Free And Cheap London Events: 12-18 January 2015

By Silvia Baretta Last edited 110 months ago
Free And Cheap London Events: 12-18 January 2015

Interesting and unusual things to do for a fiver or less this week. For more ideas have a look at our Free & Cheap page.

Cecil Sharp House hosts an evening of folk music this Monday. Details below

All Week

ART EXHIBITIONS: Feeling arty this month? Look at our top 10 art choices for January. Most of them are free.

Monday 12 January

MONDAY MUSICIANS: Head to Cecil Sharp House for an evening of playing British folk dance tunes. All instruments and levels are welcome, although best-suited for musicians with knowledge of written stave notation. £5/£4, just turn up, 7pm

FREE CONCERT: Head to St Anne’s Church in Kew Green for a free concert by Maiastra. The young quintet plays Haydn, Dohnanyi and Brahms. Free (donations welcome), just turn up, 7.30pm

TALK IN A PUB: Join a talk about the relationship between drugs and sport taking place at The Camden Head pub. The talk is lead by Dr Mark Burnley. £3, just turn up, 7.30pm

AUTHOR'S TALK: Miranda Carter will talk about her new book The Strangler Vine at Stoke Newington Bookshop. £2.50, just turn up, 8pm

Tuesday 13 January

HISTORICAL TALK: Friends of Valence House in the borough of Barking and Dagenham present a talk about the history of midwifery. £1.50, just turn up, 3pm

FREE BURRITO: Get a free burrito today from Mexican Grill chain Chipotle: all you need to do is go to its website and find out what your Chipot-name would be, then show the result at the counter. Free, 5pm-7pm

FREE LECTURE: Dr Maurits Ertsen is at Museum of London tonight to talk about climate change and comparing the flooding in the UK and in the Netherlands. The event is organised by Gresham College and is on a first come, first served basis. Free, just turn up, 6pm

LSE LECTURE: LSE hosts a panel discussion about the effective ways of communicating and changing inequality. The event focuses on the work of artist Mark Neville, in particular his recent series London/Pittsburgh. Free, just turn up, 6.30pm

FOREIGN LANGUAGES: Interested in learning a new language? Lingua Diversa Group offer a cheap taster class of different languages at its offices in London. You can choose between Spanish, German and Italian. Check the website for more details and timings, taster lessons cost £5 each.

SHORTS ON TAP: Cafe 1001 in Shoreditch hosts an evening dedicated to crime cinema. During the evening, there will be seven short films screened and the opportunity to debate with the filmmakers. £3, just turn up, 7pm

POETRY NIGHT: Head to Drink, Shop & Do in King's Cross and set your literary inspiration free. Create your own poem; the best one wins a prize (no specific experience needed). Free, just turn up, from 7pm

CINEMA EVENT: Bar Paragon in Mile End hosts an evening of short films and documentaries. The focus is on personal feeling and emotions, the event is organised by Genesis Cinema. Free, prebook, 7.30pm

FREE COMEDY: Enjoy an evening of free comedy at The Hemingford Arms in Caledonian Road. Acts confirmed are Stuart Laws, Luke Graves, Joe Sutherland, Alexis Wieroniey, Stephanie Laing and Ellie Taylor. Free, just turn up, 8pm

Oxo Tower, by Paul on Flickr

Wednesday 14 January

PHOTO EXHIBITION: The gallery at Oxo Tower Wharf presents a new exhibition, Framing Perceptions. The exhibition features portraits by Guardian photographer Graeme Robertson and focuses on stories of people with disabilities living in poor countries. Free, until 18 January

LUNCH BREAK: UCL hosts a lunchtime talk about cycling in the capital. The talk puts London in relation to Mexico City: both capitals have seen an increase of cyclists in the recent years. Free, prebook, 12.45pm

FILM SCREENING: University of Westminster hosts the screening of music-themed documentary Copyright Criminals, which talks about music sampling and illegal creative appropriation. Free, prebook, 3pm

BAFTA WORKSHOP: How can the TV and film industries be less dangerous for the environment? BAFTA hosts a workshop about this topic, lead by a panel of industry experts. £5, prebook, from 3.3opm

GET CREATIVE: We suggest you book a table for you and your friend if you want to attend the Lego robots evening taking place at Drink, Shop & Do. Create your own Lego robot and give it a name, judgment takes place at 10pm. Free, prebook (as it's going to be popular), 7pm

MUSICAL COMEDY: Danielle Ward and Martin White lead a musical comedy night at The Old Queen's Head in Angel. £5, prebook, 7.30pm

Thursday 15 January

FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY: Fashion Space Gallery hosts Fashion Don't Stop Now: Fashion Photography Next exhibition. This display explores ideas and themes found in contemporary image-making and photography. Free, until 28 February

