Bijou is an independent cocktail bar and cafe on Bridge Street in the heart of Peterborough city centre. By day it serves coffee, brunch and afternoon tea, and by night it turns into a cocktail bar with live entertainment and DJs. The venue has a main bar, a snug that seats around twenty, and a VIP basement room that holds around fifty, with the whole site taking up to a hundred and twenty people. It hosts a rolling programme of themed nights, bottomless brunches, live music and community events such as the XUP open mic.
Peterborough · Dates vary · No fee listed
Bijou Open Mic
Peterborough's occasional Thursday open mic at Bijou, PE1 1HA.
Kick-off 19:30. No fee listed.
Nearby open micsUpdated 13 November 2026
At a glance
Checked 23 Sept 202619:30
Kick-off
Thursdays
sign-up on the nightThursdays
| Night | Dates vary |
| Sign-up | Walk-in |
| Slot | Ask the host |
| Entry | No fee listed · all ages |
| Backline | Ask the host |
01 — Inside the room
4 photosPhotos: Google
254
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 | c. 120 standing |
| Performer types | Musicians · Comedians · Poets · Spoken word artists |
| Host | XUP boro |
| Website | bijoupeterborough.co.uk |
The check
| Status | Verified running |
| Last checked | 23 Sept 2026 |
| Checked against | Venue website |
03 — The night
Dates varyHow the night runs
This night is irregular
Check the date before you goRunning order
19:30 Kick-off
20:00 Venue closes
04 — Find Bijou
City CentreGetting there
51 Bridge Street,
City Centre, Peterborough PE1 1HA
City Centre, Peterborough PE1 1HA
The nearest station is Peterborough (rail station), about 10 minutes' walk away.
05 — What's on stage
TBC| PA system | TBC |
| Drum kit | TBC |
| Guitar amp | TBC |
| Bass amp | TBC |
| Keys / keyboard | TBC |
| Vocal mics | TBC |
| In-house engineer | TBC |
06 — About
City Centre, PeterboroughAbout the night
XUP Open Mic Night is a free, inclusive evening of music, comedy, spoken word and poetry held in the middle of Peterborough city centre. Performers can come along on the night to take a slot, and anyone who just wants to watch is equally welcome. It runs on a Thursday evening from 7.30pm until about 9.30pm. The night is organised by local collective XUP boro and hosted in the bar at Bijou. Pattern: Thursday evenings, dates announced by the organiser XUP boro rather than on a fixed weekly or monthly pattern.
Bijou is an independent cocktail bar and cafe on Bridge Street in the heart of Peterborough city centre. By day it serves coffee, brunch and afternoon tea, and by night it turns into a cocktail bar with live entertainment and DJs. The venue has a main bar, a snug that seats around twenty, and a VIP basement room that holds around fifty, with the whole site taking up to a hundred and twenty people. It hosts a rolling programme of themed nights, bottomless brunches, live music and community events such as the XUP open mic.
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City Centre · Dates vary
Bijou Open Mic
Peterborough's occasional Thursday open mic at Bijou, PE1 1HA.
- Thursday
- Open mic night
- Sept 2026
- Listed since
- 23 Sept
- Last verified
- No fee
- Entry
- —
- Sign-up time
- Verified
- Listing status
Run a Peterborough open mic? List it free — reviewed before it goes live
Last updated: 13 November 2026
Bijou Open Mic — Quick Facts
Bijou Open Mic runs on dates that vary at Bijou in Peterborough, starting at 19:30. Peterborough's occasional Thursday open mic at Bijou, PE1 1HA. Below: when it runs, sign-up and slots, the stage kit and how to get there.
Open mic status Last verified 23 Sept 2026
How sure we are
Verified active
Checked against the venue’s own listing See Bijou’s venue page →
The night starts at 19:30. Sign-up is on the night - get there early to get a slot. XUP boro hosts the night.
Sign-upWalk-in on the night
Capacityc. 120 standing
Who playsMusicians · Comedians · Poets · Spoken word artists
BacklineNot confirmed yet
Sound engineerAsk the venue
HostXUP boro
Directory statusVerified active
Member votes0 to get the venue on GigXchange
Websitebijoupeterborough.co.uk
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.
