Interesting and unusual things to do for a fiver or less this week. For more ideas have a look at our Free & Cheap page.
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Have fun at Notting Hill Carnival. Details below.
All Week
ART: Take a look at our August art events listing and find art openings happening this month. You should find the perfect fit to your creative side among painting, photography, drawing and more. Lots of free ones as well.
BRIDGE EXHIBITION: Museum of London Docklands's largest ever art exhibition, Bridge, is now open. It consists of historical and contemporary depictions of London’s bridges in the form of artwork, film and photography. It also considers how bridges are used in London today. Free, just turn up, until 2 November
MUSIC: The epic BBC Proms are in full swing at the Royal Albert Hall. Consult our guide to making the most of your Proms experience and consider our top ten highlights from the programme. Promming tickets from £5.
Monday 25 August
CARNIVAL: It's adults day at Notting Hill Carnival today, when the main parade takes place. Expect colourful floats, stages, sound systems, street food and bar. 10am-8.30pm
KNIT A PLANE: Head to the RAF Museum in Colindale to get involved in Knit for Britain, a knitting and crocheting theme for all knitters from beginners to experts, along an airborne theme. Free, just turn up, 11am-4pm, until 29 August
FREE PILATES: The Bootcamp Pilates Blog offers free pilates sessions to everyone today. Sign up on the website and have a go in one of their studios in Richmond, Notting Hill or Fulham. Free, prebook, 11am-1pm
PAW PAGEANT: If you go down to Old Spitalfields Market today, you may well come across a lot of pampered pooches. It's the Paw Pageant, which sees dogs donning the latest in doggy couture and strutting down the catdogwalk in aid of Battersea Cats and Dogs Home. There's other dog-themed competitions and events going on too. Free to watch (fee and booking required to enter your dog), just turn up, 1pm-3pm
CARNIVAL COSTUMES: Dulwich Picture Gallery is giving children a chance to create their own carnival-themed costumes, using feathers, gems, and anything else they can get their hands on! £3, just turn up, 2pm-4pm
Tuesday 26 August
MOVIE QUIZ: The touring cinema quiz You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat is on at the Hackney Picturehouse tonight. Now, you just need to tell your friends. £4pp, prebook, 6.30pm
SOUNDS OF LONDON: Head to The Social and listen to rarely-heard and never-heard recordings of London's life from the 1950s back to the late 1880s. The event is hosted by Ian Rawes, formerly of the British Library’s sound archive, who founded the London Sound Survey with a collection of 200 recordings five years ago. £3, prebook, 7pm
Wednesday 27 August
MUSEUM LATE: The Science Museum dedicates its late to the science of hedonism, i.e. sex, drugs and music. Expect plenty of events including quizzes, a silent disco, music and speed dating. Free, just turn up, from 6.45pm
DRINK, SHOP, DO: The multi-functional cafe in King's Cross hosts a creative Play With Clay session. Mould a ball of clay into the shape of Lionel Ritchie’s massive head on the day of his actual birthday, while listening to his classic tracks. Free, just turn up, from 7pm
Thursday 28 August
SUMMER NIGHTS: The ever-popular Camden Lock Night Market is back. The main focus is international street food, accompanied by live music, film screenings and late night shopping. Every Thursday 7 August-4 September
WALK AROUND: Join CoolTan Arts Coolwalks for a free public walk for health and well-being, exploring interesting characters and the eccentric architecture of Dulwich. Meeting point is Dulwich Library. Free, just turn up, 12.30pm-3pm
EXHIBITION: Espacio Gallery in Bethnal Green hosts the exhibition Ahoy! On until 2 September, the display commemorates the 200th anniversary of the disappearance of the USS Wasp in the Bermuda Triangle: tonight you can join the free private view. Free, just turn up, from 6pm
LONDON BUSES: London's Queen Mary College hosts a seminar focused on London's bus history. Hear the story of the project to design and build a new Routemaster bus from its initial idea as a mayoral manifesto pledge in 2008 , the reality of the first prototype in 2011, through to the £200m+ order for 600 production vehicles. Free, prebook, 6.30pm
GUIDED WALK: Join Scott from the London Fortean Society and listen to stories from the City and the East End, stopping off at sites of ghosts, lost tube stations, witchcraft, why Jack the Ripper might be an urban legend and London’s most bigoted monument. Meeting point is outside London Bridge station, close to the spike-shaped statue. £3/£2, just turn up, 7.30pm
