Interesting and unusual things to do for a fiver or less this week, sponsored by CommuterClub.
All Week
ARTS EMERGENCY: There's an immersive exhibition at The Cass Bank Gallery on Whitechapel High Street, curated by Bob and Roberta Smith (who’ll be in residence throughout). Get your Arts Emergency Kit including prescriptions from the likes of Jarvis Cocker, Samantha Morton and Vampire Weekend and get involved with politics and the arts. Free, until 3 May
TINY PEOPLE: Miniature superheroes are on show at Curious Duke on Whitecross Street, in a new — and adorable — exhibition from Roy's People. Free, until 9 May
CITYREAD: The month of free events around Ben Aaronovitch's book Rivers of London continues. Catch Ben reading at a library near you. Free, until 30 April
Monday 20 April
KNOWING ONE ANOTHER: Knowing One Another is a volunteer led research project by the Brick Lane Circle which aims to build better relationships between the various communities that live in London. Tonight the free launch takes place at Rich Mix with live music, comedy and vegetarian food from all over the world. Free, prebook, 6pm
COMEDY: Every Monday, The Good Ship in Kilburn holds a comedy night. Tonight's line-up is Elis Jones, Sophie Hagen, Rob Carter and more. £5/£4, prebook, from 8pm
Tuesday 21 April
SOUTHWARK FREEMASONRY: Head to John Harvard Library in Borough for a talk about freemasonry in Southwark and Lambeth. Freemasonry is a long-established fraternal organisation for men. This talks looks at important masonic personalities associated with the area and local institutions with links to the masonic world. Free, just turn up, 6.30pm
CRAP FILM CLUB: Revelling in all that's terrible about cinema, Crap Film Club presents a screening of Star Crash, a low-budget Italian-American 1978 science fiction film. Takes place at The Book Club in Shoreditch. £3.50, prebook, 7pm
Wednesday 22 April
MICHAEL JACKSON CLAY: Drink Shop Do invites you to recreate your favourite face of the King of Pop from clay. Don't be lax, it's a competition. Free, from 7pm (judging at 10pm)
JAWDANCE: Jawdance at Rich Mix is a spoken word event from the excellent Apples and Snakes. Tonight it's the turn of Kayo Chingonyi and Aisling Fahey. Free, just turn up, 7.30pm
RESTORATION PALACES: This Gresham College lecture at Museum of London is about the reign of Charles II. He introduced new fashions and forms into English palaces but, under the surface, many of his innovations were backward-looking and reactionary, reinforcing traditions and practices that had been established before the Civil War. Free, just turn up, 6pm
BOOK TALK: Graham Burnett is at Housmans book shop to introduce his new book and lead a discussion around the connections between veganism and permaculture. £3, 7pm
HOME MAKER: The Kennington Bioscope returns to the Cinema Museum with a screening of 1925 film The Home Maker. Presented by writer, historian, collector and Honorary Academy Award-winner Kevin Brownlow, the silent film will have a live piano accompaniment. £4, prebook, 7.30pm
The list continues after a message from our sponsor.
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Thursday 23 April
REDBRIDGE FILM ARCHIVE: Head to Redbridge Museum for a screening of archive film clips of Redbridge, and see how the area has changed over the past century. Free, prebook, 2pm
CARIBBEAN POETS: In this lecture at the British Academy, Professor Kwame Dawes talks about the aesthetic principles of reggae music and reveals the ways in which the music, in its many incarnations, continues to shape the work of several generations of Caribbean poets. Free, just turn up, 6pm
ST GEORGE'S DAY: Mark St George's Day by making your own papier mache dragon at Drink Shop Do. Free, from 7pm
CITY SHIMMY: Proud Cabaret in the City transforms into a 1920s speakeasy tonight, with classic burlesque entertainment. £2, prebook, 8.30pm
Friday 24 April
BLACK ART: The V&A Museum runs an afternoon symposium about black art from 1960 to now, focusing on British and international artists and institutions. Free, prebook, 1.30pm
CHANGING MUSIC: Journalist, broadcaster and writer Kevin LeGendre presents an event in which the audience listens to and talks about the changing face of British popular music and impact of migration across different generations. Part of Southbank Centre's Changing Britain Festival. Free, 5.30pm
LIVE JAZZ: Kick your weekend off with an evening of live jazz at GH Space in Soho — think Frank Sinatra meets Midnight in Paris. Ticket includes a welcome cocktail. Age 18+. £5, prebook, 6.30pm
JUBILEE CLUB: Head to Barfly in Camden for the Jubilee Club, a night of live bands and DJs specialising in rock anthems — expect everything from Nirvana to The Prodigy. £5, prebook, 10pm
Saturday 25 April
LITERATURE FESTIVAL: The Boishakhi Literature Festival takes place this weekend at Rich Mix, using both English and Bengali. Saturday focuses on children's literature. A book fair runs all weekend alongside the events. Free, 25-26 April
Sunday 26 April
NATURE TRAIL: Perivale Wood has an open day (PDF), giving the public a chance to explore the Bluebell Wood and take part in a nature trail. Free, just turn up, 10am-4.30pm
BARBICAN CONSERVATORY: A green haven against the Brutalist architecture, Barbican Conservatory is open to the public. It houses exotic fish and over 2,000 species of tropical plants and trees. Free, just turn up, 11am-5pm
CHANGING BRITAIN: We're halfway through Southbank Centre's Changing Britain Festival. Today, there's a screening of Kes, in which Billy Casper tames and trains his pet kestrel falcon (free, 8pm). You can also choose from a performance of Mark-Anthony Turnage's Twice Through The Heart, a musical work about the challenges facing the arts between 1979 and 1997 (free although booking fee applies, prebook, 5pm) and Restaging the Election 1979, which screens key speeches from Margaret Thatcher and James Callaghan in the 1979 election, and asks the audience to cast a vote. Will the outcome today be the same as it was back then? (Free, 3pm)
AUTHORS IN CONVERSATION: Hear four of the shortlisted authors of The Wellcome Book Prize in conversation at Wellcome Collection. Marion Coutts, Henry Marsh, Sarah Moss and Miriam Toews discuss the creative process behind their critically acclaimed books while exploring the broader context of medicine and literature. Free, prebook, 3pm
Check out our map of free things to do in London for more frugal fun.
