Cambridge · small venue
Cambridge real-ale pub with weekend bands and Thursday open mic.
About 80 standing · about 45 seated, live music 3 nights a week, house PA. Covers, Acoustic, Rock.
Nearby venuesUpdated 12 November 2026
At a glance, The Emperor in Cambridge is summed up below. It has live music 3 nights a week. It books covers, acoustic and rock acts.
capacity
| Live music | 3 nights a week |
| TodayClosed | 12:00–01:30Opens in 4h 23m 25s |
| Backline | PA provided |
| Books | Covers · Acoustic · Rock |
4 photos show the inside of The Emperor, from the stage to the bar. It books covers, acoustic and rock acts. Tap any photo to open it at full size.
Before you book The Emperor, here are its size, live nights, genres and website. It has live music 3 nights a week. It books covers, acoustic and rock acts.
| Capacity | about 80 standing · about 45 seated |
| Live nights | Thu, Sat, Sun |
| Curfew | – |
| Sound limiter | – |
| Genres | CoversAcousticRock |
| Website | theemperorpubcambridge.wordpress.com |
| Status | Being verified |
The Emperor is at 21 Hills Rd, Cambridge, CB2 1NW. The map below opens step-by-step directions in Google Maps. It is one of 31 rooms in our Cambridge venue directory.
Cambridge CB2 1NW
The nearest station is Cambridge (rail station), about 10 minutes' walk away.
The Emperor for artists: The Emperor has not joined GigXchange yet, so acts vote here to bring it on - to hire the venue for a private event, choose Private hire.
| Booking email and phone | Locked |
| Fee range per act | Locked |
| How far ahead to book | Locked |
| Payment terms | Locked |
| Rate calculatorWhat should you charge here?Live UK rates by role, city and venue size. |
The Emperor publishes its opening times for 7 of the 7 days. These are the venue's own opening hours, not the gig start times. Check the venue's own website before travelling on a bank holiday.
| Mon | 12:00–23:00 |
| Tue | 12:30–23:00 |
| Wed | 12:00–23:00 |
| Thu | 12:00–23:00 |
| FriToday | 12:00–01:30 |
| Sat | 12:00–01:30 |
| Sun | 12:00–23:00 |
The Emperor has an in-house PA for visiting acts. The list below shows the PA, drums, amps and mics we know about. Played here and the kit was different? Tell us and we will update it.
| PA system | Provided |
| Drum kit | TBC |
| Guitar amp | TBC |
| Bass amp | TBC |
| Keys / keyboard | TBC |
| Vocal mics | TBC |
| In-house engineer | TBC |
This is the background on The Emperor, from the venue and its listings. It books covers, acoustic and rock acts. It has live music 3 nights a week.
The Emperor is a grassroots music venue in Cambridge with a standing capacity of about 80. It books Covers, Acoustic, Rock.
Listing notesThe Emperor is a friendly real-ale pub on Hills Road in Cambridge, within easy walking distance of the railway station and the city centre. It pairs cask and keg beers with a modern Latin American tapas menu, plus darts, a pool table, board games and giant Jenga. Music is a regular fixture: live bands play at the weekend, Thursday evenings host an open-mic session from 8.30pm, and alternate-month Wednesdays bring comedy nights. The upstairs function room — available for hire and used for gigs — holds 40-45 seated or 65-70 standing, giving an intimate, well-sized stage room for grassroots acts.
It keeps this page true for the next act through the door.
The regular night at The Emperor on GigXchange is its open mic. It has live music 3 nights a week. Venues often post their next nights on their own website first.
Open mic, every Thursday - 20:30 · Free entry. More nights out in the wider Cambridge gig directory.
The Cambridge league ranks live music venues by the gigs listed over the next 30 days. It refreshes every night, so a busy month moves a room up.
live rooms
| 01 | Cambridge Corn Exchange | 9 gigs |
| 02 | The Junction up1 | 3 gigs |
| 03 | MASH down1 | 1 gig |
| 04 | Arts Club Cambridge | 0 gigs |
| 05 | Audley End | 0 gigs |
| 06 | Bar -OH | 0 gigs |
| 07 | Boathouse | 0 gigs |
| 08 | d'Arry's Restaurant, Bar & Cheesemonger | 0 gigs |
| 09 | Earls of Beaconsfield | 0 gigs |
| 10 | Golden Hind | 0 gigs |
Not seeing your venue? This ranking counts gigs listed in the next 30 days. Create a page free or add your gigs - it ranks on the next nightly refresh.
| 01 | Edit your profile and photos |
| 02 | Set your fee range |
| 03 | Receive artist enquiries |
| 04 | Update backline and capacity |
The Emperor
Cambridge real-ale pub with weekend bands and Thursday open mic. Capacity about 80.
- c. 80
- Capacity
- 3 nights
- Live music
- 12:00
- Open today
- PA
- Backline
- Covers
- Books
- Listed
- Directory status
Last updated: 12 November 2026
The Emperor — Quick Facts
The Emperor capacity: about 80 standing, about 45 seated. Cambridge real-ale pub with weekend bands and Thursday open mic. Here are the key facts on The Emperor at a glance.
By size, The Emperor is the joint 11th largest of the 14 venues we list in and around Cambridge with a standing capacity. Similar-size rooms: Panton Arms (about 80), Six Bells (about 80) and Bar -OH (about 70).
With room for about 80 standing, The Emperor is a small room by our directory's sizes. The middle-sized room we list around Cambridge holds about 100 - much the same. Small rooms like this reward acts with a loyal local audience: the fee is often a door split, and a full room comes from your own guest list rather than the venue's marketing. The figure is listed, not yet verified, so check it with the venue before you plan around it.
