Free And Cheap Events In London This Week: 10-16 June 2019

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Free And Cheap Events In London This Week: 10-16 June 2019

All week

Get on your bike in the Lee Valley

BIKE WEEK: It's National Bike Week this week, so hop on yours and try out some of the free trails that the people over at Lee Valley have put together. Visit Olympic venues, wild marsh land, free outdoor artworks, nature reserves and rivers on two wheels. Lee Valley, free, just turn up, Bike Week runs 8-16 June

SEA NOMADS: Time's running out to see Sea Nomads, a free exhibition of photos of  the lives of the Bajau Laut, the world’s last true marine nomads. Located between the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, these Malay peoples have lived at sea for centuries. Horniman Museum (Forest Hill), free, just turn up, until 23 June

KALEIDOSCOPE: The contributions of London's immigrants are the subject of free exhibition Kaleidoscope. A series of photos by 10 artists examines what it means to be an immigrant, or the descendant of immigrants in Britain today. Somerset House, free, just turn up, 12 June- 8 September

Kaleidoscope opens at Somerset House. The Jump (Film still), 2015 © Hetain Patel

FREE ARTWORK: London Festival of Architecture and City of London's Fantastic Feats join forces to create River View: Liminal. The free-to-view artwork is made from  a variety of mirror, bright, satin and matt aluminium panels, creating a kaleidoscope-like lens which reflects the Thames. North bank of Thames near Millennium Bridge, free, just turn up, 10 June-30 November

DRIVERLESS CARS: A new, free exhibition at Science Museum looks at the future (and present) of driverless cars. Find out about the current state of play, the possible futures and ethical questions about handing control over to a machine. Science Museum (South Kensington), free, just turn up, 12 June-October 2020

Monday 10 June

Hear new organ music at Union Chapel

ORGAN MUSIC: Union Chapel showcases a series of new pieces of music written specifically for the organ — a culmination of six months' work by the Organ Education Programme. Be the first to hear the pieces, played in the chapel's stunning surroundings. Union Chapel (Islington), £3.50, book ahead, 6.30pm

REBEL FOOTPRINTS: Hear author David Rosenberg talk about his new book, Rebel Footprints, a history of protest, struggle and social movements in the capital. As well as the specific people and organisations involved in various rebellions, he covers the corners of London where history was made. Owl Bookshop (Kentish Town), £5, book ahead, 6.30pm

SCIENCE OF MAGIC: When it comes to magic, why do our brains allow us to believe something that we know to be impossible? Psychologist and magician Dr Gustav Kuhn talks about the psychological processes that go on when we experience magic, and what they can tell us more generally about how our brains are wired. Conway Hall (Holborn), £5, book ahead, 7.30pm-9.30pm

Tuesday 11 June

Ellie Taylor performs at Angel Comedy

OPERA TALK: Ahead of tonight's performance of Puccini's Manon Lescaut, Dr Alexandra Wilson, author of The Puccini Problem: Opera, Nationalism, and Modernity, discusses the opera that made Puccini’s name. You don't need a ticket to the opera performance to attend this talk. Opera Holland Park, £5/£4, book ahead, 5.45pm

TRAVEL WRITING: Interested in the travel writing industry? Jonathan Lorie has 20 years of experience in the field, and has quite literally written the book on it. Hear him offer up his own advice on getting started, plus tips he's collected from writers, editors and publishers. Stanfords (Covent Garden), £4, book ahead, 7pm-8.15pm

COMEDY: Comedian Ellie Taylor — who's had her own Netflix show, Cravings — headlines tonight's Angel Comedy with a brand new show, and is joined by several other comedians. The Bill Murray (Islington), £5, book ahead, 9.30pm-10.30pm

Wednesday 12 June

Learn about the Petticoat Lane Fox Trot at Jewish Museum

FOX TROT: Broadcaster Alan Dein uncovers the East End's lost Yiddisher jazz scene in a talk at the Jewish Museum. In the 1920s-1950s, the Whitechapel area was rife with the sound of Jewish-themed jazz. dubbed the 'Petticoat Lane Fox Trot'. Singers, songwriters, conductors, managers, and record shops and club owners from the vicinity went on to shape the London music scene. Jewish Museum (Camden), free, book ahead, 3pm-4pm

BEN AARONOVITCH: Rivers of London author Ben Aaronovitch talks about the latest book in his bestselling — and excellent — Rivers of London series, The October Man. Investigator Tobias Winters is called in to deal with a body covered in fungal rot, and realises it may be a remnant of a conflict from a previous century. Rivers of London is due to be made into a TV series, so now's your chance to swot up before it hits screens. Daunt Books (Hampstead), £5, book ahead, 6.30pm

