Derby · medium venue · Verified open
Derby pub with food, drinks and live music.
About 200 standing, live music 1 night a week, house PA. Covers, Acoustic, Pop.
Nearby venuesUpdated 12 November 2026
At a glance, The Shakespeare in Derby is summed up below. It has live music 1 night a week. It books covers, acoustic and pop acts.
capacity
| Live music | 1 night a week |
| TodayClosed | 12:00–03:00Opens in 4h 23m 24s |
| Backline | PA provided |
| Books | Covers · Acoustic · Pop |
4 photos show the inside of The Shakespeare, from the stage to the bar. It books covers, acoustic and pop acts. Tap any photo to open it at full size.
Before you book The Shakespeare, here are its size, live nights, genres and website. It has live music 1 night a week. It books covers, acoustic and pop acts.
| Capacity | about 200 standing |
| Live nights | Sun |
| Curfew | – |
| Sound limiter | – |
| Genres | CoversAcousticPop |
| Website | shakespearederby.co.uk |
| Status | Verified open |
| Last checked | 9 Nov 2026 |
| Checked against | Web listing |
The Shakespeare is at 16 Sadler Gate, Derby, DE1 3NF. The map below opens step-by-step directions in Google Maps. It is one of 38 rooms in our Derby venue directory.
Derby DE1 3NF
The nearest station is Derby (rail station), about 20 minutes' walk away.
The Shakespeare for artists: The Shakespeare 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 Shakespeare 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 | 12:00–01:00 |
| Tue | 12:00–01:00 |
| Wed | 12:00–02:00 |
| Thu | 12:00–02:00 |
| FriToday | 12:00–03:00 |
| Sat | 12:00–03:00 |
| Sun | 12:00–02:00 |
The Shakespeare 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 Shakespeare, from the venue and its listings. It books covers, acoustic and pop acts. It has live music 1 night a week.
The Shakespeare is a grassroots music venue in Derby with a standing capacity of about 200. It books Covers, Acoustic, Pop, Rock.
Listing notesThe Shakespeare is a bar and kitchen set in a 300-year-old building at the heart of Sadler Gate in Derby's Cathedral Quarter. Closed since 2020, it was reborn in September 2023 after a £385,000 refurbishment, blending heritage with contemporary style and adding a Scandinavian-style rear garden. Food runs to American-style pizzas, smoked meats and gourmet burgers, with all-day cocktail deals and bottomless brunch. For performers, it runs live music and DJ nights plus a weekly Sunday open mic and summer garden jam sessions, comfortably hosting up to around 200. A lively, well-equipped grassroots spot in central Derby.
It keeps this page true for the next act through the door.
The regular night at The Shakespeare on GigXchange is its open mic. It has live music 1 night a week. Venues often post their next nights on their own website first.
Open mic, every Sunday - 19:00 · Free entry. More nights out in the wider Derby gig directory.
The Derby 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 | The Hairy Dog up1 | 15 gigs |
| 02 | The Flowerpot down1 | 14 gigs |
| 03 | Dubrek Studios | 3 gigs |
| 04 | The Loft Matlock up3 | 2 gigs |
| 05 | The Victoria Inn DE1 down1 | 2 gigs |
| 06 | No.28 down1 | 1 gig |
| 07 | The Lyric Rooms up1 | 1 gig |
| 08 | Bar One up2 | 0 gigs |
| 09 | Blacksmiths Lounge New | 0 gigs |
| 10 | Bunk New | 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 Shakespeare
Derby pub with food, drinks and live music. Capacity about 200.
- c. 200
- Capacity
- 1 night
- Live music
- 12:00
- Open today
- PA
- Backline
- Covers
- Books
- Verified
- Directory status
Last updated: 12 November 2026
The Shakespeare — Quick Facts
The Shakespeare capacity: about 200 standing. Derby pub with food, drinks and live music. Here are the key facts on The Shakespeare at a glance.
By size, The Shakespeare is the 7th largest of the 16 venues we list in and around Derby with a standing capacity. Similar-size rooms: The Hairy Dog (about 150); The Loft Matlock (about 250) and The Vic Inn (about 150).