NightVariesdates vary
Starts19:30start time
Sign-upWalk-insign-up
SlotsTBCslot lengthNot confirmed yet
What’s on in Peterborough this week — or see what’s on across the UK.
About This Open Mic
XUP Open Mic Night is a free, inclusive evening of music, comedy, spoken word and poetry held in the middle of Peterborough city centre. Performers can come along on the night to take a slot, and anyone who just wants to watch is equally welcome. It runs on a Thursday evening from 7.30pm until about 9.30pm. The night is organised by local collective XUP boro and hosted in the bar at Bijou. Pattern: Thursday evenings, dates announced by the organiser XUP boro rather than on a fixed weekly or monthly pattern.
The kit on stage — equipment and backline at this venue, verified regularly.
PA systemTBC
Drum kitTBC
Guitar ampTBC
Bass ampTBC
Keys / keyboardTBC
Vocal micsTBC
In-house engineerTBC
The Night at a Glance
How Bijou’s Thursday night runs.
Kick-off19:30Dates vary
Venue closes20:00The listed closing time
How often
Dates vary
Getting there
City Centre, Peterborough, PE1 1HA - the map is below.
First time here?
Get there early for a slot, have your instrument tuned before your turn.
Find Bijou
51 Bridge Street, City Centre, Peterborough PE1 1HA
Address51 Bridge Street
AreaCity Centre, Peterborough
PostcodePE1 1HA
DirectionsOpen in Google Maps →
Getting there
The nearest station is Peterborough (rail station), about 10 minutes' walk away. You'll find Bijou in City Centre, Peterborough; PE1 1HA is the postcode for sat-nav and ride apps. Check the venue's website for parking and the nearest station.
Open mics nearby
Mama Liz's Voodoo Lounge, The Brewery Tap, The Duck and Drake and The Boat Inn
Station data: NaPTAN, Department for Transport (Open Government Licence).
Planning Your Thursday Night
Arrive early to get your name down. The kit is not listed yet — ask the host what is provided.
The scene Live music in Peterboroughthe venues, the gigs and where it happensGet gigs How to get gigs in Peterboroughpay, venues that book, how to pitchBands Find a band in Peterboroughacts to book or play alongsideGigs Upcoming gigs in Peterboroughevery 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 Peterborough live music scene.
Common Questions
9 things people ask before turning up at Peterborough's Bijou open mic.
Walk-in sign-up only. Arrive early — slots fill on the night. See other Peterborough open mic nights for alternatives.
Bijou has not listed its kit yet — ask the host before you go.
Slot length varies — check with the host.
No entry fee is listed for Bijou's open mic - most open mics are free to play and to watch, but check with the venue before you go. Browse Peterborough open mics.
Ask the host before bringing a full band — solo and duo acts are the usual open-mic format.
51 Bridge Street, City Centre, Peterborough PE1 1HA.
Mostly fellow musicians, friends and Peterborough regulars across the Peterborough open mic scene. Peterborough open mic crowds tend to listen attentively.
The nearest station is Peterborough (rail station), about 10 minutes' walk away. For sat-nav and taxis, the postcode is PE1 1HA. (Station data: NaPTAN, Department for Transport, Open Government Licence.)
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 - the venue's own website is linked on this page. Browse other Peterborough open mics.
Venues Near Bijou
No other gigs are listed at Bijou in the GigXchange directory yet — these are the rooms around it, their size, kit and live nights.
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See what’s on in Peterborough over the next four weeks →
Bijou open mic in brief. The Bijou open mic runs dates vary from 19:30 (no fee listed). Coming back with a full band? Bijou’s venue page has its kit and capacity listed. For another night this week, the open mics near Peterborough are listed by day.
Booking or playing in Peterborough? 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 Peterborough open mics
All ›Want paid gigs instead of open mics? See Peterborough gigs or check the going rate.
10 — Venues near Bijou
All ›More rooms near Bijou: Falcon Hotel, Here We Aren't, Mama Liz's Voodoo Lounge, New Theatre Peterborough, Stamford Arts Centre, The Boat Inn, The Boulevard Club, The Cresset, The Duck and Drake, The Met Lounge and The Ostrich Inn.
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