Showcasing a variety of local bands, The Olde Angel Inn is a great place to grab a pint and learn more about Niagara’s music scene.
Cigarette smoke wafts through the air, caught up in the flushes of bone-chilling wind that bristles past the swinging front door of The Olde Angel Inn. Music seeps out of frosted windows and the hearty strum of a banjo whistles down the street. A crowd of people spills onto the sidewalk outside, swaying back and forth, still singing along to the band inside.
A man in a long coat lounges against the yellow chipping exterior of the inn with a drink in hand, his back covering a bronze plaque detailing the pub’s history. It’s easy to miss in the darkness of the cold February night. It reads:
The Angel Inn was built circa 1816 on the foundations of a previous inn destroyed during the War of 1812. The June 19, 1826, edition of the Gleaner Newspaper advertised the Angel as “That excellent tavern and stand known by the sign of The Angel Inn… At the corner of the Market Square.” The Angel is believed to be the oldest inn in Upper Canada still in operation.
Most evenings, shouldering my way into a packed bar is my worst nightmare. Tonight, it feels like the perfect way to end my day.
Perhaps it has something to do with the shocking lack of DJ-produced EDM “music”. Or maybe the pub’s resident ghostly presence, Captain Colin Swayze, is using his otherworldly powers to compel new victims to come in. Either way, the 208-year-old inn, equipped with the low ceilings and brick walls characteristic of post-1812 architecture, is a welcome reprieve from the local drinking scene.
Inside, wooden tables line the walls and people crowd in front of a three-piece band named The Postmen. What they lack in keys and percussion, they make up in an overabundance of string instruments. For the count, we’ve got two acoustic guitars, a banjo and a selection of other strings waiting in the metaphorical wings. The band plays a few classic pub songs like Steve Earle’s “Galway Girl” before branching out to more recent hits by artists like Mumford and Sons and Noah Kahan. The inn’s historic walls shake with the sound.
After The Postmen’s set, patrons mill around with pints of beer in hand, others going outside for a smoke. While the pub clears out quickly, everyone makes their way back in the moment the music starts up again. It’s hard not to be drawn in by the inviting atmosphere of The Olde Angel Inn.
Not entirely known for its capability to be a thriving music venue, The Olde Angel Inn is the oldest of its kind in Canada. Located at 224 Regent Street in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the pub holds live entertainment on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights starting at 9:30 p.m. Showcasing local bands like The Postmen, it’s a great place to experience what music the Niagara region has to offer.
If you can get past the possibility of a spooky ghost sighting, The Olde Angel Inn is one of the finest locales to spend a Friday night.