Interesting and unusual things to do for a fiver or less this week.
All Week
INTERIOR DESIGN: John Lewis on Oxford Street holds a series of completely free interior design workshops and events this week, with designers and experts from all over the world offering tips and advice.
Check the week ahead with our guides to market & shopping events and art exhibitions around town. Plenty of free ones, too.
Monday 7 April
FILM CLUB: The Alibi in Dalston begins its classic sci-fi month with a screening of Forbidden Planet (1956). Free, just turn up, 7pm
CROSS STITCH: Have a relaxing Monday evening doing cross stitch at Drink Shop Do. Open to experienced stitchers and newbies. £5, just turn up, 7.30pm
FREE COMEDY: Comedy Knights' weekly free comedy gig in Camden stars Chris Boyd today. Free, just turn up, 8pm
MORE COMEDY: Comedian Sheraz Yousaf performs his show, Super Slouch, at The Comedy Pub in Leicester Square. £4, prebook, 8pm
Tuesday 8 April
KIDS STORYTELLING: The RAF Museum is holding a free storytelling session, on a WW1 theme, for children. Author Hilary Robinson reads from her new book, Where The Poppies Now Grow Ages 6+. Free, prebook, 12pm/2pm
SPEAKEASY: Drink Shop Do in Kings Cross hosts a Speakeasy evening, with stories performed against the clock, on a theme chosen by the audience. Authors attending include Essie Fox, Naomi Wood, Jason Hewitt and Claire McGowan. Free, just turn up, from 7pm
COMEDY: Star Of Kings in Kings Cross hosts a comedy night called The Spectacular Spectrum of Now. In the form of a variety show, the performance consists of audio clips, comedy shorts and live acts. £5, just turn up, 7.30pm
Wednesday 9 April
SCIENCE EXHIBITION: A new exhibition opens at the Science Museum today, delving into the world of one of Britain’s most important living scientists and inventors, James Lovelock. Free, just turn up, running all year
1877 IN FOCUS: The Ragged School Museum in Mile End focuses on the year 1877, with activities centred around the sporting and technological advances of the year. Free, just turn up, until tomorrow
FALSE WITNESS: Go To Midtown's latest walk, False Witness, goes to locations in the Holborn and St Giles area connected to the controversial 17th century character Titus Oates and the so-called Popish Plot. Repeated on Friday. Free, just turn up, 1pm
ZERO CARBON: Head to St Johns Waterloo for an evening of discussion about Britain's energy use and carbon emissions, now and in the future. Led by the Zero Carbon Britain team. Free, prebook, 6.30pm
LEGO ROBOTS: It's Lego Robots night at Drink Shop Do. Create a plastic person with at least two limbs, a name and a superpower, and enter it for the judging. Free, just turn up, 7pm
ALTERNATIVE CLUB NIGHT: Rich Mix hosts a club night with a difference. East India Club mixes tribal, classical, punk, electronica, dnb, soul and retro rock music. Free, just turn up, 7.30pm
SILENT FILM: Kennington Bioscope screens silent film Camille (1921) at the Cinema Museum. With live piano accompaniment by John Sweeney and Costas Fotopoulos, both resident accompanists at the British Film Institute.Free (donations accepted), prebook, 7.30pm
Thursday 10 April
ECO NETWORKING: The Sustainable Production Eco Expo is a networking event at London College of Communication, with presentations and discussions led by former BBC commentator Simon Mann. Free, RSVP on website, 5.30pm
BEHIND THE SCENES: Horniman Museum offers visitors the chance to go behind the scenes after hours and meet the staff and curators. Today, visit the aquarium. £5, prebook, 6.45pm
LIVE MUSIC: National Theatre Bookshop hosts free live music events every Thursday. Tonight is the turn of The Throwbacks, AKA piano and vocal duo Natalie Lipin and Adam Morris. Free, just turn up, 5-8pm
SHOP WITH THE STARS: Fenwicks on Bond Street offers customers a chance to Shop With The Stars. Celebrities including Joanna Lumley, Sheila Hancock, Emilia Fox, Jim Carter and Julian Fellowes will man the store to raise funds for charity Acting For Others, with Christopher Biggins on the tannoy.Free, just turn up, 6-8pm
APRIL COMEDY: This week's Comedy Back Rub at Camden Head has a theme of April Showers. Plus Lou Sanders and Sarah Campbell preview their new shows. £1, just turn up, 7.30pm
CLASSICAL CONCERT: Head to Middlesex University in Hendon for a free concert where students perform Mozart’s famous Requiem as well as music by Stravinsky, CPE Bach, and new work by a student composer. Free, prebook, 7.30pm
Friday 11 April
NEW EXHIBITION: Connected to Barbican's new exhibition, Fashion Space Gallery hosts Jean Paul Gaultier: Be My Guest. It shows Jean Paul Gaultier’s graphic design work, dating back to the 1980s, for the first time Free, just turn up, until 31 May
FREE WALK: Cool Tan Arts has organised a free walk in Dulwich. The theme is Architecture — From Country Estates to Council Estates and the walk looks at how land use in Dulwich has changed over the past two centuries. Meet at Grove Vale Library. Free, just turn up, 12pm
PLAY LAUNCH: Head to Rich Mix for the launch of playwright Patricia Cumper's anthology, Inner Yardie: three plays. Includes readings from the anthology and a discussion. Free, prebook, 7pm
CONCERT: Five go Phantastic. Classic quintets by Vaughan Williams, Mozart and Dvořák played by young players in a Maiastra concert, organised by the Aidan Woodcock Charitable Trust, at St Anne’s Church, Kew Green. Free (donations welcome), just turn up, 7.30pm
UK-IRAN MUSIC: Listen to the Stay Close Project, a 13-piece orchestra who will be playing classical music from the cultural link between UK and Iran. Takes place at the V&A. Free, just turn up, 8pm
Saturday 12 April
MUSIC LESSONS: Today is National Learn To Play day, with various musical happenings. Find out more here.
CRAFT MARKET: The E1 pop-up Art and Craft Market takes place every Saturday in April at Leytonstone Library. Products hand made by the local E11 Designers will be on sale. Free, just turn up, 10am-6pm
POPLAR EVENTS: It's the final week of a series of free events at Chrisp Street Market Square in Poplar. Today's events include an open mic slot, karaoke and a cooking show. Free, just turn up, 12pm-9pm
BATTLE RE-ENACTMENT: As part of Cityread's WW1 themed activities, East Finchley Library hosts the 10th Battalion Essex Regiment re-enactment group, who will demonstrate the equipment used by soldiers during WW1. Free, just turn up, 10am. Later on today, Author and military historian Peter Hart talks about life in the trenches. Also at East Finchley library, 2pm
ARTIST LIVE: Leah Capaldi is the latest artist to feature in Serpetine Gallery's Saturday Live series. She reflects on the encounter of object, body and sculpture in a durational performance. Free, just turn up, 3pm
Sunday 13 April
CRAFT MARKET: Crafty Fox Markets not only offer a chance to buy unique craft products from a carefully curated set of traders but there are also craft workshops. These include bunting-making, screen printing, and fabric earrings workshops. At The Bussey Building in Peckham. Free, just turn up, 12pm-5pm
STATION CONCERT: Alex Mendham & His Orchestra perform a free concert at St Pancras International Station. Free, just turn up, 12pm
DESIGNERS MARKET: The E17 Designers Market takes place at the Asian Centre in Walthamstow. Buy traditional and contemporary jewellery, adult and children’s clothing and handbags. There will be live music, and refreshments from Suzie’s Kitchen. Entry £2, 13 April, 2pm-6pm
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.
