After 16 years of giving would-bes and wannabes a chance to strut their stuff on stage, and even launching more than a few professional careers, the monthly open mic Performance Nights will next week finish for good.

But it will go out with a bang with an eight-hour “marathon” session.

Originally held at the Palais, the event moved to the Old Hepburn Hotel when the former venue closed.

In its heyday, there was a three-month wait to get on the open mic list and audiences were so jam-packed the MC needed crowd management skills to gain their attention.

However, with the advent of social media and the self-promotion of emerging musicians through Youtube and Facebook, audience numbers at the monthly event have dwindled to the point organisers no longer see the point.

Organiser Nel Staite said the event seemed to have “just done its time”.

“We’re just not getting the same numbers we had in previous years. I’ve thought about it a lot and I think it’s just a different landscape.

“When we started the event, there was no social media. If you wanted a gig in town, you needed real money, there was no platform for starting. Now you can put your music out on Youtube.”

However, Ms Staite said there was still a need for the event. She said there was still a need for young people to learn how to navigate a live stage and for non-professional musicians to have a go.

She said she hoped next week’s marathon session might spark up interest in someone who could take it over and breathe fresh life into the event.

Ms Staite said numerous professional musicians had started their careers at the event, including Mia Dyson and Demi Louise – and some more famous names too.

“We’ve had some celebrities there but we don’t like to use their names because they enjoyed not having the bill but just turning up and playing.”

The marathon event will be held Sunday June 5 from 2pm onwards. Free entry and children are welcome.