Open Mic Hyderabad: Where to Perform Music, Comedy and Poetry

If you are looking for an open mic in Hyderabad, you have options. The city has cafés, cultural spaces and small communities that put on open mics for singers, comedians, poets and storytellers, in English, Telugu, Hindi and Urdu.

The difficulty is finding them. Open mics here are run by different organisers, announced on different pages and often move from one venue to another. This guide brings together the places and series worth knowing, by art form, and explains how to find what is on this week.

New to performing? Read our beginner's guide to open mics first.

How open mics work in Hyderabad

A few things are useful to know before you pick one:

• Many are run by communities, not venues. An organiser may hold one edition at a café in Madhapur and the next in Jubilee Hills. Follow the organiser.
• Many happen on evenings and weekends, when cafés have the space and people have the time.
• Registration is often required. Performer slots are limited, so organisers usually ask you to sign up through a form or a message.
• Some are ticketed. A number of open mics charge an entry fee for the audience, and sometimes for performers. Others are free and ask only that you support the café.
• Language is flexible. Mixed-language rooms are common, especially for poetry and comedy.

Open mics for poetry, storytelling and mixed performances

Lamakaan, Banjara Hills

Lamakaan is an open cultural space in Banjara Hills that hosts plays, talks, concerts and readings. Its calendar has included open mic evenings and poetry and storytelling open mics run by local groups. It is a good first stop if you write, and a good place to sit in the audience before you decide to perform. Check Lamakaan's events calendar for upcoming dates.

LIT-MIC, Madhapur

LIT-MIC is an open mic series organised by do.with.lit, welcoming poetry, stories, music and comedy on the same stage. It has run more than thirty editions, with recent ones held at Cliff Cafe in Madhapur. Because it is a mixed open mic, it suits first-timers from any art form.

Open Mic: Raw & Real

Raw & Real is an open mic that has been listed at cafés including Locale Cafe & Bistro and Trailing Ivy Cafe, with weekend evening editions. It is a ticketed, mixed-format night. Look up the current listing for the venue and time.

Comedy open mics in Hyderabad

The Street Comedy Club, Madhapur

The Street Comedy Club runs a stand-up comedy open mic in Madhapur. If you are writing your first five minutes, a comedy-only room like this is where you will get a useful reaction: the audience has come for stand-up, and the other comics will tell you what worked.

Café comedy nights

Comedy open mics and new-material nights also run at cafés across Madhapur, Jubilee Hills and Gachibowli, organised by local comedy collectives. They are announced a week or two ahead on ticketing and events pages.

Where to watch stand-up

If you want to watch before you try, venues such as The Comedy Theatre host ticketed stand-up shows. Watching full sets is a good way to understand pacing before your first open mic.

Find comedy events and paid comedy gigs on Gig'le's comedy page.

Music open mics and jam sessions

Jamming Vibes

Jamming Vibes runs monthly live music jam sessions in Hyderabad, with an open mic and a community jam. Jam sessions are a little different from an open mic: instead of a solo slot, you play with other musicians, which makes them a good way to meet people to form a band or a duo with.

Language and genre jams

Hyderabad also has jam sessions built around a language or a style, such as Telugu music jams held at cafés. If you sing in Telugu or Hindi, these are worth looking for.

Café open mics for singers

Some cafés host music open mics for singers and singer-songwriters. Many provide a microphone and a basic sound system; bring your own instrument and cable.

Live music events and paid music gigs in the city are on Gig'le's music page.

How to find an open mic in Hyderabad this week

Because the calendar changes every week, a list like this one can only point you in the right direction. To find what is actually on:

1. Open Gig'le's Hyderabad page. It shows upcoming events and open gigs in the city, posted by organisers and venues, and updates as new ones are added.
2. Filter the Events board by craft and city if you only want music, comedy or poetry and literature.
3. Follow the organisers above on their own pages, since that is where dates are confirmed.
4. Ask at the venue. Staff at cafés that host open mics usually know the next date.

Tips for your first open mic in Hyderabad

• Register early. Slots for popular nights fill up days ahead.
• Leave time for traffic. Evening travel across the city can take much longer than you expect, and a late arrival can cost you your slot.
• Check the fee and the format before you go: slot length, what equipment is provided, and whether there is an entry charge.
• Bring someone. A friend in the audience makes the first time easier.
• Stay for the whole night. The other performers are your way into the next open mic, the next collaboration and, often, your first paid gig.

From open mics to paid gigs in Hyderabad

Open mics are usually unpaid. They are for practice, feedback and meeting people. When you are ready for paid work, organisers and venues in Hyderabad post gigs on Gig'le's Gigs board, each with the craft, location, experience level and pay stated. You can apply with the performances you have already shared on your profile.

Run an open mic in Hyderabad?

If you organise an open mic, a jam night or a workshop, or run a venue that hosts them, you can list it on Gig'le so artists in the city can find it. See how Gig'le works for organisers.

Join Gig'le to see what is on in Hyderabad and share your own work.