Sandino's Café Bar — Derry's long-running arts bar, where the Sunday afternoon session is open to anyone who brings an instrument.
Who it's for: adults for the evening programme. The Sunday afternoon session falls inside the NI licensing window that allows an accompanied under-18 in the bar area until 9pm, at the venue's discretion. Phone ahead.
Music: traditional, jazz and world music plus DJs and touring bands. Open session on Sunday afternoons from around 4pm.
Tickets: free entry on most nights and for the Sunday session. Touring gigs can be ticketed, so check what's on before you travel.
Food: listed as a café bar. Ring ahead if you are relying on food, as no current menu is published.
When: listings put the bar open from around 12:30pm daily. Confirm before travelling.
Plan your visit
The Sunday session
This is the thing to know about Sandino's. The Sunday session is not a booked band, it is an open circle. Musicians, singers and poets all get a turn, and it is run as a friendly, all-levels affair rather than a showcase. If you have ever wanted to actually play in an Irish bar session rather than watch one, this is a rare open door. Bring the instrument. Sit down. Wait your turn.
Open Sunday session from around 4pm, all levels welcomeTraditional, jazz and world music through the weekThe Reel Film Festival runs here each NovemberFree entry on most nightsA first-gig venue for Derry bands
Good to know before you go:
Gigs are announced through the venue's own Instagram and Facebook rather than a printed calendar, and touring acts are listed on Songkick, which currently carries dates into late 2026. The Sunday session runs weekly, and the Reel Film Festival takes over the room each November.
Before you set off
What to bring
🎟️Your ticketBigger gigs sell out — book ahead rather than chancing the door.
🪪IDIt’s an over-18s room, so bring photo ID if you look anywhere near it.
💷A bit of cashHandy for the door, the cloakroom and the taxi home.
📱The what’s-on pageThe listings change weekly — check who’s playing before you go.
Good to know
Everything before you go
Type
arts and live-music bar
Who it's for
adults for the evening programme. The Sunday afternoon session falls inside the NI licensing window that allows an accompanied under-18 in the bar area until 9pm, at the venue's discretion. Phone ahead.
Music
traditional, jazz and world music plus DJs and touring bands. Open session on Sunday afternoons from around 4pm.
Tickets
free entry on most nights and for the Sunday session. Touring gigs can be ticketed, so check what's on before you travel.
Food
listed as a café bar. Ring ahead if you are relying on food, as no current menu is published.
When
listings put the bar open from around 12:30pm daily. Confirm before travelling.
Address
Water Street, Derry~Londonderry, BT48 6BQ
Questions
Before you go
Can we bring the kids?
adults for the evening programme. The Sunday afternoon session falls inside the NI licensing window that allows an accompanied under-18 in the bar area until 9pm, at the venue's discretion. Phone ahead.
What's the music like?
traditional, jazz and world music plus DJs and touring bands. Open session on Sunday afternoons from around 4pm.
Do I need a ticket?
free entry on most nights and for the Sunday session. Touring gigs can be ticketed, so check what's on before you travel.
Do they do food?
listed as a café bar. Ring ahead if you are relying on food, as no current menu is published.
When is it on?
listings put the bar open from around 12:30pm daily. Confirm before travelling.
Getting there
Sandino's Café Bar is at Water Street, Derry~Londonderry, BT48 6BQ. Tap below for directions.
Augusto César Sandino led a peasant rebellion in Nicaragua in the 1920s and 30s. Derry, a city with strong political instincts and a long memory, gave his name to a bar and hung the politics on the walls.
That is not decoration. It tells you what the room has always been for. Sandino's has functioned as a meeting place as much as a music venue, and the fact that it survived decades of a city centre that was not easy to run a business in is part of why Derry people are protective of it.