Free & Cheap London Events: 2-8 June 2014

By Silvia Baretta Last edited 117 months ago
Free & Cheap London Events: 2-8 June 2014

Interesting and unusual things to do for a fiver or less this week. For more free of charge London events, see our Free & Cheap page.

Discover The City of London with Occupy London Tours on Thursday. Details below

All Week

Check the week ahead with our guides to market & shopping events, art exhibitions and theatre events around town. Plenty of free ones, too.

KEATS: The historical Keats House in Hampstead Heath celebrates the works and life of poet John Keats with a dedicated festival. Activities include poetry readings, workshops, talks and even guided tours. Many of the events are free, check website for prices and booking. Until 15 June  

WANDSWORTH HISTORY: Wandsworth Heritage Festival kicks off today with a rich programme of free events, bringing to life the history of the borough. Expect guided walks, talks, family activities and so on. Free, prebook suggested, until 8 June

Monday 2 June

TEXTILES: Thread of Attachment is the free talk happening at the RCA Kensigton Lecture Theatre, about material properties of textiles and their influence on the arts. Free, just turn up, 6pm

FREE MUSIC: Andrew Litton plays the most famous pieces of pianist Oscar Peterson at the Conway Hall. This free piano concert includes drinks and there will be a Q&A session afterwards. Free, prebook, 6pm

PYTHON: Micheal Palin speaks about his new book, Monty Python at Work, at the Olivier Theatre. The talk is followed by a book signing. £4/£3, prebook, 6pm

BRAZIL: As the World Cup approaches, an evening of Brazilian literature takes place at the Free Word Lecture Theatre. The books presented are The Book of Rio and The Football Crónicas. Free, prebook, 7pm

BOOK JAM: Brixton Book Jam returns to Hootananny Brixton, with readings, talks and other literary happenings with contributions from Elizabeth Aaron, Doug E Graves, Joshua Idehen, Will Wiles and more. Free, just turn up, 7.30pm

COMEDY: Enjoy an evening of intellectual cabaret at The Lion Pub in Stoke Newington. Line-up includes: Cheekykita, Lindsay Sharman, Marie Lawrence, Dan Lees, Laurence Owen and Jody Kamali. Free, just turn up, 7.45pm

FREE GIG: Acclaimed by Bob Dylan and The Libertines, singer Kieran Leonard performs live at The Old Blue Last in Shoreditch. Free, just turn up, 8pm

Tuesday 3 June

WALLACE COLLECTION: Explore the richness and luxury of the Wallace Collection with a themed guided tour. Collection tours or themed talks in the galleries are on every day of the week, including weekends, on a first come first served basis. Today's themed talk is about Canaletto and his contemporaries in Venice. Free, just turn up, 1pm

CANDLE LIGHT: Sir John Soane's Museum gets lit by candlelight on the first of each month and it stays open until late. The event is free and it's on a first come, first served basis, so be early if you don't want to miss out. Free, just turn up, 6pm

LIVE MUSIC: The Social hosts an evening of live music featuring Wild Swim, Lottery Winners + Bullies. Free, just turn up, from 7pm

ANNE FRANK: Eva Schloss, Holocaust survivor and stepsister of Anne Frank is at Waterstone’s Hampstead to talk about her new autobiographical book, After Auschwitz. £5, prebook, 7pm

HOLLOWAY ARTS FESTIVAL: As part of Holloway Arts Festival, an evening of author readings by Chris Chalmers, Martina Evans, Melissa Harrison, Robert Minhinnick and Helen Smith takes place at Sacred Cafe on Hornsey Street. Free, prebook, 7pm

LIVE PERFORMANCE: Smash Lab's curators Polly Wright & Sarah Boulton lead an art performance about artistic creation and self-introspection at The Book Club. Free, from 8pm

Wednesday 4 June

PHARMAPOETICA: Head to the Poetry Cafe for a Pharmapoetica Workshop & Tea Tasting with poet Chris McCabe and herbalist Maria Vlotides, whose work has been shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry. £5/£4, prebook, 4pm

HOUSING DEBATE: Author Danny Dorling presents his new book All That Is Solid at the Bookmarks Bookshop. He discusses the issues of housing and cost of living in Britain. £2, prebook, 6.30pm

DRINK, SHOP, DO: The multi-functional bar in King's Cross hosts two events tonight. A fun play with clay session kicks off the evening (Free, just turn up, 7pm) followed by an Edinburgh preview comedy show (£3+bf, prebook, 7.30pm)

HIP HOP QUIZ: Supa Dupa Fly Hip Hop and R'n'B Quiz warms up the atmosphere at the Queen of Hoxton. Each player pays £2 to enter the quiz: if you'd like to participate, email your team by 4pm on the day, 2-5 people per team admitted. £2, book your team by email, 7pm

Thursday 5 June

ART: See Cut and Thrust, an exhibition of erotic paper cuts by artist Poppy Chancellor at Celestine Eleven shop in Shoreditch. The private view is tonight from 6pm. Free, until July

LUNCH BREAK: Listen to musician Arto Lindsay talking about his new album Encyclopedia of Arto at Rough Trade East. His music mixes naive pop, BossaNova and tropical sounds. Free, just turn up, 1pm

