Open mic nights in London

Every Tuesday · 20:30–20:30 · hosted by Lynne (club), Peter (pub)

Run by Blackheath Folk Club, though the bill leans acoustic rather than strictly folk and all genres get a hearing. Slots are ten minutes or two songs, with a PA provided. Performers are asked not to plug rival venues from the stage.

Next scheduled: Tuesday 29 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Sunday · 20:00–20:00

Open to anyone who turns up, at a pub on Kew Road that also runs comedy and quiz nights.

Next scheduled: Sunday 27 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every last Thursday of the month · 20:00–22:00

Signups from 7:30pm. Ten-minute slots in the cafe-bar lounge of a community-owned cinema on Acton High Street. Poetry, comedy sketches, acoustic sets and instrumentals all get a turn, and it costs nothing to play or to watch.

Next scheduled: Thursday 29 October

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Thursday · 20:00–23:45

Original songs, instrumentals and anything else musical all get a turn. Filthy Buns runs the kitchen. The pub also holds a separate open karaoke night on Fridays.

Next scheduled: Thursday 1 October

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Tuesday · 19:00–19:00

An entry-level stand-up night on Hartington Road, in a pub full of vintage odds and ends. Up to twelve comics get five minutes each, and the audience shouts 'buy 'em a drink' for the ones they rate. Every comic is expected to bring a friend.

Next scheduled: Tuesday 29 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Wednesday · 19:00–19:00

Comedy Virgins runs the same entry-level stand-up format on Hartington Road: twelve comics, five minutes apiece, and a crowd that shouts 'buy 'em a drink' when an act lands. Bringing a friend along is a house rule.

Next scheduled: Wednesday 30 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Saturday · 19:30–19:30

Free to play at a roomy traditional pub on Gloucester Place, three minutes from Baker Street. The first fifteen performers get ten minutes each and everyone after that gets five. Miss a booked slot and it counts against later ones.

Next scheduled: Saturday 26 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every 1st Thursday of the month · 20:00–20:00

Free to perform, ten minutes a slot. A 3.5mm cable is provided, so anyone using backing tracks needs only to bring a player. The bar has a terrace, real ales and a gastropub menu.

Next scheduled: Thursday 1 October

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Tuesday · 20:00–22:30

A jazz jam rather than a standard open mic, open to singers and players at any level. The pub serves Caribbean food and appeared in Tom Kerridge's Saving Britain's Pubs.

Next scheduled: Tuesday 29 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Tuesday · 19:00–22:00

Musicians, comedians and poets all take a turn.

Next scheduled: Tuesday 29 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Friday · 19:30–22:30

Each week is a heat, with the audience voting for a winner who goes to a ticketed final with a £200 prize and two hours of studio time. Six acts have to show up for the competition to run. Free entry, over-18s with physical ID.

Next scheduled: Friday 25 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

eventbrite

Every 1st Thursday of the month · 19:00–21:00

A spoken word night from Words2Music with several five-minute open spots, which go first to poets and storytellers who are newer to it. Book ahead by emailing futurewordlondon@gmail.com.

Next scheduled: Thursday 1 October

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

Every 1st Monday of the month · 19:00–21:00

Six to eight comedians take five minutes each in the pub's private room. This date is run for charity. The same night runs again later in the month.

Next scheduled: Monday 5 October

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every 3rd Monday of the month · 19:00–21:00

Six to eight comedians take five minutes each in the pub's private room. The earlier date each month is the charity one, so this is the standard night.

Next scheduled: Monday 19 October

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every 1st Tuesday of the month · 20:00–23:00 · hosted by John, Richard, Steve Rushton

John hosts with Richard and Steve Rushton. Acts who go down well here have been booked back for paid gigs at the bar.

Next scheduled: Tuesday 6 October

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every 3rd Tuesday of the month · 20:00–23:00 · hosted by John, Richard, Steve Rushton

Run by John's Open Mics, with Richard and Steve Rushton alongside. Performers have been offered paid gigs at the pub off the back of playing here.

