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, and have a helpful guide to where to see art in London for free, and where you can catch cheap and free comedy.
Get your floral fix at these free festivals
Chelsea Flower Show isn't free to get into, but there's still plenty of floral fun to be had on the cheap this week. Chelsea in Bloom is a free festival taking place in the neighbourhood, with local shops, restaurants and other businesses decked out with floral arrangements on a fashion theme. It's free to wander around, with a map of all the installations available on the website.
Similarly, the adjacent neighbourhood holds Belgravia in Bloom, where 2025's theme is 'seasons'. Again, local businesses assemble floral displays for passers-by to enjoy for free.
Both free. Chelsea in Bloom 19-25 May, Belgravia in Bloom 19-26 May.
Swot up on Salvador Dalí
Moustachioed artist Salvador Dalí is the subject of a free talk at Guildhall Library. Specifically, find out why his artworks were so shocking, even to a group of art extremists like the Surrealists, of which he became the most well-known member. Arts Society Lecturer Val Woodgate gives the talk, and you can watch in person at Guildhall Library, or online.
Free, 20 May.
Master pencil shaving art
Artist Freya, AKA Beanie Things, offers a pencil shaving art workshop at SoLo Craft Fair Brixton. No experience is required and all materials are provided for you to make two greeting cards to take home with you, using pencil art techniques.
Free-£1.79, 21 May.
Get a spring in your step at this free fair
Additional to the free Chelsea in Bloom and Belgravia in Bloom (see above), nearby Chelsea Barracks Spring Fair tales place for four days this week, inviting to browse bougie stalls from artisan ceramicists, flower pressers, jewellers and tablescapers. If you don't have money to splash on any of this right now, think of it as free inspiration.
Free, 21-24 May.
View tasty photos from the World Food Photography Awards
Shortlisted images for the World Food Photography Awards go on display in a free exhibition at Mall Galleries. The eye candy from 100 different countries were submitted this year, covering a multitude of aspects of food, from growing and harvesting to cooking and eating it. If you can't make it this week, the exhibition moves to the Museum of the Home next month.
Free, 21-25 May.
Get hooked on bowling
Bowls' Big Weekend rolls into town for its fifth year — no, this isn't 10-pin bowling, but the classic, more laid back genre of bowls. Dozens of clubs across Greater London are offering free, family-friendly sessions, with the aim of getting more people into the sport, which will feature at 2026's Commonwealth Games. Find your nearest participating club.
Free, 23-26 May.
Play chess, and chill
Need some quiet time away from the screen — but not on your own, and while still engaging your grey matter? Old Spitalfields Market hosts free Chess n Chill evenings every Thursday from 6pm-8pm. Whether you're a newb to the game, or verging on grand master status, you're welcome to play on the boards set up next to The Kitchens. Tutors are on hand to give you a steer, and given the location, there's no dearth of refreshment options.
Free, 22 May and every Thursday until 25 September.
View the IWM's new exhibition
The Imperial War Museum opens a hard-hitting but important new exhibition Unsilenced: Sexual Violence in Conflict, exploring the contexts in which sexual violence occurs in conflict, and how people around the world are fighting for justice. Stories of child evacuees, victims of trafficking, prisoners of war, and survivors from the First World War to present-day conflicts are told. Age 16+.
Free, 23 May-2 November.
Speak to scientists about their work
Soapbox Science is an initiative promoting women and non-binary scientists and the work they do — and their events are a chance to meet some of them. They take place all over the world, including South Bank this Saturday, where participants include Emma-Catherine Belhadfa from the University of Oxford talking about space rocks, and Dr Charlie Outhwaite, from the Institute of Zoology at ZSL on why we should care about insects.
Free, 24 May.
Follow the Ruskin Park Music Trail
Brixton Chamber Orchestra holds another music trail, this time, in Ruskin Park. BCO musicians are dotted around in corners of the park, ready to perform, for free, for anyone who tracks them down. Follow a map to find them, and solve clues to find out the secret location of an orchestral finale to the day.
Free, 25 May.
Bow wow wow your way to Greenwich for a dog show
All dogs, big and small, well-behaved or wonderfully mischievous are welcome to take part in the Greenwich Dog Show in the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College. Competition categories include waggiest tail, best Bridgerton lookalike and cutest pup — and though there's a charge to enter your dog, it's free to turn up, watch, and soak up the atmosphere.
Free, 25 May.
Get on your bike for London Cycling Festival
On yer bike! In lieu of Ride London, which takes a break this year, the London Cycling Festival takes place on Sunday with family-friendly rides and activities, including bike markets, BMX events, obstacle courses, live music and a performance from the Bicycle Ballet Company, spread across 14 London boroughs. Parts of Hoxton go traffic-free for the day, among many other rides all over London. See the full programme here, including events in Islington, Harrow, Brent and Newham.
Free, 25 May.
View artworks created by lawyers
This week is your last chance to see Art Beyond The Law, a free exhibition at Lauderdale House in Highgate, of artworks created by the Law Society's Art Group. All members of the group are solicitors (practising or retired) or others closely connected with the legal profession, though the artworks aren't law-related.
Free, until 26 May.
