Skip to content

Reading · 16 open mic nights · 5 nights a week

Open Mic Nights in Reading

Every Reading open mic night - when it runs, how sign-up works, what kit is there.

94% of them list no entry fee; 0 have a full backline. Re-checked on a rolling cycle.

Nearby

Updated 12 November 2026

At a glance
Reading
16
Open mic
nights
listed in Reading
In detail
7 days from Fri 13 Novat least 9
Nights of the week5 of 7
No fee listed94% of nights
Full backline0 nights
Open-Mic Score62 /100
01 — Find a night
17 nights
Pick your night
When
Day
Has
Type
City
Sort
02 — The scene
Open-Mic Score
62
Out of
100
Solid — healthy affordability, building on walk-in. Good circuit for working artists.
Ranked against UK cities (0-100)
Choice63
Schedule fixed scale71
Coverage9
Affordability fixed scale94
Backline55
Walk-in fixed scale88
03 — By night
Nights listed
Reading's week
01Wednesday 4 nights
02Friday Tonight 4 nights
03Sunday 4 nights
04Monday 2 nights
05Thursday 2 nights
04 — More of Reading
Beyond the list
Featured open micCorn ExchangeTown Centre · Sun nights
Popular nightsThe Rising Sun Arts Centre
The Plough
The New Inn
Mates Rates Comedy Club
This month
Added0
Removed0
Verified0
Re-verified0
Also in Reading
Reading gigsBooked slots, by date
What's on this weekEvery gig over the next seven days
Reading venuesThe rooms behind the nights
Reading music sceneVenues, rates, guides and gigs
05 — Other cities
90 cities
Nights elsewhere
All cities, A–ZNights
Live music on stage: a band under the lights
Reading Open Mics

Open Mic Nights in Reading

16 open mic nights across Town Centre, City Centre, Newbury, Hambridge Road — part of the wider UK open mic directory. Re-verified on a rolling cycle.

62/ 100
Reading Open-Mic Score
SolidHealthy affordability, building on walk-in. Good circuit for working artists.
Choice63
Schedule71
Coverage9
Affordability94
Backline55
Walk-in88
94% of Reading open mics list no entry fee — check the night, sign up, play

Last updated: 12 November 2026

16 Open Mic Nights Across Reading

At least 9 open mic nights are on in and around Reading in the 7 days from Fri 13 Nov; the other 7 run less often or on dates that vary, so check their listing. 16 open mic nights (8 verified) are running in and around Reading, from venues like Corn Exchange, though none lists a full backline yet. Sunday and Wednesday are the busiest. We show when each listing was last checked. Open mics are just one layer of the Reading circuit — see what’s on in Reading over the next four weeks for ticketed bills at the same venues.

16
open mic nights listed in Reading
  • 14 of 16 take walk-in sign-up on the night · 1 list an entry fee
  • 0 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
16
Open mic nights
5
Nights a week
94%
No fee listed
0
Full backline
Last updated