Next scheduled: Tuesday 20 October

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Monday · 19:00–20:00 · hosted by Brandon Palmer

Brandon Palmer runs this one for UK Open Mic, in a traditional pub on Durnsford Road a short walk from Wimbledon Park station. Nothing is published about slot length or gear.

Next scheduled: Monday 28 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every 3rd Thursday of the month · 19:00–22:00

Comedians, poets and musicians share one bill on Level One of Brixton Rec, with stage lighting, a live compere and a DJ. Leisure centre members and non-members can both take part.

Next scheduled: Thursday 15 October

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Tuesday · 19:00–19:00

Free to play in a 17th-century Thameside pub at Bank End, with seating outside by the river. Slots run to ten minutes, dropping to five once fifteen performers have signed on.

Next scheduled: Tuesday 29 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Sunday · 18:30–22:30 · hosted by Jimmy Logic and Chiu Dat

Free entry, with a guitar amp, bass amp and drum kit on site so full bands can play rather than only solo acts. Jimmy Logic and Chiu Dat host. The night moved here from Pub On The Park.

Next scheduled: Sunday 27 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Tuesday · 19:30–19:30

Free, with one ten-minute slot per person, set-up included, and booking ahead is advised. Backing tracks are fine for anyone bringing their own player and 3.5mm lead. Goodge Street is three minutes away.

Next scheduled: Tuesday 29 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Saturday · 19:30–22:30

The audience votes for a winner each week, who goes through to a final with a £200 prize and two hours of studio time. Sound and lighting come with monitors, backing tracks arrive by AirDrop or email, and entry is free apart from the ticketed final.

Next scheduled: Saturday 26 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

eventbrite

Every Thursday · 19:00–23:00 · hosted by Mike Gill

Originals and covers both go down at this Fulham Palace Road spot, where Mike Gill hosts for Acoustify. The PA, mics and cables are provided, with a house piano and guitar to borrow.

Next scheduled: Thursday 1 October

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Tuesday · 19:00–19:00

A minute from Liverpool Street on Devonshire Row, in a pub and hotel with its own restaurant. Free to play, ten minutes a slot, and walk-ups are taken.

Next scheduled: Tuesday 29 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every last Thursday of the month · 18:30–18:30 · hosted by Becx

Poets get five minutes each, reading from paper, a phone or from memory. It costs £3 to perform and £5 to watch, and the Disraeli Road entrance is step-free. Becx hosts a night that has run since June 2025.

Next scheduled: Thursday 29 October

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

eventbrite

Every Sunday · 19:00–19:00

Free comedy run by Schtick at this Kentish Town pub, drawing comics from the London open mic circuit.

Next scheduled: Sunday 27 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every 2nd Thursday of the month · 19:30–23:30 · hosted by John, Steve Rushton, Richard

Sign-up opens at 7.30 and playing starts around 7.45. Everyone gets three songs, or four for a band with three or more permanent members, and if there is time the room goes round again or ends with a short jam.

Next scheduled: Thursday 8 October

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Wednesday · 19:30–22:30

Free and open to all styles at a 17th-century coaching inn with a large courtyard. Slots are ten minutes including setup, a cable is supplied for anyone playing from a device, and performers are asked to buy at least one thing at the bar.

Next scheduled: Wednesday 30 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Monday · 18:30–19:00

Next scheduled: Monday 28 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every 1st Thursday of the month · 18:30–22:00

Slots go ahead of the night rather than on the door. Message the taproom on Instagram or email taproom@againstthegraincidery.co.uk to get on the list.

Next scheduled: Thursday 1 October

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

Every Thursday · 20:30–00:00

The house backline runs to two basses, a drum kit with breakables, a keyboard and three amps, plus a PA and two mics, so full bands can play as well as solo acts. Backing tracks are allowed behind original songs.