The Emperor this week
The Emperor for artists: The Emperor has not joined GigXchange yet, so acts vote here to bring it on - to hire the venue for a private event, choose Private hire.
The Emperor hasn’t claimed its page yet, so nobody from the venue is on GigXchange to message. Vote to bring it on - free account, no card, 30 seconds.
Claim your listing to update details, respond to artists, and manage bookings.
Closed, changed capacity, different backline? Let us know. We review corrections within 7 days.
What’s on in Cambridge this week — or see what’s on across the UK.
Inside The Emperor
The Emperor has an in-house PA for visiting acts. The room holds about 80. It has live music 3 nights a week. Below: the PA, drums, amps and mics we know about, what we know about the room, and its regular live nights.
The Emperor is a grassroots music venue in Cambridge with a standing capacity of about 80. The Emperor provides a PA system — check the rest with the venue.
The Emperor books Covers, Acoustic, Rock acts. This listing is part of the Cambridge venue directory.
The Emperor is a friendly real-ale pub on Hills Road in Cambridge, within easy walking distance of the railway station and the city centre. It pairs cask and keg beers with a modern Latin American tapas menu, plus darts, a pool table, board games and giant Jenga. Music is a regular fixture: live bands play at the weekend, Thursday evenings host an open-mic session from 8.30pm, and alternate-month Wednesdays bring comedy nights. The upstairs function room — available for hire and used for gigs — holds 40-45 seated or 65-70 standing, giving an intimate, well-sized stage room for grassroots acts.
Nights The Emperor usually has live music — typical start 20:30
Live nights at The Emperor are usually Thu, Sat, Sun, with music from about 20:30. Its listed genres start with covers. There is a PA listed - ask what else is on stage before you load in. The Emperor hasn't joined GigXchange yet; vote to bring it on, and in the meantime keep a short EPK and a live clip ready - it is what most venues ask for first.
By size, The Emperor is the joint 11th largest of the 14 venues we list in and around Cambridge with a standing capacity. Similar-size rooms: Panton Arms (about 80), Six Bells (about 80) and Bar -OH (about 70).
Find The Emperor
The Emperor is at 21 Hills Rd, Cambridge, CB2 1NW. The map below opens step-by-step directions in Google Maps. It is one of 31 rooms in our Cambridge venue directory.
The nearest station is Cambridge (rail station), about 10 minutes' walk away. You'll find The Emperor in Cambridge; CB2 1NW is the postcode for sat-nav and ride apps. Check the start time before you set off, and see what else is on in Cambridge this week, or book a Cambridge band for a night of your own.
The Fox and Duck, The Geldart, The Tram Depot and West Road Concert Hall
Station data: NaPTAN, Department for Transport (Open Government Licence).
What's On at The Emperor
The regular night at The Emperor on GigXchange is its open mic. It has live music 3 nights a week. Venues often post their next nights on their own website first. Or browse the wider Cambridge venue directory.
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The Cambridge League
The Emperor is #22 of 31 Cambridge venues for live music — ranked by gigs on the calendar over the next 30 days, refreshed nightly. Only gigs in the GigXchange directory count.
- #1 – Cambridge Corn Exchange 9 gigs
- #2 ▲1 The Junction 3 gigs
- #3 ▼1 MASH 1 gig
- #4 – Arts Club Cambridge 0 gigs
- #5 – Audley End 0 gigs
- #6 – Bar -OH 0 gigs
- #7 – Boathouse 0 gigs
- #8 – d'Arry's Restaurant, Bar & Cheesemonger 0 gigs
- #9 – Earls of Beaconsfield 0 gigs
- #10 – Golden Hind 0 gigs
Run this room? This page, and this ranking, is yours to take over.
Claim This VenueNot seeing your venue? This ranking counts gigs listed in the next 30 days. If your room has no page here yet, create one free and it joins the directory. If it is already listed, add your gigs and it will rank on the next nightly refresh.
Rankings like this run across GigXchange: the national Hardest Working Rooms table tracks the UK's busiest grassroots stages week on week, the Pint Index prices a gig ticket in pints city by city, and UK market statistics covers what live music pays. All of it is built from the same directory this page lives in.
Common Questions
These are the 9 questions people ask most about booking and visiting The Emperor. Each answer uses the details already shown on this page. Can't see your question? Send it to us with a correction.
These are the 9 questions people ask most about booking and visiting The Emperor. Each answer uses the details already shown on this page. Can't see your question? Send it to us with a correction.
Venues Near The Emperor
16 other venues are close to The Emperor in Cambridge. Each one has its own page with its size, kit and live nights. Use them to plan a night out or a run of local gigs.
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The Emperor in brief. The Emperor in Cambridge is a small room (under 150) that books covers, acoustic and rock. The live music is mostly on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, usually from 20:30. It hosts an open mic too (every Thursday). Other rooms nearby: The Fox and Duck, The Geldart and The Tram Depot, or browse the Cambridge venue directory.
Booking or playing in Cambridge? 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.
We list 31 grassroots music venues in Cambridge. Or search the full UK directory by town, size or genre. Every listing shows capacity, kit and live nights where we have them.
More rooms near The Emperor: Arts Club Cambridge, Boathouse, Cambridge Corn Exchange, d'Arry's Restaurant, Bar & Cheesemonger, Golden Hind, Hidden Rooms, La Raza, Panton Arms, The Elm Tree, The Junction, The Kings Head and MASH.
Cambridge has 31 rooms in the UK grassroots venue directory - why we built it, and what the data shows.
Rankings like this run across GigXchange: the national Hardest Working Rooms table, the Pint Index and UK market statistics - all built from the same directory.
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More Cambridge venues
We list 31 grassroots music venues in Cambridge. Or search the full UK directory by town, size or genre. Every listing shows capacity, kit and live nights where we have them.