The Best Open-Mic Events in London Right Now

Open-mic events in London are having a bit of a moment. You can feel it in the midweek rush on the Overground, in the queues outside tiny back rooms in Camden and Peckham, and in the fact that over 200 people are circling the same handful of nights *this week alone*. If you’ve been thinking about finally doing that song/bit/poem you keep subjecting your flatmates to, this is very much your sign.

Right now the scene’s split between a few big energies: thoughtful, arty nights like Afternoon Salon at the Old Diorama with the Artopia Theatre Group (the one you go to when you’re in your feelings and own at least one Moleskine); chaotic, crowd-led comedy like Singles Comedy Open Mic: Valentines Edition (guaranteed to be more entertaining than any actual Hinge date); and the properly soul-lifting gospel sessions like Worship Unplugged: Gospel Open Mic Night in South East London and Eternal Sounds Gospel Open Mic Night: Valentines Edition, where people actually *sing* rather than mumble into a mic. Then there’s OPEN MIC DROP - LONDON 2026 and The WIP Round – more for the dedicated work-in-progress crowd who want to test new material, not just collect Instagram Stories.

Venue-wise, things are nicely spread: that Chalk Farm spot on 74–75 Chalk Farm Rd keeps drawing in North Londoners who pretend they ‘never go south’, while LCCM pulls in the music heads and students who actually know what they’re doing with a guitar lead. Down in SE London, Prince of Peckham continues to be one of those places where you pop in for “just one drink” and end up staying for three performers and a plate of wings. None of these nights are about polished perfection – they’re about discovery, about hearing someone brilliant before everyone else claims they ‘liked them ages ago’. If you’re choosing where to go this month: hit the gospel nights for full-body goosebumps, the Valentine’s editions for unhinged energy and oversharing, and the WIP-style events if you’re serious about shaping material. This is what discovery looks like in London right now – a mic, a small crowd, and absolutely no guarantees except a good story on the way home.