Interesting and unusual things to do for a fiver or less this week. For more free of charge London events, see our Free & Cheap page.
All Week
Check the week ahead with our guides to market & shopping events, art exhibitions and theatre events around town. Plenty of free ones, too.
WILDLIFE ART: Are you a nature lover, dreaming of escaping into the wild? Then find your corner of heaven in one of these free exhibitions about nature and wildlife. They take place in different venues across London. Free, until July at latest
THEATRE: Incoming Festival at New Diorama Theatre has at least two different shows every day this week, and all tickets are £5. For information and to book, click here. Until July
JOHN LEWIS GARDEN: Visit the rooftop garden of John Lewis' flagship store in Oxford Street, which celebrates its 150th anniversary. The popular department store hosts a special exhibition as well. Free, until 21 June
FREE FILM FESTIVAL: A rich programme of free films in unusual venues characterises the Herne Hill Free Film Festival. No need to pre-book in most of the venues. Free, until 31 May
COMMUNITY FESTIVAL: Expect history, family fun and even fitness at the Hither Green Festival, which animates the whole area for this entire week. Most of the events are free or very cheap, tickets need to be collected at specific venues. Until 25 May
ART FESTIVAL: Birkbeck University presents its seventh edition of Arts Week. The programme includes lectures, readings, film screenings, taster courses, performances and panel discussions, all featuring Birkbeck students and researchers. Free, prebook each event on website, until 23 May
Monday 19 May
PUB SCIENCE: Spend an evening in the pub and learn some science at Pint of Science Festival, from today. Tickets for some sessions have already sold out, so book now for talks about earthquakes, blood, climate change and more, at various pubs. From £2, prebook, until 21 May
LAST CHANCE: Today is your last chance to catch the Sounds From The Park exhibition at Bishopsgate Institute, which displays a collection of images from Speaker's Corner. Free, just turn up, 9am-8.30pm
KING LEAR: Film and stage director Sam Mendes is at the National Theatre talking to Mark Leipacher about his production of King Lear. £4/£3, prebook, 5.30pm
AMERICAN POLITICS: The British Library hosts a talk by Professor Tony Badger about the future of American Politics. Free, prebook, 6.15pm
MATHS: Does learning maths change the way we think? This is the topic up for discussion tonight at The Royal Society, led by Dr Matthew Inglis. Free, just turn up, 6.30pm
PALESTINE: Head to Rich Mix for a new global film and poster exhibition from the Palestinian Revolution, with over 20 hours of film footage. The exhibition runs until June but the opening event takes place tonight. Free, just turn up, 6.30pm
LIVE MUSIC: Half Loon and the Tangerines play a free gig at The Social in Little Portland Street. Free, just turn up, 7pm
EUROPEAN POLITICS: Waterstones Hampstead hosts an evening with political commentator David Goodhart, author of The British Dream, in the run-up to the European elections. £5, prebook, 7pm
LONDON HISTORY: Historian Jerry White is at Waterstones Piccadilly to talk about his new book, Zeppelin Nights, exploring the effects of the First World War on London, in both the short and long term. Free, prebook, 7pm
Tuesday 20 May
FEELINGS: King's College philosophy department has its annual Mark Sainsbury lecture, in which Michael Tye discusses definitions of what it means to have feelings. Free, prebook, 6pm
PHYSICS HISTORY: Jon Butterworth, a leading physicist on the Large Hadron Collider, is at Waterstones Gower Street to talk about his new book, Smashing Physics, covering the past 20 years of physics research. £5/£3, prebook, 6.30pm
BEER AND CULTURE: Beer Here heads to Camden to learn how tech, money, power and design are shaping social change today. Listen to live music, play ping pong and drink beer. £3/£5, prebook, 6.30pm
SAVE SMITHFIELD: The campaign to Save Smithfield Market holds a discussion about the future of the historic market buildings. Free, prebook, 6.30pm
FREE OPERA: Head to Trafalgar Square for a free screening of the Royal Opera House's performance of La Traviata. Free, just turn up, 6.30pm
