Free And Cheap London Events: 2-8 March 2015

By Londonist Last edited 108 months ago
Free And Cheap London Events: 2-8 March 2015

Interesting and unusual things to do for a fiver or less this week, sponsored by CommuterClub.

All Week

William Mackrell's Deux Chevaux features in the most talked about exhibitions this month

ART EXHIBITIONS: February may be over, but plenty of the most talked about art exhibitions are still running — and all except one are free. Otherwise, try Staying Power at the V&A (free, until 30 June), or Bad Seed & Seed bank at Sutton House (free, until 31 March).

ONE GOOD THING: Homeless charity, The Connection at St Martin’s, will open the One Good Thing pop-up charity shop in Berwick Street, with money raised helping London’s homeless people move their lives away from the street. Having a clear out? Find out how to donate. Shop open from 2 March

ARCADE GAMES: Why not try out Novelty Automation, a new Covent Garden funfair with arcade games that are the handiwork of engineer and cartoonist Tim Hunkin, and his fellow inventors. Free entry, coins needed to play, open Wednesday-Saturday

Monday 2 March

ELIZABETH'S GHOSTS: Gresham College is at the Museum of London for a talk about the impact that Queen Elizabeth I had in the century after her death in terms of politics and religion. Free, just turn up, 1pm

WOMEN'S HISTORY: Join a curator for a tour of the Queen's House in Greenwich, focusing on the queens who have lived there. Part of Women's History Month. Free, 1pm

FARM GIG: Michael Feuerstack headlines a gig at Hackney City Farm, supported by Little Alaska, singer-songwriter Ben Slade and more. Free, just turn up, 6pm-11pm

THEATRE IN THE POUND: Head to Cockpit Theatre for an evening of 15 minute performances of new drama, writing, dance, cabaret and all things theatrical. £1, just turn up, 7pm

EROTIC LITERATURE: Velvet Tongue Erotic Literary Soiree is at The Book Club in Shoreditch with a special Hispanic flavour. See poets, songwriters and even a "pornoterrorist poet" (no, we're not sure what that is either) perform. £5/£3, RSVP on Facebook, 7pm

UKULELE HOOTENANNY: The weekly hootenanny at the Queen of Hoxton is open to anyone, whether you've played the ukulele before or are complete beginners. Expect old classics and modern pop music. Free, £20 returnable deposit for ukulele, from 7.30pm

CROSS STITCH: Head to Drink Shop Do in King's Cross to enjoy cross stitch with other crafters. Bring a current project that you're working on. £5, just turn up, 7.3opm

Get your ukulele on at Queen of Hoxton's Hootenanny

Tuesday 3 March

LIBRARY EXHIBITION: Barbican Centre Library's new exhibition, Life Journey, begins today. Meiso Lai uses different techniques and materials including photographic print on glass, textile hanging with hand stitching on paper and mixed media on canvas, taking inspiration from her travels around the world. Free, until 25 March

LUNCHTIME CONCERT: Lauderdale House on Highgate Hill hosts the Billroth Quartet, performing the work of its namesake, Dr. Theodor Billroth, Brahms Quartet no.1. Free, 1.15pm

Wednesday 4 March

1940s FASHION: Head to Chelsea Library for a talk about the clothes, accessories and hairstyles of the 1940s and 1950s, using photographs, posters, magazine adverts, dress and knitting patterns. Free, 2pm-4pm

POPPY HISTORY: Dr Nicholas Saunders, will be talking about how the poppy became such a powerful symbol at the end of the First World War. Saunders recently wrote a book on the subject. Takes place at Freemasons' Hall in Covent Garden. Free, prebook, 6pm

LAW TALK: Professor Sir Geoffrey Nice QC gives a talk about some of the cases he has been involved in, giving an insight into life as a 21st century barrister. Free, just turn up, 6pm

HOUSING CRISIS: LSE holds a public debate about policy solutions to the housing crisis in light of the upcoming election. Free, just turn up, 6.30pm

HEADS AND BODIES: Head to Queen of Hoxton to play Heads and Bodies, just like you used to as a child. Draw a monstrous head, fold it and pass it on — then the next player might add a freaky torso, followed by the legs of an octopus... and so on. Free, just turn up, 7pm

DASH ARTS: Dash Arts teams up with the Armenian Institute to host a choir from Oxford performing songs by Western Armenian composer and Genocide victim Gomidas and Soviet-raised Eastern Armenian composer Mirzaian Suni. At Rich Mix. Free, 7.30pm


The list continues after a message from our sponsor.

