Getting up on stage can be an intimidating thing for many people. For those pursuing music or comedy dreams, however, it’s a fear that will probably have to be confronted sooner or later.
Open mic nights provide a great opportunity to not only get that first experience out of the way, but to further hone your craft on subsequent nights as you get more comfortable. You’ll likely be in front of a crowd of either disinterested customers or like-minded people waiting for their turn; either way, you’re not at high risk of being judged. It’s a perfect environment for taking your first steps in public performance.
Sometimes it can be hard to find the open mic opportunities available in Jacksonville. We’ve put together a short list of open mic nights around the Jacksonville area. Pick a location, and get out there and give it a shot!
Hourglass Pub’s Hourglass Comedy Hour
Location: 345 E. Bay St.
Each Thursday night at 9:30, downtown’s Hourglass Pub & Coffee House hosts their “Hourglass Comedy Hour”. The event lets the city’s amateur comedians give it their best shot in a friendly environment. The bar offers $2 domestic beers during the event. They usually ask that performers sign up at least 30 minutes in advance.
Rain Dogs
Location: 1045 Park St.
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Rain Dogs in Five Points has several open mic opportunities available. They do amateur comedy on Monday nights, an open mic on Wednesday nights, and karaoke on Thursday nights. It was once runner-up for Folio Weekly’s “Best Open Mic” award. It has the atmosphere of a neighborhood bar in its Five Points setting, and the crowds are generally pretty polite.
Spliff’s Gastropub
Location: 15 N. Ocean St.
Spliff’s Gastropub, a place we reviewed a little while back, offers an open mic for stand-up comedy every Tuesday night at 8:00. Strangely, the venue doesn’t advertise the night a whole lot, so you’ll likely be playing in front of unintimidating crowds. It’s a good opportunity to get your feet wet and to just get on stage and go for it, even if you’re clearly just starting out.
Do you know of any other open mic nights in Jax? Are you trying to start one? Let us know about it! Hit us up in the comments section below, or send us a message on Twitter (@thecoastaljax).
(CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article listed Dave’s Music, which recently closed its doors.)
Nighthawks on Mondays.