The Loft is a live music venue in <strong>Southsea, Portsmouth</strong>, hosting regular open mic nights for local musicians and performers. Whether you're a seasoned gigging musician or stepping up to perform for the first time, The Loft provides a welcoming stage and audience.
Southsea · Every Tuesday · Free
The Loft Open Mic
Southsea's Tuesday-night free open mic at 49 St James' Street, PO5 4LR — top-floor music venue, PA + guitar amp, 12-minute slots.
Open mic at a glance The Loft · Portsmouth
Tuesday
Open mic night
Apr 2026
Listed since
03 Jun
Last verified
Free
Entry
12 min
Slot length
Verified
Listing status
Run a Portsmouth open mic? List it free — verified within 48 hours
Last updated: 3 June 2026
The Loft Open Mic — Quick Facts
Southsea's Tuesday-night free open mic at 49 St James' Street, PO5 4LR — top-floor music venue, PA + guitar amp, 12-minute slots.
✓ Verified activeLast verified
The Details
Everything you need before you turn up
DayTuesday
Start20:00
Sign-up19:30 walk-in
Slot length12 min
EntryFree · 18+
Capacityc. 80 standing
Performer typesMusic · Poetry · Comedy
Sound engineerBYO / hire on the night
View on map
Where
The Loft49 St James' Street
Southsea
Portsmouth PO5 4LR
Southsea, Portsmouth — check venue website for parking and nearest station.
Highlights
Free entry for all
PA system provided
Walk-in sign-up
Music, Poetry, Comedy 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.
What’s on in Portsmouth this week — or see what’s on across the UK.
About The Loft
About This Open Mic
Every Tuesday in Southsea, Portsmouth
Kicks off at 20:00, sign-up from 19:30
Free entry for performers and audience
12-minute slots
PA provided — BYO instrument
Part of the Portsmouth open mic directory
The Night
The Loft is a Southsea top-floor music venue. Tuesday open mic — acoustic-leaning.
180 minutes, 15 acts at 12 minutes.
Sign-up process
Sheet at the bar at 7:30pm. Walk-in.
Getting there
49 St James' Street, PO5 4LR. 12 minutes from Portsmouth & Southsea Rail.
The venue
Top-floor music room. 18+. Capacity c. 80.
What's on stage — equipment and backline at this venue, verified regularly.
PA + monitors
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
2 vocal mics
In-house engineer
The Night at a Glance
How The Loft’s Tuesday night runs.
19:30Sign-up
20:00Kick-off
23:00Last songs
Every Tuesday 12-min slots Free entry
Find The Loft
49 St James' Street, Southsea, Portsmouth PO5 4LR
Planning Your Tuesday Night
Arrive by 19:30 to sign up for a slot. Entry is free and the open mic typically runs until 23:00. A PA is provided — bring your own instrument and amp.
Part of the Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth's The Loft open mic.
Walk-in sign-up only, opens at 19:30. Arrive early — slots fill on the night. See other Portsmouth open mic nights for alternatives.
PA + vocal mic provided. BYO instrument and amp.
12 minutes per act — typically 3 songs solo.
Yes — free entry for performers and audience. Most Portsmouth mics are free; browse the list.
Solo and duo acts work best given the gear available; ask the host before bringing a full band.
49 St James' Street, Southsea, Portsmouth PO5 4LR.
Mostly fellow musicians, friends and Portsmouth regulars across the Portsmouth open mic scene. Portsmouth open mic crowds tend to listen attentively.
Keep up with Portsmouth
One email a week with live music near you. Free, and it keeps grassroots rooms full.
Help keep grassroots venues open in Portsmouth
—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 Portsmouth. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy.
See what’s on in Portsmouth over the next four weeks →
Booking or playing in Portsmouth? 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.
Run an open mic in Portsmouth?
Add yours to the directory free. 2-minute submission, verified within 48 hours. Reach 1,000+ Portsmouth musicians.
Looking for paid gigs, not open mics?