, kit and live nights.
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Half Moon open mic in brief. The Half Moon open mic runs every Thursday from 21:00 (no fee listed); sign-up opens 19:30 and slots run about 10 minutes. Half Moon’s venue page has its kit and capacity if you want to come back with a full band. For another night this week, the open mics near Oxford are listed by day.
Booking or playing in Oxford? 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.
After paid gigs rather than open mics? See Oxford gigs or check the going rate.
More rooms near Half Moon: Isis Farmhouse, James St. Tavern, Joe's Bar & Grill, JoJo's, Jude The Obscure, Kazbar, O'neill's Oxford, Red Lion, Sandy's Piano Bar, St Aldates Tavern and Studio Se7en.
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