Open Mic Competition 2026

St. Clement's Church, Leigh-on-Sea, Saturday  June  27th  2026, 12.00 - 4.00 pm

The Leigh Folk Festival Open Mic Competition returns this year on Saturday 27th June at St Clement’s Church, right next to Leigh Library Gardens. Twelve performers from a variety of musical backgrounds will take to the stage in the hope of being crowned Leigh Folk Festival Open Mic Competition Winner 2026.

The competition runs from 12.15pm–4.00pm, with each act performing original material and traditional folk songs as they compete for a place in the final at 3.30pm. Three performers will be selected to go through, with the overall winner earning a coveted performance slot on the Lower Stage in Leigh Library Gardens on Sunday 28th June.

Applications to perform in this year’s competition have now closed and all performers have been selected — thank you to everyone who applied.

We’d love to see plenty of people coming along to support the performers, discover some fantastic emerging talent and enjoy an afternoon of live music in a beautiful festival setting. Entry is free, so pull up a pew and join us for what promises to be another brilliant Open Mic Competition.

We look forward to seeing you there.