FILM QUIZ: You're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat at Hackney Attic is a two-hour film quiz projected on a big screen. £4, prebook, 6.30pm
SUBURBAN POETRY: Enjoy an evening of poetry dedicated to the suburbs, especially Hampstead, at Keats House, with readings and performances. Free, prebook, 7pm
OPEN MIC: Poetry Unplugged is an open mic night at the Poetry Cafe. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm
FILM SCREENINGS: Short Sighted Cinema is at Ritzy Brixton for an evening of short films with a theme of 'Commuter'. £4/£3, prebook, 7.30pm
Wednesday 21 May
NATURE EXHIBITION: The Grant Museum of Zoology has a new exhibition starting today. Subnature explores the relationships between nature and its representation, with artwork created from regenerating fish bone into contemporary phantom creatures. Free, just turn up, until 19 July
WAR STORY: Well-known author Tim Butcher talks at Waterstones Piccadilly about his new book, The Trigger, about the assassin who shot Archduke Franz Ferdinand to trigger the First World War. £5/£3, prebook, 6.30pm
AUSTERITY: Richard Seymour, author of Against Austerity, talks at Housmans bookshop about the economic recovery. £3, prebook, 7pm
NEW NOVELS: Charlotte Mendelson and Sathnam Sanghera discuss their latest novels at Keats House, courtesy of Daunt Books. £5, prebook, 7pm
SCIENCE STORIES: The Story Sessions runs its first evening in its new location, The Cafe Of Good Hope in Hither Green. Go along to hear stories about science, from headliners and emerging acts. £3, just turn up, 7pm
SPANISH WAR: Local author Cecil Jenkins is at Waterstones Hampstead to talk about his new novel Dora Versus Picasso, set in the Spanish Civil War. £5, prebook, 7pm
FREE FITNESS CLASS: Barrecore is a new type of fitness work out, and the first 10 people to register here can attend a class in Cavendish Square. Free, prebook, 7pm
BRASS BAND: London-based Balkan brass band The Trans-Siberian March Band returns to Rich Mix. Free, just turn up, 7.30pm
FREE FILM: Kennington Bioscope has a free screening of Enchantment (1921), with a live piano improvisation by John Sweeney and Cyrus Gabrysch, resident pianists at the BFI South Bank. Free, prebook, 7.30pm
TALL TALES: Natural Born Storytellers at Camden Head is an evening of storytelling from both experienced performers and members of the audience. This month's theme is True Tall Tales. Free (donations welcome), just turn up, 8.15pm
SCIENCE IN A PUB: Mingle with scientists and researchers...in a pub. Today Radmila Topalovic & Edward Bloomer from the Royal Observatory Greenwich give a talk about general relativity and quantum mechanics, at the Old King's Head in Borough, as part of PubSci. Free, just turn up, 7pm
Thursday 22 May
ART UNDERGROUND: The Vaults Gallery in Waterloo opens its new exhibition The Museum House of Death. Experience an out-of-the-ordinary exhibition in a unique underground venue. Tonight is the private view, which includes a special live performance from 7.30pm. Free, until 21 June
LUNCH BREAK: Learn about the history and treasures of Guildhall Library, join expert librarians and tour one of the most historical building in town. Free, prebook, 2pm
BOOK & ART: The Royal College of Art celebrates its Science & Fiction Photography Programme with a one-off event at Work Gallery. The event includes a one-night-only exhibition showcasing works by international artists. Free, prebook by email, 6pm
GRANT MUSEUM: Enjoy a fun night of exploration at the Grant Museum. The evening is all about the animal species you'd like to see go wild in the UK, with an open debate followed by a private view of the museum. Free, just turn up, 7pm
ALGERIA: The Mosaic Rooms gallery hosts the panel discussion Perspectives on Algeria. Led by field experts, the discussion focuses on Algeria today, looking back at the country's history and social development. Free, prebook by email, 7pm
MUSIC NIGHT: The basement of The Book Club in Leonard Street turns into a dance floor for an evening of music and fun. Enjoy deep house, house and electro music. Free before 10pm/£5 after 10pm, just turn up, 8pm-2am
Friday 23 May