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

By Day of the Week

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

Showing 1–12 of 17 · page 1 of 2
Real piano · arts venue
1ST
Sun
Corn Exchange
Town Centre
Next Sun 6 DecStarts 19:00
  • Sign-up18:30
  • Slots15 min
  • EntryNo fee listed
  • PAProvided
  • Backline—
  • Open toMusicians, Poets, Comedians
View details›
MONTH
Sun
The Rising Sun Arts Centre
Reading
Starts 19:00
  • Sign-up19:30
  • Slots15 min
  • EntryNo fee listed
  • PAProvided
  • Backline—
  • Open toMusicians
View details›
EVERY
Sun
The Plough
Reading
Next Sun 15 NovStarts 19:30
  • Sign-up19:30
  • Slots12 min
  • EntryNo fee listed
  • PAProvided
  • Backline—
  • Open toMusicians
View details›
1ST
Sun
The New Inn
Town Centre
Next Sun 6 DecTime to be confirmed
  • Sign-up—
  • Slots—
  • EntryNo fee listed
  • PA—
  • Backline—
  • Open toMusicians
View details›
EVERY
Mon
Mates Rates Comedy Club
Reading
Next Mon 16 NovStarts 19:30
  • Sign-up18:30
  • Slots12 min
  • EntryNo fee listed
  • PAProvided
  • Backline—
  • Open toComedians
View details›
MONTH
Mon
The Castle Tap
Reading
Starts 19:30
  • Sign-up19:30
  • Slots10 min
  • EntryNo fee listed
  • PAProvided
  • Backline—
  • Open toMusicians, Poets, Comedians
View details›
EVERY
Wed
South Street Arts Centre
Reading
Next Wed 18 NovStarts 20:00
  • Sign-up19:30
  • Slots12 min
  • EntryNo fee listed
  • PAProvided
  • Backline—
  • Open toMusicians
View details›
EVERY
Wed
Palmer Tavern
Reading
Next Wed 18 NovStarts 20:00
  • Sign-up19:30
  • Slots12 min
  • EntryNo fee listed
  • PAProvided
  • Backline—
  • Open toMusicians
View details›
EVERY
Wed
The Lyndhurst
Reading
Next Wed 18 NovStarts 20:00
  • Sign-up19:30
  • Slots12 min
  • EntryNo fee listed
  • PAProvided
  • Backline—
  • Open toMusicians
View details›
EVERY
Wed
The Fisherman's Cottage
Reading
Next Wed 18 NovStarts 20:30
  • Sign-up20:30
  • Slots12 min
  • EntryNo fee listed
  • PAProvided
  • Backline—
  • Open toMusicians, Poets, Comedians
View details›
15-min slots · folk leaning
EVERY
Thu
The Retreat
City Centre
Next Thu 19 NovStarts 20:00
  • Sign-up19:30
  • Slots15 min
  • EntryNo fee listed
  • PAProvided
  • Backline—
  • Open toMusicians
View details›
100+ weekly editions
EVERY
Thu
The Newbury Pub & Terrace
Town Centre
Next Thu 19 NovStarts 20:30
  • Sign-up19:30
  • Slots12 min
  • EntryNo fee listed
  • PAProvided
  • Backline—
  • Open toMusicians
View details›

Venues in Reading

32 grassroots music venues are listed in Reading, 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.

Reading Open Mic Scene in Numbers

Counted from the 16 Reading open mic nights listed: 94% have no entry fee listed, 0% have full backline and Sunday is the busiest night. The chart shows how the week's nights split, day by day.

16
Nights listed
5
Nights a week
94%
No fee listed
0%
Full backline
81%
PA provided
Sun
Busiest night
12 min
Typical slot
20:00
Typical start
Open mics by night · share of the week

Reading Open Mic FAQs

6 answers about open mics in Reading, 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.

Corn Exchange 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.
Reading has 5 different open-mic nights running across the week. Use the day filter above to see what's on tonight.
Open mics are the regular, low-key layer of the scene. For the ticketed and one-off bills, what’s on in Reading 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 Reading gig directory.
15 of the 16 open mics we list in Reading list no entry fee and 1 do; most open mics are free, but check with the venue. Filter the main directory by "Free entry" for the wider list.
None of the listed Reading mics provide a full backline yet — bring your own gear.
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 Reading
One email a week. Gigs near you.

Keep up with Reading

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

Help keep grassroots venues open in Reading

—

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 Reading. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy.

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 Reading open mic?

List it free. It's reviewed before it goes live; performers find you by night and kit.

The data behind these numbers: UK open mic statistics and every UK open mic - all from the same directory.

Naumaan Zahid
Founder & Builder

Live gigs across the UK, kept fresh. Spot something wrong or missing? Let me know and I’ll fix it.

Did you know? The UK is one of the world’s largest music markets, behind only the US and Japan.
Email me directly →