Next scheduled: Thursday 1 October

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Friday · 19:30–19:30

Free, with ten-minute slots, run by UK Open Mic. The promoter's Eventbrite series has dates listed into 2026.

Next scheduled: Friday 25 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

eventbrite

Every 1st Sunday of the month · 18:00–18:00 · hosted by Martin Howard

The New Cross Songwriters Circle meets in the upstairs room of this micropub on Lewisham Way, hosted by Martin Howard. It grew out of the pub's earlier Thursday open mic.

Next scheduled: Sunday 4 October

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every 2nd Monday of the month · 19:00–19:00 · hosted by Lewis

Nothing to pay to watch or to play. The house kit runs to a piano, a microphone and both electro-acoustic and electric guitars. Everyone who plays gets two turns, for songs, poems or spoken word.

Next scheduled: Monday 12 October

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Wednesday · 19:30–22:00

Next scheduled: Wednesday 30 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Tuesday · 19:00–21:30

Run by Accelerando Records inside Westfield London, on the same competition format as their Fulham night: the audience votes for a winner, who goes through to a final with a £200 prize. Free entry, backing tracks accepted, slots booked through Instagram at @accelerando_records.

Next scheduled: Tuesday 29 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

eventbrite

Every 1st Thursday of the month · 18:30–21:00

Dan Sandman has hosted here since 2016. There is a full PA and a digital stage piano, and slots go out on the night, first come first served, on a round system. It gets busy, so sign up early.

Next scheduled: Thursday 1 October

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

Every last Thursday of the month · 20:00–20:00

The pub describes it as a house party crossed with an open mic. It goes out under the name GET DOWN, and was called The Birds before that.

Next scheduled: Thursday 29 October

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Tuesday · 20:00–23:00

Next scheduled: Tuesday 29 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Wednesday · 20:00–22:30 · hosted by Tom Lukas

Performers get a four-song set rather than the usual one or two, with a full PA, monitors, stage lighting and a house guitar. Solo acts, duos and trios only. Booking is online at londonunplugged.co.uk, up to two weeks ahead, and slots fill fast.

Next scheduled: Wednesday 30 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Wednesday · 19:00–19:30

A UK Open Mic night in a large Islington pub with a conservatory and beer garden, walkable from Highbury & Islington or Finsbury Park. Free to play.

Next scheduled: Wednesday 30 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Monday · 20:00–20:00

Sing It, To Win It gives £100 a week to the performer the audience votes for, with the vote run through Instagram. Hot Vox put it on. The pub's number is 020 7494 9284.

Next scheduled: Monday 28 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Monday · 19:00–19:00

Free entry, upstairs at the pub on Clapham High Street. Comedy Bandits run it, and the night took the Chortle award for London's best comedy open mic from 2023 to 2025.

Next scheduled: Monday 28 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Wednesday · 19:00–19:00

Comedy Bandits run this free night in the upstairs room on Clapham High Street. It won the Chortle award for London's best comedy open mic in 2023, 2024 and 2025. The Friday show at the same pub is a paid bill, not an open mic.

Next scheduled: Wednesday 30 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Wednesday · 20:00–22:30

New material night upstairs, with six comedians on the bill plus a headliner and the occasional drop-in. Entry is £4 and the room is over 18s only.

Next scheduled: Wednesday 30 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other

Every Wednesday · 19:30–22:30

Run by the independent label Accelerando Records, in a Hackney Wick bar. Tickets go through Eventbrite rather than sign-up on the door.

Next scheduled: Wednesday 30 September

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

eventbrite

Every last Thursday of the month · 19:00–23:00 · hosted by John, with Lisa

Three songs each, or four for a band with three or more permanent members. If the running order leaves room, everyone gets another one or two, or the night finishes on a short jam. John hosts with Lisa, on the same circuit as Orford House and the Coppermill.

Next scheduled: Thursday 29 October

Worked out from the night’s usual pattern. Check with the venue before making arrangements.

other