ANATOLIA: Anatolian Cultural Festival takes place in Clissold Park, Stoke Newington, and runs for a few days. This free entrance festival includes live performances such as shadow puppet shows, an ottoman marching band concert and oil wrestling. Free, just turn up, until 26 May
STREET DISCOVERY: Explore London streets and discover secrets of the city with Big Street Wisdom: after subscribing to the event, you'll be told the exact location of your start point. Then, a street leader will guide you to discover a selected area. Free, prebook, 10am-1pm
GUIDED WALK: CoolTan Arts presents the themed walk War in Walworth, meeting point is Newington Library. Free, just turn up, 12.30pm-3.30pm
CINEMA HISTORY: The British Library hosts a talk about the 1914 film In The Land of the Head Hunters, 'the first ever film to feature an entirely indigenous cast'. Marking the centenary of the film’s release, there will be a screening of the restored film, led by expert researches. £5/£3, prebook, 6pm
TALK: Join the UCL Student Engagers for an evening exploring aspects of movement in its various expressions, inside UCL’s gallery and museum spaces. The talk ends with discussion and free drinks. Free, prebook, 6.30pm
COMEDY: See comedians Lou Sanders and Rachel Stubbings performing at the Camden Head pub. £3, just turn up, 7.30pm
Saturday 24 May
CULTURE FESTIVAL: Wandsworth Heritage Festival kicks off today with a rich programme of free events, bringing back to life the history of the borough. Expect guided walks, talks, family activities and so on. Check website for events and prices, until 8 June
LOVE THE TREES: London Tree Week celebrates all the woodlands and green spaces in town. Expect guided walks and cycle tours, wanders in the woodland and even pop-up forests in town. Check website for events and prices, until 31 May
FOOD FESTIVAL: The Morden Hall Park Food Festival has artisan food traders, cookery demonstrations, children's workshops and talks. Free, prebook, until 26 May
GARDEN PARTY: The Charles Holden pub in Colliers Wood opens its garden for the summer and celebrates the event with special live entertainment across the whole bank holiday weekend. Expect barbecue treats, products from the pub allotment, family fun and even charity raffle. Free, just turn up, until 26 May
FAMILY FUN: Enjoy a weekend of family activities on board the HMS Belfast, to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day and the role of HMS Belfast during the historical event. There will be free family workshops: making medals and tattoo t-shirts. Free, just turn up, 11am-4pm until tomorrow
MORE FAMILY FUN: The Whitechapel Gallery has organised a family day connected to its current exhibition about filmmaker, writer and photographer Chris Marker. Use words, sounds and images to make your own film. Free, prebook, noon-4pm
Sunday 25 May
ART EXHIBITION: Graphic artist Kev Munday presents his first solo show at Artsdepot in North Finchley. With a background in graffiti, Kev’s work features a variety of mediums including aerosol paint, laser etchings and digital illustration. Free, until 31 May
CIRCUS EXTRAVAGANZA: Head to Proud in Camden for an evening of circus themed entertainment, with acrobatics, fire acts and live music. £5/£3, just turn up, 10pm
BEHIND THE SCENES: The Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley has a Behind the Scenes tour, where you'll be able to see how the cinema works. Tours last 45 mins. £2, prebook by email, 11am-11.45am-12.30pm
ZINE FAIR: Head to Rich Mix for DIY Cultures 2014, a day-long festival of zines, artist books, comics, artist-run spaces, talks, films, animation, poetry, video art, exhibition, workshops. Free, just turn up, 12pm
KEATS POETRY: Head to Keats House for an afternoon of poetry and spoken word with an open mic, performances from the Keats House Poets. Free, prebook, 2pm
ROLLERSKATING: The Sunday Stroll is a relaxed slow-paced skate open to all roller skaters and rollerbladers able to stop, turn and control their speed on hills. Meet at Serpentine Road in Hyde Park. Free, just turn up, 2pm
Check out our map of free things to do in London for more frugal fun. Or pop over to BrokeInLondon.com who also have plenty of great ideas.
