Budget-friendly things to do in London this week for £5 or less.
Looking for more free things to do in London? Here are 102 of em! We've also compiled this epic map of free stuff in London.
Check out some Ramadan lights
On Coventry Street in the West End right now, the Ramadan lights are up for the second year in a row — and well worth a gander. Meanwhile, you can spot a 2.9 metre-tall illuminated crescent moon at Nutford Place off Edgware Road. It's emblazoned with the message "Ramadan Mubarak".
Free, until 10 April.
Find out how video games can improve our mental health
We often talk about video gaming being bad for our mental health, but could the opposite also be true? Experts in both psychology and video games join forces for a free online event hosted by the Science Museum in which they discuss links between gaming and the brain — and whether games could have a positive effect on our mental wellbeing and cognitive abilities.
Free, 18 March.
Discover the development of London's docks
Hear about how London's docks have undergone a transformation from derelict wasteland to a thriving area of homes, businesses and boats. Guildhall Library offers a free talk about how the once-derelict docks enticed millionaires, young tech workers and others. Watch in person at Guildhall Library, or online.
Free, 19 March.
Test your trivia at Big Fat Quizbox
Gather your brainiest friends and put your knowledge to the test at the regular Big Fat Quizbox at Boxpark Wembley. Current affairs, travel, fashion, music and culture are among the topics at the pub quiz-style event, with points to be won (and lost) throughout the evening. Age 18+.
£2, 19 March.
Get the lowdown on how AI is already changing our lives
'The godfather of AI' Geoffrey Hinton and two experts from LSE discuss the impact that artificial intelligence (AI) is already having, now that it's moved from science fiction to a part of our day to day lives. Specifically, they delve into how AI is shaping economies, societies and politics. Watch in person at LSE, or online.
Free, 19 March.
Listen up about Anne Lister
Landowner and diarist Anne Lister came to prominence in 2019 TV series Gentleman Jack, which dramatised her life and lesbian relationship with her neighbour, Ann Walker. Head to LSE on Wednesday to take a deeper dive into Lister's life with Jill Lidington, author of As Good As A Marriage: the Anne Lister diaries 1836-38. Lidington discusses whether Lister was the pioneer feminist she's often seen as, or "nothing but an old Tory squire"
Free, 20 March.
Eye-up some age-positive photography
A fleeting exhibition at Pop 1 in the Now Building by Tottenham Court Road, Challenging Ageism: See and Be Seen presents photos of people 50+, which tackle the stereotype of older people — showing them enjoying a range of exciting and fulfilling activities.
Free, 20-23 March.
Admire the paintings of Albert Oehlen
Fragments, forms, and entire motifs of Albert Oehlen's imagination echo both the sampling of a musical composition and the mechanisms of cinematography, in his vivid paintings, which are on display at Gagosian in Mayfair from Thursday. "I've always been looking for trouble," admits the German artist. If you like art that's dynamic, vivid — and very much open to interpretation — this is for you.
Free, 21 March-11 May.
Discover Bushy Park... without leaving home
The latest Winter Warmer online talk from the Royal Parks focuses on the 1100-acre Bushy Park. Without leaving home, get to know the green space in south-west London, including the wildlife and plant species which live there, and how the park has been cared for through the winter to help it thrive this spring.
Free, 21 March.
Kickstart your weekend with live jazz
Take yourself along to Oxford House in Bethnal Green on Friday evening for Friday Jazz, a monthly free performance by the OH House Jazz Band whisking you though a mix of well-known classics, standards and new discoveries.
Free, 22 March.
Head to this free poetry book launch
Poet SJ Fowler it at Rich Mix in Shoreditch for the free launch event of his new book, The Parts Of The Body That Stink, with more than a dozen writers and artists taking part. Unusually for a book launch, there are art performances, textile works and visual poetry to enjoy on the book's theme, as well as readings from the book itself,
Free, 23 March
Switch the lights off for Earth Hour
Take your torch if you're out and about on Saturday night, as Earth Hour is back. The annual event, organised by conservation charity WWF encourages people all over the world to switch off their lights for just an hour, with several landmarks also taking part.
Free, 23 March.
Enjoy a free celebration of song
Catch a free performance by the Southbank Centre Youth Voices, a choir made entirely of young singers aged 10-18. In the Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer, they perform the songs they've been learning over recent weeks, with some special guest appearances.
Free, 24 March.
Catch the final full week of Unforgotten Lives
Time's running out to see Unforgotten Lives, a free exhibition at London Metropolitan Archives, telling the stories of Londoners of African, Caribbean, Asian and Indigenous backgrounds who lived and worked in the city between 1560 and 1860.
Slavery abolition campaigner Olaudah Equiano and his daughter Joanna are among the people featured, who are documented within the archives. Objects on display include a manuscript voting record of Ignatius Sancho from 1774, believed to be the first time that a person of African heritage voted in an election in Britain.
Free, until 27 March.
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