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Thursday 5 March

LIBRARY BIRTHDAY: Hornsey Library marks its 5oth anniversary with a day of free activities including stock tours, children's mosaic crafts and a film night. Free, just turn up, 9am-7pm

LUNCH LECTURE: The Army & Navy Club hosts a talk by Mike Meech about new ways of war during World War One, specifically the developments undertaken by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC)/Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Tank Corps in their attempts to achieve successful co-operation on the battlefield. Free, prebook, 12.30pm

LONDON NIGHTCLUBS: The Royal Academy of Music holds a lecture on London music clubs in the First World War, specifically, how some of them were changed to become the sorts of places that it was considered appropriate for soldiers to visit. Free, prebook, 6pm

ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES: Sir Paul Nurse, President of the Royal Society, and Lord Stern, President of the British Academy, discuss the need for collaboration between the traditional academic disciplines to respond to the big issues of our time. Free, prebook, 6.30pm

FEMALE WRITERS: The Working Men's Club in Mornington Crescent has a literary night celebrating female authors, hosted by Lucy Popescu. Meet writers such as Kate Saunders and Deirdre Shananhan, hear them read and buy their books. Free, prebook, 7pm

SCREENING ROOM: The Overlook Screening Room is a brand new free monthly film event dedicated to discovering and showcasing cinema's best-kept secrets. Tonight, there's a screening of 1968 psychological thriller Pretty Poison, at The Water Poet in Spitalfields. Pay what you can, just turn up, 7pm

BANGLADESH PHOTOS: Defying the Laws of Gravity, an exhibition of photography from the media school Pathshala in Dhaka, Bangladesh, opens at Rich Mix today. Free, until 28 March

Defying the Laws of Gravity at Rich Mix

Friday 6 March

LUNCHTIME CONCERT: Ukranian pianist Sasha Grynyuk performs a lunchtime concert at Bishopsgate Institute. Free, just turn up, 1.05pm

WALLACE COLLECTION LATE: University of the Arts hosts a night of performances, talks, one-off displays and installations, drinks and live music at the Wallace Collection. Free, prebook, 6pm

90s TV COMEDY: A selection of alternative comedy acts will be performing bespoke sets and reconstructions of their favourite TV shows from the 1990s at Camden Head. £3, prebook, 8pm

Saturday 7 March

WOMEN OF THE WORLD: There are plenty of free things going on at Southbank Centre this weekend as part of the Women of the World Festival, including choir performances, digital installations, acrobatics, weightlifting and speed mentoring.

RICHMOND PARK WALK: Join the Friends of Richmond Park for a free guided walk around Richmond Park, starting at Robin Hood Gate car park. Free, just turn up, 10am-12pm

DISNEY SONGS: Head to Lauderdale House on Highgate Hill for a family show led by nun Sister Mary. Kids (and parents) can sing along to their favourite Disney songs from the likes of Frozen, Lion King, Little Mermaid, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mary Poppins and Beauty and the Beast. £4.50/£3, prebook, 10am

WOMEN’S DAY: Museum of London Docklands runs a day of family events to mark International Women’s Day. Hear the tale of the pirate queen who sailed up the Thames and join Mary Driscoll as she recounts her struggles as a match girl who went on strike. 11am-4pm

WORLD BOOK DAY: Alice in Wonderland is the theme of Foyles' World Book Day celebrations on Charing Cross Road. Free, prebook, 11.30am (Also at Foyles in Stratford City, 2.30pm.) See other Alice in Wonderland events and locations.

TIT BITS: Adult-only cabaret hosted by Liz Carr and Bird la Bird is at the Southbank Centre. Free, 9.30pm

Tit Bits at Southbank Centre

Sunday 8 March

BIRD WALK: Join the RSPB for a guided walk and waterbird count in Wanstead Park. Free, 10am

BENGAL TO BETHNAL GREEN: Head to Rich Mix for a celebration of Bengali music and the arts in East London, a monthly series of concerts featuring much-loved singers and musicians from the Grand Union Orchestra. Free, just turn up, 2pm-5.30pm

Check out our map of free things to do in London for more frugal fun.

Last Updated 01 March 2015