The Shakespeare holds about 200 standing, which makes it a medium room by the sizes we use across the directory. That is bigger than the typical room we list around Derby (about 150). At 150 to 500, a room tends to book acts with a following of their own: local headliners, or support for a touring band, often through a promoter. Treat the number as a guide until it is verified, and check it with the venue first.
The Shakespeare this week
The Shakespeare for artists: The Shakespeare 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 Shakespeare 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 Derby this week — or see what’s on across the UK.
Inside The Shakespeare
The Shakespeare has an in-house PA for visiting acts. The room holds about 200. It has live music 1 night a week. Below: the PA, drums, amps and mics we know about, what we know about the room, and its regular live nights.
The Shakespeare is a grassroots music venue in Derby with a standing capacity of about 200. The Shakespeare provides a PA system — check the rest with the venue.
The Shakespeare books Covers, Acoustic, Pop, Rock acts. This listing is part of the Derby venue directory.
The Shakespeare is a bar and kitchen set in a 300-year-old building at the heart of Sadler Gate in Derby's Cathedral Quarter. Closed since 2020, it was reborn in September 2023 after a £385,000 refurbishment, blending heritage with contemporary style and adding a Scandinavian-style rear garden. Food runs to American-style pizzas, smoked meats and gourmet burgers, with all-day cocktail deals and bottomless brunch. For performers, it runs live music and DJ nights plus a weekly Sunday open mic and summer garden jam sessions, comfortably hosting up to around 200. A lively, well-equipped grassroots spot in central Derby.
Nights The Shakespeare usually has live music
Live nights at The Shakespeare are usually Sun. Covers is the first genre on its list. There is a PA listed - ask what else is on stage before you load in. The Shakespeare 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 Shakespeare is the 7th largest of the 16 venues we list in and around Derby with a standing capacity. Similar-size rooms: The Hairy Dog (about 150); The Loft Matlock (about 250) and The Vic Inn (about 150).
Find The Shakespeare
The Shakespeare is at 16 Sadler Gate, Derby, DE1 3NF. The map below opens step-by-step directions in Google Maps. It is one of 38 rooms in our Derby venue directory.
The nearest station is Derby (rail station), about 20 minutes' walk away. You'll find The Shakespeare in Derby; DE1 3NF is the postcode for sat-nav and ride apps. Check the start time before you set off, and see what else is on in Derby this week, or find a band in Derby if you book the music.
Station data: NaPTAN, Department for Transport (Open Government Licence).
What's On at The Shakespeare
The regular night at The Shakespeare on GigXchange is its open mic. It has live music 1 night a week. Venues often post their next nights on their own website first. Or browse the wider Derby venue directory.
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The Derby League
The Shakespeare is #32 of 38 Derby 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 ▲1 The Hairy Dog 15 gigs
- #2 ▼1 The Flowerpot 14 gigs
- #3 – Dubrek Studios 3 gigs
- #4 ▲3 The Loft Matlock 2 gigs
- #5 ▼1 The Victoria Inn DE1 2 gigs
- #6 ▼1 No.28 1 gig
- #7 ▲1 The Lyric Rooms 1 gig
- #8 ▲2 Bar One 0 gigs
- #9 NEW Blacksmiths Lounge 0 gigs
- #10 NEW Bunk 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 Shakespeare. 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 Shakespeare. 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 Shakespeare
16 other venues are close to The Shakespeare in Derby. 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 Shakespeare in brief. The Shakespeare is a mid-sized room (150 to 499) in Derby that books covers, acoustic and pop. The live music is mostly on Sundays. There’s also an open mic (every Sunday). Rooms nearby include The Smithfield, Bar One and Blacksmiths Lounge; the Derby venue directory has the rest.
Booking or playing in Derby? 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 38 grassroots music venues in Derby. 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 Shakespeare: Ryans Bar, The Bishop Blaise, The Bless, The Brookfield, The Creaky Floorboard, The Flowerpot, The Lyric Rooms, The Maypole Inn, The Royal Standard, The Top Bar @ The Queens Head, The Vic Inn, The Hairy Dog, The Loft Matlock, The Victoria Inn DE1 and No.28.
Derby has 38 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 Derby venues
We list 38 grassroots music venues in Derby. Or search the full UK directory by town, size or genre. Every listing shows capacity, kit and live nights where we have them.