OLD TOKYO: Anna Sherman, a foreigner living in Tokyo, talks about her book, The Bells of Old Tokyo. In it, she explores the history and culture of Japan, as seen from the point of view of an outsider immersed in it, particularly focusing on the bells of Edo, which the city of Tokyo relied on to keep time for many years. Stanfords (Covent Garden), £4, book ahead, 7pm-8.15pm

Thursday 13 June

Bodies in Urban Spaces is a free roaming performance

BODIES IN URBAN SPACES: Part of the Fantastic Feats programme of events, Bodies in Urban Spaces is a  roaming dance and physical theatre production, where performers dressed in brightly-coloured clothes move through the City's streets, squeezing themselves into tight spaces as they go. 1 Principal Place (Bishopsgate) to Barbican, free, just turn up, 8.30am/12.30pm/5.30pm, 13-14 June

WITCH FINDERS: Watch a screening of 2018 Doctor Who episode The Witchfinders, which stars Jodie Whittaker as the first female doctor. Before the screening, there's a talk on women and witchcraft, and how ‘witches’ have been portrayed in previous episodes of Doctor Who. LSE Library, free, book ahead, 6pm-7.30pm

FOLKLORE SOCIETY: South-East London Folklore Society hosts Debbie Elliot to talk about UFOlogist and crop circle phenomenologist John Michell, who had a life-long fascination with the mysteries of the Earth. The Old King’s Head (Borough), £5/£3, book ahead, 8pm

Friday 14 June

Bow Arts Studios open to the public

BRITISH PROPAGANDA: Professor David Welch uses posters, pamphlets and leaflets to illustrate a free talk about British propaganda in the second world war. He discusses artefacts with messages ranging from rude, specifically anti-Nazi and anti-Japanese publications, to defiant and cheeky humour. National Army Museum (Chelsea), free, book ahead, 11.30am

OPEN STUDIOS: Have a poke around in art studios which are usually off-limits to the public at Bow Road Open Studios. 120 painters, sculptors, jewellers, theatre designers and performers showcase their work, in the area where they created it, and there's a chance to buy some of the wares from pop-up stalls. Bow Arts, free, just turn up, 6pm-9pm (and tomorrow 12pm-6pm)

STORY NIGHT: Vanessa Woolf of London Dreamtime leads a story night as part of Southwark Festival of Words. Several London-based storytellers take part, each having time to spin their own yarn for the adult audience. John Harvard Library (Borough), free, book ahead, 7pm

Saturday 15 June

There's a free two-day festival in Marylebone

SUMMER FESTIVAL: For two days, Marylebone Summer Festival takes over the Marylebone Village area — with several road closures to be aware of. The programme of family-friendly entertainment includes live music across two different stages, a plethora of stalls, and a street party on Sunday. Paddington Street Gardens (Marylebone), free entry, just turn up, 15-16 June

FAIR IN THE SQUARE: Local Highgate community groups, societies and businesses come together for Fair In The Square, a summer fete with merchandise, food and charity stalls (miss the cake stall at your own peril), plus live dance, theatre and music performances on stage all afternoon. Pond Square (Highgate), free entry, just turn up, 12.30pm-5.30pm

HANWELL CARNIVAL: A procession, stalls, and performances are part of the Hanwell Carnival, which is free to watch. At time of writing, organisers haven't released many details of this year's event (nothing like keeping people on their toes...) but keep an eye on this page for an idea of what to expect. Elthorne Park (Hanwell), free entry, just turn up, 12pm-6pm

Sunday 16 June

Have a rummage at a vintage clothing sale

VINTAGE SALE: Stock up on some new togs at the Vintage Kilo Sale, where you pay for your new garments based on their weight. Thousands of items from the 1970s to 2000s are for sale at a price of £15 per kilo — but there's no minimum spend, so you could pay as little as 50p if you just pick one item. The Workshop (Lambeth), £3/£1.50, book ahead, 10am-4pm

MYSTIC MAPS: Take the kids along to a creative family day, where they can design their own unique map of London, inspired by William Blake's mystic map. It ties in with current exhibition by artist Louise Albani, which is based on the same map. Keats House (Hampstead), free, book ahead, 2pm-4pm

BOOK PODCAST: For Independent Bookshop Week, Nigerian-British writer Irenosen Okojie chats to the co-hosts of Not Another Book Podcast, about her experiences as a novelist and short story writer. She also discusses her forthcoming short story collection Nudibranch and novel Curandera. Housmans Bookshop (King’s Cross), £3, book ahead, 4pm-6pm

Last Updated 09 June 2019