Free And Cheap London Events: 14-20 July 2014

By Silvia Baretta Last edited 116 months ago
Free And Cheap London Events: 14-20 July 2014

Interesting and unusual things to do for a fiver or less this week. For more ideas have a look at our Free & Cheap page.

This watercolour is by Xiaowei Yu, part of Camberwell's MA Illustration Final Show. Details below

All Week

ART: Take a look at our July art events listing and find art openings happening this month. You should find the perfect fit to your creative side amongst painting, photography, drawing and more. Lots of free ones as well.

BRIDGE EXHIBITION: Museum of London Docklands's largest ever art exhibition, Bridge, is open now. It consists of historical and contemporary depictions of London’s bridges in the form of artwork, film and photography. It also considers how bridges are used in London today. Free, just turn up, until 2 November

BEACH VOLLEYBALL: Action For Kids's Beach Volleyball Championships returns to Wood Wharf in Canary Wharf. Teams of 5-12 people compete against each other over three weeks. Free to spectate (with a charge to take part), until 18 July

CANARY WHARF: Enjoy outdoor Shakespeare plays, live music, film screenings and opera in Canary Wharf this summer — all for free. See website for full programme.

Monday 14 July

ART: See beautiful mosaics at St Lawrence Jewry Church inside Guildhall Yard, created by Southbank Mosaics's artists, volunteers and students — on until 22 September. Tonight is the private view, which includes a music performance by cellist Maria Lobo. Free, prebook by email, 6pm   

FOODIES: Telegraph food writer and cook Xanthe Clay and chef Dhruv Baker are at Stanfords in Covent Garden for the launch of Baker’s new book, Spice, which has savvy advice on how to use the contents of those jars that hide at the back of most people’s kitchen cupboards. £3, prebook, 6.30pm

POETRY FILMS: Four Minute Movies is an open mic filming session for poets, storytellers and comedians at Poetry Café in Covent Garden. To qualify, work has to be a single piece, four minutes in length, and tell a story. £4, just turn up, 7.30pm

Tuesday 15 July

HISTORICAL TOUR: The Tudor manor and ancient bishop's residence Fulham Palace opens its doors to the public for a guided tour of the estate. Explore this piece of London's heritage, including its splendid gardens — meeting point at the museum before the tour starts. £5, just turn up, 2pm

WALK: Today's GoToMidtown walk is all about The Beatles. Travel back to the 1960s and see sites connected to the history of the Fab Four. Meeting point is the GoToMidtown shop in New Oxford Street. Free, just turn up, 5.30pm

STUDENT SHOW: The MA Illustration Final Show starts today at the Camberwell College of Arts in Peckham Road. The graduate show runs until 23 July and tonight you can join the private view. Free, just turn up, 6pm

DOCUMENTARY: Hackney Picturehouse hosts the premiere of the award-winning documentary The Ghosts in Our Machine. The film discusses animals rights in contemporary society. £3+bf, prebook, 7.30pm

FOREIGN LANGUAGES: Interested in learning a new language? Lingua Diversa Group offers an introductory lesson to Italian at its offices in Holborn. £5, prebook by email, 7.35pm-8.35pm

Wednesday 16 July

SCIENCE IN A PUB: Periodic pub quiz PubSci takes place at the Old King's Head close to London Bridge — this time the topic is Science and Museums. Dr Erica McAlister from the National History Museum talks about the unseen but important scientific research going on in our museums. Free, just turn up, 7pm

FREE GIG: Rock along to Top Buzzer, Red Queens, Anglia, Whiskey Chaser and Lone Poets — all playing for free tonight at The Silver Bullet in Finsbury Park. Free, prebook, 7pm

SOCIAL DEBATE: Taking place inside St Paul's cathedral, this debate focuses on the various aspects of women in leadership. Includes a Q&A session and a networking space afterwards. Free, prebook, 7pm

JAZZ PICNIC: Relax with a drink on a deckchair and listen to jazz at the Horniman Museum. Their jazz picnic series harks back to the Edwardian roots of jazz and presents tunes from 1910s ragtime to 1930s swing. Tonight, Albert Ball’s Flying Aces are performing. Free, just turn up, from 7pm

FOREIGN LANGUAGES: Interested in learning a new language? Lingua Diversa Group offers an introductory lesson to Brazilian Portuguese at its offices in Holborn. £5, prebook by email, 7.30pm-8.30pm

STORYTELLING: Natural Born Storytellers group is on stage tonight at The Camden Head — telling true stories from people’s lives about what the concept of ‘wasted' means to them. Free, just turn up, 8pm

FILM CLUB: Leytonstone pop-up cinema takes place at Leytonstone Library and presents the screening of How We Used To Live, which depicts post-war London. The screening is followed by a Q&A session with writer Travis Elborough. £5/£4, just turn up, 8pm  

DJS NIGHT: Join a free night with tunes spun by international DJs at Oslo, in Hackney. #DieselOnTour music evening hosts the two finalists of this touring DJ battle — register to the Facebook event for your ticket. Free, prebook, 7pm   

Thursday 17 July

WAR LECTURE: The Lebrecht Photo Library hosts a lecture about life behind the trenches during World War One. The talk is led by military historian Sanjoy Mukherjee-Richardson. Free, prebook by email, 6.30pm

POP UP: ZSL London Zoo recently opened a pop-up shop in Carnaby Street, with all the money raised going to help Lions400 campaign. Tonight this hosts Nisha Owen, talking about EDGE (Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered) species. Free, just turn up, 6.30pm