FASHION-Y: Take part in a glamorous fashion party happening at Glasswork in Covent Garden. Book your free ticket: during the evening there will be nibbles and drink, music, competitions and fashion giveaways. Free, prebook, 6pm

CITY TOUR: Occupy London Tours presents a free tour of The City of London. Listen the history of money in the heart of London and the Square Mile’s role in the financial crisis of 2007/8. Meeting point is outside St Paul's. Free, prebook, 6.30pm

POETRY SLAM: The East End's Genesis Cinema hosts an evening of poetry slam, the only three-round slam in London. Free, prebook, from 7pm

HUMAN SPECIES: Do humans affect their environment in ways radically different to other species? A panel discussion at the Grant Museum answers this question. The discussion is followed by a private view of the museum. Free, just turn up, 7pm

BEHIND THE SCENES: Meet the Conservatory Team at the Horniman Museum, mingle with taxidermy experts and listen to them talking about their day job, in this visit to the museum after its normal opening times. £5, prebook, 7pm

Friday 6 June

FITNESS MUMS: Mums who want to keep fit can bring their little ones with them to this free fitness class. It takes place at Frame fitness centre in Shoreditch and there are only ten places available. Free, prebook, 10.30am

LOVE DOUGHNUT: Drink, Shop, Do celebrates national Doughnut Day. Doughnut decorating facilities are provided, and mark the occasion with some dough-nutty limbo and anti-lip-licking contests. Free, just turn up, 6pm

TROPICAL PARTY: Flamingo Pier is a monthly street food, booze and disco party held on the Counter Cafe pontoon and canal boat in Hackney Wick. The theme of the party, cocktails and food is all...tropical. £3, just turn up, from 6pm

COMEDY: Mad about Tottenham Chances is an evening of poetry, comedy and music taking place at T.Chances in Seven Sisters. Free, just turn up, from 8pm

CITY FILMS: New York based Streetfilms unveils its archive at the Hackney Picturehouse. Join the 90 minutes of short screenings that showcase projects and places from around the world for more liveable cities. £5, prebook, 7pm

Saturday 7 June

MAP FAIR: The historical Royal Geographical Society on Kensington Gore hosts the London Map Fair, where map lovers can dig through rarities from all over the world. The fair lasts two days and is open Saturday noon-7pm and Sunday 10am-6pm. Free, just turn up, until tomorrow

BRAZIL STORIES: The V&A Museum of Childhood hosts two free children storytelling and play sessions about the World Cup and Brazilian culture. The sessions will be: 9-11am for children aged 4-6 and 11am-1pm for children aged 7-9. Free, prebook, 9am-11am & 11am-1pm

ARTS FESTIVAL: Greenwich Community College has a whole-day Creative Arts Festival, which displays artworks by the college students. During the day there are family activities, taster classes and workshops. Free, just turn up, 10am-4pm

OPEN BUS GARAGE: As part of the Year of the Bus celebrations, Alperton Bus Garage in north west London opens its doors to the public in the second of a series of bus garage open days across the capital. Expect free rides, family activities and discover the secrets of the bus depot — all money raised will go to charity. £2, just turn up, 10.30am-4pm  

PECKHAM: Pocket Places Peckham Spaces is a whole-day event happening in Peckham along Rye Lane. Street artists lead workshops, plus food and drink stalls, live music, yoga classes and outdoor screenings. Free, just turn up, from 11am

SCAVENGER HUNT: Team up with your best friends and take part in a big scavenger hunt across London. The Great Contiki Challenge meeting point is at Russell Square Gardens. Participants can win great prizes and there will be a party after the end of the hunt with food and drinks, in a secret venue. Free, register online to participate, from 11.30am

SEWING: The quirky London Sewing Machine Museum opens its door to the public today. Free, just turn up, 2pm-5pm

FREE MUSIC: Head to The Social any Saturday for music, drinks and fun. Jimmy Plates is The Social’s Saturday night resident DJ who plays a selection of soul, disco, funk, rnb, boogie and hip hop. Free, just turn up, from 6pm

URBAN STORYTELLING: Award-winning torch singer Katy Carr joins Vanessa Woolf and special guests for a Secret urban storytelling adventure in Woolwich. Bring a candle and a camera, discover the location once you've booked your ticket. £3, pay cash on the night but prebook by email, 7.45pm

MUSIC NIGHT: The Book Club in Shoreditch hosts a night of music battles with DJs spinning tunes of Kanye West and Prince. Free before 9pm/£5 afterwards, just turn up, from 8pm

Sunday 8 June

OPEN DAY: Visit Harmondsworth Barn, rescued by English Heritage after years of neglect and named as the 'cathedral of Middlesex'. Free, just turn up, 10am-5pm

MADE IN LONDON: JW3 cultural centre presents its London-themed summer festival, which celebrates the city with quirky London films, an artisan market, storytelling and live performances. Some of the events are free, see events programme for more information. Free, just turn up, from noon

OASIS IN THE CITY: Choumert Square, an enchanting green space in Peckham built in the latter half of 19th century, is open to visit today. Once in there, discover the 46 tiny cottages leading to a communal walled garden. £3, just turn up, from 1pm

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.

Last Updated 01 June 2014