EXHIBITION: Morley College Gallery launches a new exhibition, House of the Flying Wheel. The exhibition explores the legacy of Samuel Morley through five contemporary artists. Free, until 4 February

FREE PARTY: Join the Utter Couture launch party on the first floor of Shoreditch's Boxpark. During the night there will be free drinks and music. Free, prebook, from 6pm

WIENER LIBRARY: The library hosts author Glenn Kurtz talking about his latest book called Three Minutes in Poland: Discovering a Lost World in a 1938 Family Film. The talk is followed by a screening of the footage that inspired the book. Free, prebook, 6.30pm

BOOK LAUNCH: Author Jemma Forte is at Waterstones Richmond to present her new book When I Met You. The launch will be followed by book signing. Free, 6.30pm

FREE LECTURE: To mark the anniversary of the first Zeppelin raid on London centenary, Stuart Wildman explores the story of nursing at home during the First World War. The event takes place at the Royal College of Nursing. Free, prebook, 7pm

COMEDY: Sketch group The Jest are at the Camden Head with guests including Ben Pope, Emma Sidi, Giraffe and Kitten Killers. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

CHEAP GIG: The Collier perform tonight at The Good Ship in Kilburn. They will be supported on stage by Goldblooms, Clint and Big Peach. £4, prebook, 7.30pm

Friday 16 January

EXHIBITION: The Nunnery Gallery in Bow launches a new exhibition, featuring paintings and drawings by outsider artist Mary Barnes. Free, until 29 March

FESTIVAL OF DISOBEDIENCE: The V&A Museum's weekend-long Festival of Disobedience exhibition features work from students from the six colleges of the University of the Arts London exploring student activism and responses to arts cuts. Free, just turn up, until 18 January

GUIDED TOUR: Find out what remains of the western gate of London’s Roman military fort, located beneath the streets next to Museum of London. Tours start from inside the museum. £2.50, prebook, 2pm & 3pm

THEATRE PLATFORM: Director Polly Findlay and playwright Bryony Lavery discuss their new version of Treasure Island, currently on show at the National Theatre. £4/£3, prebook, 5.30pm

LATE NIGHT PARTY: Join a late night party featuring house and garage music, taking place at MODE in Westbourne Park. To get free entry to the event, you need to register online. Free, prebook, from 10pm

Commemorate Admiral Nelson with a toast this Sunday. Details below

Saturday 17 January

BALL IN THE HALL: Wallace Collection hosts a free afternoon of family activities to celebrate the opening of the Great Gallery. Explore the paintings, get your photograph taken, learn some dance moves and win prizes. Free, just turn up, 12pm-4pm

EXPLORE ZOOLOGY: Grant Museum of Zoology welcomes families and the curious for an afternoon of hands-on specimen-based activities. Free, just turn up, 1pm-4.30pm

MATHS ON TOAST: Head to St Pancras Square Children's Library for a free creative family maths afternoon, based on the theme of shapes, with activities including colouring and construction. Aimed at kids aged 5-12 and their grown ups. Free, just turn up, 2pm-5pm

SCARY TALES: British Library hosts a family-friendly storytelling event. Join authors Sally Gardner, Chris Priestley, Chris Riddell and Julia Eccleshare for an afternoon of Gothic and nightmarish stories. £5/£4/£3, prebook, 2.30pm

MUM'S SALE: The Mum2mum Market at Teddington Baptist Church offers parents a chance to buy good quality second hand baby products £2, just turn up, 2pm-4pm

TEST FIRE: The regular session of playing, making games and talking about street games takes place in Shoreditch. £5, prebook, 4.30pm

MIDNIGHT APOTHECARY: The Brunel Museum in Rotherhithe celebrates the traditional old Twelfth Night with a special cocktail event. Midnight Apothecary pop-up cocktail bar will provide drinks: during the night there will be music, sing-alongs and a special live performance. £5, prebook, from 6.30pm

MUSIC NIGHT: Enjoy an evening of pop, indie and post punk at The Good Ship in Kilburn. There will be live acts from 8pm until 11.30pm and DJs afterwards. £4, prebook, from 7.30pm

Sunday 18 January

MEMORIAL TOAST: The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich gives homage to Admiral Lord Nelson with a commemorative toast today. Join the commemoration which will take place in the Painted Hall, where his body lays. £3, just turn up, 3pm

OPEN MIC: Allsortz is an open mic night giving singers, rappers, dancers, comedians and spoken word artists a chance to showcase their talents. Takes place at Rich Mix in Shoreditch. Free Tweet @Allsortz1 to gain entry, 7pm-11pm

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.

Last Updated 10 January 2015