FOREIGN LANGUAGE: Interested in learning a new language? Lingua Diversa Group offers an introductory lesson to Spanish at its offices in Holborn. £5, prebook by email, 7.35-8.35pm
Friday 29 August
FOOD MARKET: Bite Street Food Collective is a new pop-up market opening in Chrisp Street today. From now on, the food market repeats on the last Friday of every month. Expect a range of quality street food traders, live music, a pop up bar plus table tennis and giant games. Free, just turn up, 11am-3pm
DESIGN TALK: Russian menswear designer Gosha Rubchinskiy is in conversation with Alexandra Gordienko to discuss his fashion designs, photography and filmmaking. The event takes place at the ICA, inside Cinema 1. £5, prebook, 1pm
FILM SCREENING: The Romanian Cultural Centre in London hosts the screening of French film Traité de bave et d'éternité. This is the first and only movie by Isidore Isou, the founder of the most important avant-garde movement of postwar Paris, the French Lettrist movement. Free, prebook by email, 6pm
MUSEUM LATE: The Cartoon Museum hosts a late opening inspired by the year 1914. There will be inspired cocktails, cartooning and comics workshops, curators' talks and social dancing. See website for full programme. Free, prebooking essential, 6pm-9pm
Saturday 30 August
ARTS FAIR: Those clever people behind Hackney Flea Market are turning their hands to the creative, as the first Arts Fair comes to Abney Hall in Stoke Newington. Over 60 independent creative businesses will be present, from textiles experts and ceramicists to small publishers. Free, 11am-6pm, 30-31 August
LONDON SWIM: The Great London Swim takes place at Docklands Sailing & Watersports Centre in Millwall Dock today. Swimmers swim half a mile or one mile for charity. If you don't feel like taking the plunge this year, it's free to turn up and watch. From 9.30am
OPEN DAY: Barnet Police Station is open to the public today. Everyone is welcome to drop in and experience a day in the life of a police officer: there will be special advice sessions for adults and interactive activities for children. Free, just turn up, 12pm-4pm
FESTIVAL OF TRIANGLES: The fun maths festival for children and their parents has been to several venues around London and today the finale happens at Pirate Castle in Camden Town. Free, just turn up, 2pm-5pm
WAR, WOMEN AND SONG: Head to the British Library for this performance of drama, music and comedy by Anna Farthing and Bea Roberts, looking at the concert parties which toured to theatres of war. £5/£4/£3, prebook, 6.30pm
EDWARDIAN FILMS: The Friends of Dog Kennel Hill Wood are hosting a free night of short films to celebrate the area's cinematic history — the Gaumont film company set up their film studio next to Dog Kennel Hill Wood from 1904-1912. Picnics welcome, as are blankets to sit on, and bear in mind that it's an open air venue. Free, just turn up, 8.30pm
Sunday 31 August
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW: BBC ONE’s ever popular Sunday evening programme Antiques Roadshow will be filming for its 37th series at Waltham Forest Town Hall today. Entry to the show is free throughout the day and loads of precious antiques will be on display. Free, just turn up, 9.30am-4.30pm
RIVER THAMES: Everyone is invited to contribute to the The Big Thames Tidy, taking place at Gabriel's Wharf. Help to clean the capital's much-loved river: full equipment, supervision and support is provided — see more information on the website. Free, just turn up, 10.30am-1pm
VINTAGE FAIR: Lou Lou's Vintage Fair comes to the Camden Centre in King's Cross, with vintage fashion, homeware and collectables from the 1940s-1990s, a vintage tea room and a vintage beauty salon. £2, just turn up, 11am
SUMMER FAYRE: Danson Park in Bexleyheath hosts its annual charity and community fair with donkey races, funfair, food stalls and a farmers and artisan market. £1/50p, just turn up, 12pm-5pm
MUSIC FESTIVAL: There's an afternoon of concerts and carnival performances in the Gardens at Horniman Museum to celebrate the end of their summer festival. Concerts on the bandstand sit alongside pop up performances, storytelling, family trails, face painting, food and dance. Free, just turn up, 12pm-6pm. This weekend is also the last chance to see The Great Animal Orchestra at the museum.
TRAVEL POETRY: Keats House in Hampstead has an afternoon of travel poetry with Laila Sumpton, looking at what people seek to find on holiday, what they hope to get away from and what they gain from new experiences. Free, prebook, 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.
