Witch City Today
70°

Salem, MA · Updated daily

Live Music in Salem

There is live music in Salem nearly every night of the week — and almost none of it is in one place. It's spread across neighbourhood bars, breweries and the waterfront, most of it free, most of it starting between 7 and 8 PM. Below: the standing weekly nights you can turn up to any week, then every upcoming show we know about.

Live music in Salem by night of the week

Standing nights that run week in, week out. Acts and featured guests rotate — the dated listings further down say who's on.

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Live music in Salem this week

Coming up

Music venues in Salem

Every bar, brewery and venue in Salem that puts on live music, with addresses, hours and links.

Live music venues What's on tonight Open mic nights The live music guide

Live music in Salem — frequently asked questions

Where can I find live music in Salem, MA tonight? +

Salem has live music most nights of the week. Standing nights include open mics, DJ sets, jams and karaoke across bars and venues downtown and along the waterfront — the weekly guide on this page lists what happens on each night, and the upcoming list shows exactly who's playing. Both update daily.

Which Salem bars have live music? +

Live music in Salem is spread across neighbourhood bars, breweries and waterfront spots rather than concentrated in one district — Brodie's Seaport, Mercy Tavern, O'Neills, Village Tavern, The Cannery, the Witch City VFW and Gulu-Gulu Cafe all run regular nights. The full directory of music venues is linked below.

Is there an open mic in Salem? +

Yes — Salem has several. There is a weekly Wednesday open mic hosted by Mike McGeown at the Witch City VFW on Derby Street with a different featured guest each week, plus regular open mics at other venues on other nights. They are listed in the weekly guide on this page.

Do Salem music venues charge a cover? +

Most of the weekly neighbourhood nights — open mics, jams, DJ sets and karaoke — are free. Ticketed shows and touring acts do charge, and those are noted on the individual event page along with the ticket link where one exists.

What time does live music usually start in Salem? +

Most weeknight music starts between 7 and 8 PM, with DJ sets running later, from around 9 or 10 PM. Weekend afternoon sets happen too, especially at the waterfront spots in summer. Exact times are on each listing.