POETRY: A poetry reading takes place tonight at Parasol Unit for Contemporary Arts in Angel. Free, just turn up, 7pm

FILM SCREENING: The Duke of Wellington film club in Dalston hosts the screening of 1975's Rollerball — definitely an evening for science fiction lovers. £4, prebook, 7pm

GIG: Listen to contemporary music and song that draws from world, folk and modern approaches. Firefly Burning plays tonight at the No.178 in New Cross. Free, just turn up, 8pm

Friday 18 July

ART: Wanderings contemporary art exhibition takes place at The Rag Factory in Shoreditch. On display, the works of three UK artists, two sisters from Italy, three Peruvian artists and one from Mexico. Free, just turn up, until 20 July    

GUIDED WALK: Explore Holborn and its homes of famous people on this guided tour organised by GoToMidtown. Meet outside Holborn station. Free, just turn up, 1pm

STORYTELLING: Follow Vanessa Woolf for an evening of mysterious storytelling. The journey begins at a secret location close to Honor Oak Park tube station, which will be revealed once you book the tickets. £3, prebook by email, 8pm

Saturday 19 July

THAMES FORESHORE: The City of London Archaeological Society (COLAS), featuring the Thames Discovery Programme, celebrates Fun on the Foreshore with two days of free events and activities at the Tower of London, including a rare opportunity to visit Tower Beach. Don’t forget to check out the Secrets of the Thames Foreshore before you go. Part of the Festival of Archaeology. Free, just turn up (get there early as numbers on the beach are restricted for safety reasons), 19-20 July, 11am-4pm

DANCE PERFORMANCE: Spontaneous Combustion is an annual dance and performance festival at Arebyte in Hackney Wick, with outdoor performances taking place in the surrounding Hackney and Bethnal Green area. Free workshops allow the public to try out different dance styles. Free, just turn up, 19-20 July

BEACH LAUNCH: The Print House Bar in Stratford unveils its sandy beach, complete with deck chairs, palm trees, a tiki bar and barbecue this weekend. Free, just turn up, launch this weekend, beach open all summer

DOG SHOW: North London Vintage Market returns to Crouch End with the usual retro bargains and a dog show in aid of North London Hospice. £1.50, just turn up, 10am-5pm (dog show 2pm)

SUBLIME FESTIVAL: St Martin-in-the-Fields and The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square host Sounds Sublime choral music festival. Performers come from across the UK, from gospel choirs and jazz quintets to Renaissance consorts and opera duos. Free, book for some events, 10.30am-5.30pm

MUSIC FESTIVAL: The Ship Pub in Kennington hosts Kennington Music Festival & Family Fun Day. From 11am, keep the kids busy with a bouncy castle, face painting, and an arts and crafts tent. At 2pm, the live music starts, with a BBQ and outside bar. Free, just turn up,11am-3am

VINTAGE SUITCASES: Pop Up Vintage Fairs is also going for a summer festival theme at Old Spitalfields Market this month, with vintage suitcases filled with fashion bargains. Free, just turn up, 11am-5pm

STREET FOOD: Every month, KERB Saturdays street food rocks up to Granary Square in King’s Cross. This month, it hosts the London heat of the British Street Food Awards. Turn up, try the food, then vote for your favourite. Free (pay for food), just turn up, 11am-6pm

LAST CHANCE: Today is the last day of the Subnature exhibition at Grant Museum of Zoology. The exhibition features artworks based on digitally altered fish bones, including prints and sculptures. Free, just turn up, 1pm-5pm

CONCERT: Classic quartets for strings by Haydn, Shostakovich and Schumann played by young players in a Maiastra concert, organised by the Aidan Woodcock Charitable Trust at St Anne’s Church in Kew Green. Free admission but donations welcome (and a glass of wine during interval), 7.30pm

Sunday 20 July

SUMMER STREETS: Today is the second of four Summer Streets events, when Regent Street goes traffic-free for the day. Today the street hosts a foodie takeover with over 60 culinary stalls, as well as a strawberry dipping bar courtesy of Godiva. Free, just turn up, all day

ANTIQUES FAIR: Adams Antiques Fair returns to the Royal Horticultural Halls in Victoria with over 140 traders from across the UK and Europe selling their stock. £4, prebook, 10am-4.30pm

VINTAGE THRIFT: The Round Chapel Performing Arts Centre in Hackney Downs hosts Dusty Fingers, a vintage market with over 45 stalls, prices as low as £5 and a live DJ. £1, just turn up, 11am-3pm

THEATRE OPEN DAY: Opera Holland Park Theatre has a free open day for families, with workshops and theatre performances. Learn how to apply stage make up or have a go at conducting the orchestra. Free, just turn up, 12pm-5pm

WORLD CULTURE: Greenwich World Cultural Festival takes place in the grounds of Eltham Palace, with dance, theatre, music, art and circus from across the Globe, including a vintage ballroom and pop-up performances throughout the afternoon. Free, just turn up, 12.30pm-4.30pm

FAMILY DAY: Keats House in Hampstead has a family day with a holiday theme. Free, just turn up, 1pm

CONCERT: Classic quartets for strings by Haydn, Shostakovich and Schumann played by young players in a Maiastra concert, organised by the Aidan Woodcock Charitable Trust, at Omnibus in Clapham Common. Free admission but donations welcome (and a glass of wine during interval), just turn up, 4.30pm

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 12 July 2014