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.
Take the kids pumpkin carving for Halloween
The night before Halloween, Poplar Union offers a pumpkin carving workshop for all ages (though kids need to be accompanied by adults). For a fiver per person, you'll get a pumpkin to carve, and the tools you need to carve it — and of course, you can take your gourd home with you when you've finished your masterpiece.
£5, 30 October.
Pick up a free coffee (plus some peanut butter chocolate)
Head to Shoreditch Grind and Liverpool Street Grind this Tuesday and Wednesday, and you'll be handed a free Grind filter coffee, and a pack of two Pip & Nut peanut butter cups. Well, you will if you're one of the first 200 customers... better arrive earlyish.
Free, 31 October and 1 November.
See the future at an innovation late
Chocolate welding, robot rescue dogs, and micro-robotic eye surgery are some of the new inventions on show at The Royal Academy of Engineering's free Innovation Late. The adults-only event takes place at 26 Leake Street in Waterloo, and is a chance to preview some of the newest inventions, with talks from the inventors behind them.
Free, 1 November.
Enjoy the work of South Asian poets
The spotlight is on poets from the South Asian Diaspora, at the National Poetry Library's free online showcase, who highlight the importance of remaining connected to a community while embracing a new identity. Participants include:
- Ali Arif who runs the South Asian Book Club;
- Uruj Asif of London Urdu Voice, who shows how Urdu has a unique connection to poetry;
- Origins Poetry Duo, AKA poets Ankita Saxena and Rhiya Pau;
- Arun Kapur, presenting Motherland Stories by British poets with a South Asian connection;
- Dipesh Pandya of زبان zabāāñ, an experimental nomadic space for spoken word artists, poets, writers and sound artists of South Asian heritage.
It's a free, online event, so you can watch from the comfort of your own home.
Free, 1 November.
See London's first Christmas lights of the year
Halloween's barely out the door this year before the Christmas lights get switched on in London — starting with Oxford Street and Carnaby on Thursday. There's no big shindig on Oxford Street this year — though of course, you can view the lights for free any evening from Thursday onwards. But over in Carnaby, there's the annual Christmas light switch on and shopping party event. It's free entry and includes live music and entertainment as well as the big switch-on moment. Plenty of businesses in the area have special discounts on the night too.
Find out when the rest of London's Christmas lights get switched on this year - it's all happening over the next couple of weeks.
Free, from 2 November.
Visit the V&A's new pottery display
The V&A in South Kensington opens a new free display in the Ceramics Galleries, shining a spotlight on the collection of pottery which belonged to 19th-century philanthropist Henry Willett. The eccentric array included animal menageries and souvenirs of early balloon flight, and is on temporary loan from the Brighton Museum.
Free, from 2 November.
Dig into a bunch of free workshops in East Croydon
Enclave — one of the new high-rise apartments by East Croydon station — is having a promotional day, featuring workshops and activities including sushi making, terrarium workshops, fitness classes, live comedy and a screening of Barbie. All events are free, and you don't need to be a resident (though it's possible they'll want to find out if you're interested in becoming a resident). You need to sign up for each event in advance.
Free, 4 November.
Get the Write Idea in Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green Library hosts the WriteIdea reading festival, a weekend of 25+ free events covering topics including mudlarking, the rental housing system, combustible cladding, London history, the British Empire and much more. Special guests include poet Amy Key, journalist and campaigner Vicky Spratt, comedian Robin Ince, actor Obioma Ugoala, and chef Olia Hercules. Booking required for each event.
Free, 4-5 November.
Get up early to see the Veteran Car Run
The Veteran Car Run sees more than 100 pre-1905 vehicles setting off from London to Brighton on Sunday morning. You'll have to be up early to cheer them on — they begin leaving Hyde Park around 7am, heading through Lambeth towards Croydon, and on to the coast, where they'll arrive mid-afternoon. There are some absolutely beautiful vehicles involved every year.
Free, 5 November.
